True Justice and Peace — Page 32
32 If a Muslim is guilty of being unlawfully harsh to any prisoner of war then he must immediately free him. [27] Consideration was to be given to the care and comfort of the prisoners; if any of the prisoners were related to one another then they should be kept together and not kept separated. [28] Whoever had any prisoners must feed them with the same food he ate himself. [29] How can all of this be de- scribed? All of this exceeded beyond justice and in fact was Ihsaan [doing of good to others]. Who extends such treatment to prisoners? Never have any previous teachings been able to match this teaching and nor do today’s laws of human rights compare to this high standard of ‘ Adl and Ihsaan. All of the points that I have mentioned regarding pris- oners is with the aim of not prolonging wars, but rather stopping them. When the Holy Prophet sa formed the Covenant of Madinah, he afforded the Jews the same rights that Muslims enjoyed. They would not be treated unjustly by any Mo'min [true believer] and if any injustice was carried out against them by any Mo'min or by anyone else, they would be granted help in countering it. [30] Among many of the conditions [of the covenant], this particular condition was the guarantor of peace for