Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (31/379)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Imam Ahmad relates in his Musnad that ‘Ā’ishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said:

“The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—distributed the captives of Banū al-Mustaliq. Juwayriyah bint al-Hārith fell to the share of Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shammās, or to a cousin of his, and she entered into an agreement with him to purchase her freedom. She was a charming, beautiful woman. She came to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am Juwayriyah, daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abī Dirār, the fortunate one among his people. You are aware of the affliction that has befallen me, and I have come to seek your help in paying for my freedom.’ The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, ‘Would you like something better than that?’ She asked, ‘What is it, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘I will pay the sum due under your agreement and marry you.’ She said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘I have done so.’ News spread among the people that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had married Juwayriyah bint al-Hārith, so they released the captives in their possession. Through his marriage to her, a hundred households of Banū al-Mustaliq were freed. I know of no woman who brought greater blessings to her people than she did.”

These and similar hadiths are well known—indeed, mass-transmitted—establishing that “the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to take Arabs captive.” His successors did likewise after him. As the imams and others have stated: “The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—took Arabs captive.” Abū Bakr took Banū Nājiyah captive and pursued the Arabs in this way, taking them into slavery. Allah had said to them:

“And married women are forbidden to you, except those whom your right hands possess. This is Allah’s decree for you.”

The hadith of Abū Sa‘īd and other reports state that this verse was revealed concerning captive women: Allah permitted them to have intercourse with these women by right of ownership.

وَفِي الْمُسْنَدِ لِلْإِمَامِ أَحْمَد عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَتْ {قَسَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَبَايَا بَنِي الْمُصْطَلِقِ فَوَقَعَتْ جويرية بِنْتُ الْحَارِثِ لِثَابِتِ بْنِ قَيْسِ بْنِ شَمَّاسٍ أَوْ لَابْنِ عَمٍّ لَهُ كَاتَبَتْهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهَا وَكَانَتْ امْرَأَةً حُلْوَةً مُلَاحَةً فَأَتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ: أَنَا جويرية بِنْتُ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ أَبِي ضِرَارٍ سَعِيدِ قَوْمِهِ؛ وَقَدْ أَصَابَنِي مِنْ الْبَلَاءِ مَا لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيْك وَجِئْتُك أَسَتُعِينُك عَلَى كِتَابَتِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَلْ لَك فِي خَيْرٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَتْ: وَمَا هُوَ يَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ أَقْضِي كِتَابَتَك؛ وَأَتَزَوَّجُك قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قَدْ فَعَلْت قَالَتْ: وَخَرَجَ الْخَبَرُ إلَى النَّاسِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَزَوَّجَ جويرية بِنْتَ الْحَارِثِ فَأَرْسَلُوا مَا بِأَيْدِيهِمْ قَالَتْ: فَقَدْ عَتَقَ بِتَزَوُّجِهِ إيَّاهَا مِائَةَ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ مِنْ بَنِي الْمُصْطَلِقِ وَمَا أَعْلَمُ امْرَأَةً كَانَتْ أَعْظَمَ بَرَكَةً عَلَى قَوْمِهَا مِنْهَا} وَهَذِهِ الْأَحَادِيثُ وَنَحْوُهَا مَشْهُورَةٌ؛ بَلْ مُتَوَاتِرَةٌ: أَنَّ {النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَسْبِي الْعَرَبَ} وَكَذَلِكَ خُلَفَاؤُهُ بَعْدَهُ كَمَا قَالَ الْأَئِمَّةُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ: {سَبَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْعَرَبَ} وَسَبَى أَبُو بَكْرٍ بَنِي نَاجِيَةَ وَكَانَ يُطَارِدُ الْعَرَبَ بِذَلِكَ الِاسْتِرْقَاقِ وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ: {وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إلَّا مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ} وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ وَغَيْرِهِ أَنَّهَا نَزَلَتْ فِي الْمَسْبِيَّاتِ أَبَاحَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ وَطْأَهَا بِمِلْكِ الْيَمِينِ.