43: Muir's Life of Mahomet, Vol. III, 185.]

_The intended Execution of the Prisoners of Badr._

[Sidenote: 63. The wrong version of Sir W. Muir.]

Sir W. Muir writes: "It would even seem to have been contemplated at the
close of the battle to kill all the prisoners. Mahomet is represented by
tradition as himself directing this course." In a foot-note he says,
"Thus Mahomet said: 'Tell not Said of his brother's death'" (Mabad, a
prisoner, see above, page 110 note); "but kill ye every man his
prisoner."--(Wackidi, 100.) Again: "Take not any man his brother
prisoner, but rather kill him" (page 101). "I would not, however, lay
too much stress on these traditions. I am inclined rather to view them
as called into existence by the passages quoted below from the
Coran."[244] The contemplated execution of the prisoners is not borne
out by the traditions which Sir W. Muir himself looks upon as fabricated
ones. The true translation of the passages in Wackidi referred to above
is as follows:--

_First passage._--"Tell not Said of his brother's killing (_i.e._, being
killed), so he will kill every prisoner in your hands."--(Wackidi, page
100.) This obviously means, that do not let Saeed know that his brother
Wahid, who was made prisoner and killed by Omar or Abu Barda, was
killed. If you do so, he will, being enraged, kill every prisoner now in
your hands. It is very strange that Sir W. Muir translates the sentence
to mean "kill ye every man his prisoner!"

_Second passage._--"No body must take his brother's prisoner, so that he
may be killed," meaning none of you should seize other person's
prisoner. If you do so, perhaps, the other person may kill the prisoner
in the contest. Sir W. Muir has quite misunderstood the sentence.

[Sidenote: 66. Mohammad never blamed in the Koran for relieving
prisoners.]

There are some fictitious traditions on the subject that Mohammad was
reprimanded in the Koran (Sura, viii, 68, 69) for releasing the
prisoners of Badr, meaning that he ought to have executed them. The
verse is translated thus:--

"It is not for a Prophet to take prisoners until (_hatta_) he hath
slaughtered in the land. Ye wish to have the goods of this world, but
God wishes for the next, for God is Mighty, Wise! Were it not for a book
from God that had gone before, there would have touched you, for which
ye took, a mighty punishment."

The verse 68, if it is rightly translated, will mean that prisoners
should not be e