Treatment of Prisoners in Islam
The treatment of prisoners of war reveals much about any ethical system's core values. In examining how Islamic law and history have dealt with captives, we find a system that permits execution, enslavement, ransom, and forced conversion—practices that reflect 7th-century Arabian warfare norms rather than timeless divine ethics. The contrast with biblical principles regarding captives is striking and raises serious questions about Islam's claims to represent progressive moral teaching.
The Quranic Teaching on Captives
The Quran provides specific instructions regarding prisoners taken in warfare:
"So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens." (Quran 47:4)
This verse establishes several options for dealing with prisoners:
- Execution ("strike their necks")
- Enslavement ("secure their bonds")
- Release as a favor ("confer favor")
- Ransom (exchange for money or Muslim prisoners)
Notice what's missing: no requirement for humane treatment, no prohibition on torture, no protected status, no presumption that captives have fundamental human rights.
Another passage addresses the spoils of war, including human captives:
"It is not for a prophet to have captives [of war] until he inflicts a massacre [upon Allah's enemies] in the land. You [O Muhammad] desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires [for you] the Hereafter. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." (Quran 8:67)
This verse was revealed after the Battle of Badr, criticizing Muhammad for taking prisoners for ransom rather than executing them all. Allah's preference, according to this verse, is for massacre rather than mercy toward prisoners.
Muhammad's Treatment of Prisoners
Muhammad's own practices with prisoners reveal the practical application of these principles:
The Banu Qurayza (627 CE): After the Battle of the Trench, Muhammad besieged the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. Upon their surrender:
"The Messenger of God imprisoned them in the house of Bint al-Harith... Then the Messenger of God went to the market of Medina and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and had them beheaded in those trenches. They were brought out to him in groups. Among them were the enemy of God, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and Ka'b ibn Asad, the head of the tribe. They numbered 600 or 700—although some say it was 800 or 900." (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah)
Every adult male (defined as anyone who had reached puberty) was executed—between 600 and 900 men total. The women and children were enslaved and distributed among the Muslims, with Muhammad himself taking Rayhana, a beautiful captive, as a concubine.
This wasn't a spontaneous act of rage; it was systematic execution carried out over the course of an entire day, with trenches dug specifically for the mass slaughter.
The Battle of Badr (624 CE): After Muhammad's first major military victory, several prisoners were taken. Most were eventually ransomed, but two prominent Meccan leaders who had mocked Muhammad were executed on his direct order:
"When they stopped at al-Safra, the Apostle ordered that Nadr bin al-Harith and Uqba bin Abi Muayt should be killed, and they were killed there." (Ibn Ishaq)
Uqba pleaded: "Who will look after my children, O Muhammad?" Muhammad replied: "Hell." He was then executed.
The Jewish Poet Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf: Ka'b wrote poetry critical of Muhammad. Muhammad asked, "Who will deal with Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf? He has maligned Allah and His Messenger." Muhammad authorized deception to assassinate Ka'b, and his followers lured Ka'b out at night and murdered him.
These weren't prisoners of war in the traditional sense, but they demonstrate Muhammad's treatment of those in his power who had opposed him: execution without judicial process.
Enslavement of Prisoners
Perhaps the most common fate for prisoners in Islamic warfare was enslavement. The Quran explicitly permits sexual slavery of captured women:
"And [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess [captives]." (Quran 4:24)
"Those your right hands possess" is a euphemism for slaves, particularly female slaves. This verse explicitly permits Muslims to have sexual relations with married captive women, effectively nullifying their marriages and treating them as sexual property.
"O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives]." (Quran 33:50)
Female prisoners could be distributed among Muslim fighters as spoils of war and used as sex slaves. This wasn't metaphorical; the hadith confirms the practice:
"We went out with Allah's Messenger on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing azl (coitus interruptus). But we said: 'We are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him?' So we asked Allah's Messenger, and he said: 'It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born.'" (Sahih Muslim 1438a)
Notice what troubled the Muslims: not the morality of raping captive women, but whether they should practice withdrawal during the rape to preserve the women's market value for ransom or resale.
The Impossibility of Consent
Modern Muslim apologists sometimes claim that sexual relations with female captives required consent. This is absurd for several reasons:
- The women are slaves—they cannot legally refuse their master
- Their husbands have just been killed or enslaved
- Their children may have been enslaved or killed
- They're dependent on their captors for survival
- Islamic law gives them no legal recourse to refuse
Calling this "consent" is an Orwellian corruption of language. These are prisoners of war being sexually exploited by their captors. In modern terminology, this is rape and sexual slavery—recognized as war crimes under international law.
