Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 723
Muhammad sa The Perfect Man 723 Chapter 29 The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa 's kind Treatment of the Slaves The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa was a blessing for every stratum of society. The age in which he was ordained, did not have freedom of conscience or religion. How true is the comment of Hadrat ‘Umar ra , "The mothers gave birth to free men and women, since when have you enslaved them?" The bitter reality is that slavery was rampant in those days. The powerful nations or tribes used to attack the weaker nations and enslaved them. The 'Benefactor of Mankind', the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa released mankind from these chains. One of them was the chain of slavery. He abolished slavery by declaring. "It is not appropriate for a Prophet that he should have captives until he engages in regular fighting in the land. " (8:68) For the prisoners who were enslaved in the wars, the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa announced various ways through which they could attain freedom. One of these measures was the payment of ransom. If a prisoner was unable to pay the ransom in one instalment, he had the right of Mak a tibat; a written agreement to pay ransom in instalments. There were seventy non-believing prisoners at the battle of Badr. These were the