(Abraham 14:36). And your likeness, Abu Bakr, is that of Jesus, who said:

“If You punish them, they are Your servants; but if You forgive them, then You alone are the Almighty, All-Wise.”

(The Table 5:118)

And your likeness, Umar, is that of Noah, who said:

“My Lord, do not leave upon the earth a single inhabitant from among the disbelievers.”

(Noah 71:26)

And that of Moses, who said:

“Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and seal their hearts.”

(Jonah 10:88)

Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “You are in need today, so none of them is to be released except for ransom or execution.”

Abdullah ibn Masud said, “Except Suhayl ibn Bayda, for I heard him speak of Islam.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fell silent. Never had I feared more that stones would fall upon me from heaven than I did on that day, until the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Except Suhayl ibn Bayda.” (1)

Ibn Abbas said: Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, preferred what Abu Bakr had said and did not prefer what I had said. The following day, I came and found the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and Abu Bakr sitting and weeping (2). I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, tell me what you and your companion are weeping over. If I find something to weep over, I will weep; and if I do not, I will make myself weep because of your weeping.’

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I am weeping over what your companions proposed to me: taking ransom. I was shown their punishment as being nearer than this tree’”—referring to a tree near the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. “Then Allah, Exalted is He, revealed: ‘It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued the enemy in the land,’ up to His words: ‘So eat of what you have taken as spoils, lawful and good.’”

(The Spoils 8:67–69)

Thus Allah permitted the spoils of war for them. (3)

In the phrase “to have captives,” the word for “captives” is the plural of “captive,” just as the word for “the slain” is the plural of “one slain.”

His saying, Exalted is He, “until he has thoroughly subdued the enemy in the land,” means: until he has fought the polytheists vigorously and taken them captive. “You desire,” O believers, “the goods of this world” by taking ransom, “while Allah desires the Hereafter”: He desires for you the reward of the Hereafter through your subduing the polytheists and aiding Allah’s religion. “And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”

The ransom set for each captive was forty uqiyyahs, each uqiyyah being forty dirhams.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: This was on the day of Badr, when the Muslims were few. Then, when they became numerous and their power grew strong, Allah revealed concerning captives: “Thereafter, either release them as a favor or ransom them.”

(Muhammad 47:4)

Allah then gave His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the believers discretion concerning captives: if they wished, they could kill them; if they wished, enslave them; and if they wished, ransom them,