Children as Prisoners
Islamic law permitted the enslavement of children captured in warfare. After the Banu Qurayza massacre, the children were distributed as slaves:
"They took me as a captive with the women of Banu Qurayza. The Messenger of God examined us. Those who had reached puberty were killed and those who had not were let go. I was among those who had not reached puberty, so I was let go." (Sunan Abu Dawud 4390)
The "mercy" shown to prepubescent boys was enslavement rather than execution. Young girls faced enslavement and, when they reached puberty, sexual exploitation.
Torture of Prisoners
While Islamic law has some provisions limiting torture, Muhammad's own practice included torturing prisoners for information or revenge:
"The Prophet ordered that Kinana [a Jewish leader] be brought to him. He questioned him about the treasure. Kinana said he did not know where it was. Then a Jew came to the Messenger of God and said: 'I saw Kinana walking around a particular ruin every morning.' The Messenger of God said to Kinana: 'What do you say? If we find it with you, I will kill you.' 'Fine,' he said. The Messenger of God ordered that the ruin be excavated, and some of the treasure was extracted from it. Then he questioned him about the rest. Kinana refused to surrender it, so the Messenger of God gave orders concerning him to al-Zubayr b. al-Awwam, saying, 'Torture him until he tells what he knows,' so he kindled a fire on his chest until he almost expired; then the Messenger of God gave him to Muhammad b. Maslama, who beheaded him." (Al-Tabari, History, Vol. 8)
Kinana was tortured (fire placed on his chest) to extract information about hidden treasure, then executed. This wasn't a rogue follower acting against Muhammad's wishes—it was done on Muhammad's direct order.
Ransom and Economic Exploitation
Prisoners were often held for ransom, turning captives into economic assets. After the Battle of Badr, wealthy Meccan prisoners were released in exchange for substantial payments. Poor prisoners who couldn't pay ransom were enslaved or exchanged for Muslim prisoners.
This created a perverse incentive: Muslims could raid non-Muslim communities, capture people, and hold them for ransom—essentially state-sanctioned kidnapping.
Forced Conversion
While the Quran states "there is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), the practical treatment of prisoners often involved pressure to convert. Captives who converted to Islam might receive better treatment, reduced ransom, or freedom, while those who refused remained enslaved or faced execution.
This creates a coercive environment where "conversion" is motivated by survival rather than genuine faith—precisely what should be meant by "compulsion in religion."
Modern Applications
These principles aren't merely historical. Modern jihadist groups explicitly cite classical Islamic jurisprudence on prisoners:
ISIS: When ISIS captured Yazidi communities in Iraq (2014), they systematically enslaved thousands of women and girls, citing Islamic texts on sex slavery. ISIS published articles in their magazine Dabiq explicitly justifying the practice based on Quran 4:24 and hadith literature.
Boko Haram: After kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria (2014), Boko Haram's leader stated: "I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah... There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell."
Hamas and Hezbollah: Both groups have held Israeli prisoners for years without Red Cross access, using them as bargaining chips, following the ransom model established in early Islam.
These aren't misinterpretations; they're applications of traditional Islamic jurisprudence on prisoners.
Biblical Contrast: Protection of Captives
While the Old Testament includes warfare and sometimes harsh treatment of enemies, it also contains unique protections for captives that were revolutionary for the ancient world:
"When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her." (Deuteronomy 21:10-14)
This passage requires:
- A waiting period (one month) before any sexual relations, during which she mourns her losses
- Marriage rather than slavery if sexual relations occur
- Freedom to leave if the relationship doesn't work
- Prohibition on selling her as a slave
While this isn't modern ethics, it's dramatically more protective than the Islamic system. The woman cannot be raped immediately after capture, cannot be treated as disposable sexual property, and cannot be sold into slavery.
Regarding general treatment of prisoners:
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink." (Proverbs 25:21)
Jesus took this principle further:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45)
The biblical trajectory moves from regulated treatment of captives in the Old Testament toward radical enemy-love in the New Testament—precisely the opposite direction from what we'd expect if these were merely human constructions reflecting their times.
Questions to Consider
- If the Quran is Allah's timeless word, why does it permit execution, enslavement, and ransom of prisoners—practices now recognized as war crimes?
- How can sexual relations with female captives whose families have been killed or enslaved be described as anything other than rape?
- Why did Allah criticize Muhammad for taking prisoners for ransom rather than executing them all (Quran 8:67)?
- If Islam represents progressive revelation and moral advancement, why does it permit practices (sex slavery, child enslavement, torture) that modern ethics universally condemn?
- How should we interpret ISIS and Boko Haram's justification of sex slavery using classical Islamic texts—as misinterpretation or application?
- Why would a merciful god permit the systematic execution of 600-900 men from a single tribe and the enslavement of their families?
- If "there is no compulsion in religion," how does enslaving prisoners and offering better treatment for conversion not constitute religious compulsion?
- Does the contrast between Jesus teaching "love your enemies" and Muhammad ordering the execution and torture of his enemies suggest different sources for their messages?