Asalamu alikum…This series of short videos are joint effort by Mohamed Sadek and Mohmmed Dandan, members of the International Qur’anic Center in Washington

Ahl Alqur’an.com

The distortion of the image of Islam P 2  

The material in this video directed to none Arabic speaking people and to those who like to watch media manipulation of Islam, as being is not a religion of peace. As well as believing in what the media, falsely propagate and spread negative image of Islam.

Note: What we are talking about is not religion as faith, rather the actions of its followers.

Our subject today is:

How Islam deal with “a prisoner of war that your right hands possess”?   

Islam forbade slavery for it is the religion that gives rights of individuals, males or females.

Slavery was not initiated by Islam, it had been in practice long before Islam.

It’s the custom of war to have captives and those captives or prisoners used to be turned into slaves and concubines by their masters. This was not the case, only in the pre-Islamic Arab regions, but it was there every other place.

Was it Islam that took women as being the cause of all evils or as serpents?

Islam is not the religion that jeopardizes the rights of woman, as Western scholars would have us believe, invent any ideas to distort the image of Islam. When Islam came, it tried to put an end to all such inhumane practices.

This is clear in the way Islam handled the issue of slavery. Right from the start, Islam set a goal to eradicate this barbaric system.

It confined the issue of taking captives to the period of warfare. This is just as a situation necessitated by hostility between warring states. Then it allowed the female captives to be married by their captors. But why? Does this mean giving men a chance to unleash their sexual desires. The answer is No.

Here lies certain wisdom that completely escapes the mind of those Western scholars, who take this issue to launch attacks against Islam.

As we know, after the end of hostility, it is the norm that prisoners of war be freed and exchanged through mutual agreement between the parties. Islam has made this clear in its divine texts that the captives must freed through ransom or without ransom.

It’s socially understood that marrying freed female captives, would normally secure their rights, more than would be the case if they were set free without any guarantee for survival. This hope, soon turned glittering by securing them a marital home, whereby their rights and dignity would secured.

Here comes the issue of “ma malakat aimanukum” (what your right hands possess). This mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an:

{ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ طَوْلًا أَنْ يَنْكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ فَمِنْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ مِنْ فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِكُمْ بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَانْكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ وَآتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مُحْصَنَاتٍ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحَاتٍ وَلَا مُتَّخِذَاتِ أَخْدَانٍ فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ الْعَنَتَ مِنْكُمْ وَأَنْ تَصْبِرُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَاللهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ } (سورة النساء 25)

4:25 “If any of you does not have the means to marry a believing free woman, then marry a believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess – God knows best your faith: you are from one another– so marry them with their people’s consent and their proper bride-gifts. Make them married women, not adulteresses or lovers. If they commit adultery when they are married, their punishment will be half that of free women. This is for those of you who fear that you will sin; it is better for you to practice self-restraint. God is most forgiving and merciful.”

This verse clearly state three conditions as follows:

1- This is for those of you who fear that you will sin, the solution is:

2- Then marry a believing girl from among those whom your right hands possess.

3-Conditioned: Make them married women, not adulteresses or lovers.

Notice, the Qur’an uses the expression “what your right hands.” What is the significance of this expression?

The word “right hands” here refers to women taken as prisoners of war in this case. It is by no means an implication of concubines; it is totally prohibited in Islam. Nor does it refer to purchasing female prisoner from market be used to satisfy sexual urge.

The word “right hands possess” also has another significance that clearly reflects the great concern, Islam has for preserving the rights of those captives. All this indicates that the word “what your right hand possess” has a special meaning in Islamic usage and must be understood within the text where is mentioned. In fact, it signifies the great care and good treatment that prisoners of wars should be accorded. This is how Islam dealt with the issue from the beginning.

Islam stipulated that all masters should take care of their captives; they should not be over burdened with tasks, nor should they deprived of their human rights. Allah has put them under your control. Islam further put an end to the habit of using derogatorynames of “slaves” or “servants”.

The Qur’an was clear in dealing with prisoners:

{ فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (4) } (سورة محمد 4)

47:4.  So, if you encounter those who have rejected, then strike their formations until you overcome them, then bind them securely. You may either set them free or ransom them, until the war ends.

This verse is a protocol regarding prisoners of war in two ways:

1- Set them free, or,

2- Ransom them.

Will meet again " God willing" with part 3 of "The distortion of the image of Islam"

Peace be with you all ....Farewell!