Understanding Islam — Page 177
175 sex (23:6; 33:50; 70:30). ” 13 As we have demonstrated however, this is not the “truth” at all. This is because the word “slave” cannot be truly applied to prisoners of war. As demonstrated earlier, the Holy Quran is very clear in stating that prisoners of war can only be taken in specific circumstances. Even when these prisoners are taken, there is no commandment in the Holy Quran that they should be distributed among the Muslim soldiers. It only happened in the early days of Islam due to practical reasons, such as the unavailability of state prisons, and due to the fact that Muslim prisoners were treated as slaves by the enemy. Even in such a case, the Holy Quran forbade the Muslims from turning their prisoners into slaves and to not keep them after the conclusion of the war. In the same context, the female prisoners of war were taken due to the prevalent conditions and exigencies of the time. The existence of state prisons in the modern times has obviated the need to distribute prisoners among Muslim soldiers. It is no longer required to put prisoners into the custody of individuals.