Al-Kāfi - Volume 5


Book 1, Chapter 13

Kindness to the Prisoners and Providing Him Food
4 Aḥadīth

Ḥadīth #1

:53

1- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنِ الأوْزَاعِيِّ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ﷺ قَالَ إِذَا أَخَذْتَ أَسِيراً فَعَجَزَ عَنِ الْمَشْيِ وَلَيْسَ مَعَكَ مَحْمِلٌ فَأَرْسِلْهُ وَلا تَقْتُلْهُ فَإِنَّكَ لا تَدْرِي مَا حُكْمُ الإمَامِ فِيهِ قَالَ وَقَالَ الأسِيرُ إِذَا أَسْلَمَ فَقَدْ حُقِنَ دَمُهُ وَصَارَ فَيْئاً.

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from af-Minqariy from ‘Isa ibn Yunus al-Awza’iy from al-Zuhri from Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s), who has said the following: “If you take a prisoner who is not able to walk and you do not have a carriage to carry him, then allow him to go and do not kill him; you do not know what is the command of the Imam about him.’ The narrator has said that he (the Imam) then said, ‘If a prisoner becomes a Muslim, his life is spared and he is one of us.’”

Ḥadīth #2

:54

2- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (a.s) قَالَ إِطْعَامُ الأسِيرِ حَقٌّ عَلَى مَنْ أَسَرَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ يُرَادُ مِنَ الْغَدِ قَتْلُهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُطْعَمَ وَيُسْقَى وَ[يُظَلَّ] وَيُرْفَقَ بِهِ كَافِراً كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَهُ.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad from Hariz from Zurarah who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s), has said that feeding the prisoner is upon the one who has captured him even if he wants to eliminate him the next day. He should feed him, quench his thirst, [provide him shadow, shelter] and be kind to him, regardless, he is an unbeliever or not.”

Ḥadīth #3

:55

3- أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْكُوفِيُّ عَنْ حَمْدَانَ الْقَلانِسِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (a.s) قَالَ الأسِيرُ طَعَامُهُ عَلَى مَنْ أَسَرَهُ حَقٌّ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ كَافِراً يُقْتَلُ مِنَ الْغَدِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَرْؤُفَهُ وَيُطْعِمَهُ وَيَسْقِيَهُ.

3. Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Kufiy has narrated from Hamdan al-Qalanisiy from Muhammad ibn al-Walid from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from Mansur ibn Hazim who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s), has said that feeding the prisoner is upon the one who has captured him, even if he is an unbeliever whom he wants to eliminate the next day. He should be kind to him, feed him and quench his thirst.”

Ḥadīth #4

:56

4- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ جَرَّاحٍ الْمَدَائِنِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (a.s) فِي طَعَامِ الأسِيرِ فَقَالَ إِطْعَامُهُ حَقٌّ عَلَى مَنْ أَسَرَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ قَتْلَهُ مِنَ الْغَدِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُطْعَمَ وَيُسْقَى وَيُظَلَّ وَيُرْفَقَ بِهِ كَافِراً كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَهُ.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from al-Qasim ibn Sulayman from Jarrah al-Mada’iniy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s), spoke about feeding the prisoners of war and said, ‘Feeding of prisoners of war is on the one who has taken him as a prisoner even if he wants to eliminate him the next day. He must feed him quench his thirst, provide him shadow and be kind to him, regardless, the prisoner is an unbeliever or other.’”