6 – Hadith 1120 proves that it is permissible to set captives free and grant them their liberty without any ransom—neither in money nor in exchange for another prisoner.

7 – It is also permissible to recompense a polytheist for a favor he has extended, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “Had al-Muṭʿim ibn ʿAdī been alive and spoken to me regarding these contemptible men, I would have released them for his sake.” This was in repayment of the kindness al-Muṭʿim had shown, for he had rendered two outstanding services to the Prophet ﷺ:

• First: When the Prophet returned from al-Ṭāʾif, before the Hijrah, after calling its people to Islam, he feared an attack from the Meccan idolaters. He therefore entered Mecca under the protection of al-Muṭʿim ibn ʿAdī, who, together with his sons and the sons of his brother, donned their weapons and escorted him into the Sacred Mosque. Abū Jahl asked, “Is he under your protection or has he become a follower?” Al-Muṭʿim replied, “He is under my protection.” Abū Jahl said, “We grant asylum to anyone you grant asylum to; your protection will not be violated.”

• Second: Al-Muṭʿim, along with four other men from Quraysh, was among those who tore up the document Quraysh had drafted to boycott Banū Hāshim and had hung inside the Kaʿbah.