It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Companions: "What do you say about these prisoners?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! Go to a valley with plenty of firewood, then kindle a fire there and throw them all into it." At this Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May Allah cut off your ties of kinship (that is, you have said such a harsh thing about your own relatives)." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! These are the leaders of disbelief and their chiefs, who fought you and denied you, so strike their necks so that we may gain dominance." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! These are your clan and your own people (so show leniency)." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out for some need of his, and a group of the Companions said: "The right opinion is what Umar said." The narrator says: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and said: "What do you say about them? In fact, their example is like that of their brothers who passed before them. Nuh (peace be upon him) said (regarding the disbelievers): 'My Lord! Do not leave upon the earth a single inhabitant from among the disbelievers.' [Surah Nuh: 26] And Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'Our Lord! Obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts.' [Surah Yunus: 88] Whereas Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'So whoever follows me is of me, and whoever disobeys me, then indeed You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.' [Surah Ibrahim: 36] And Isa (peace be upon him) said: 'If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, then indeed You alone are the Almighty, the All-Wise.' [Surah al-Ma'idah: 118] (Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) announced the final decision, saying:) Since you are in poverty ('aylah) at this time, none of these prisoners should be released except for a ransom or by striking his neck." Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Except Suhayl bin Bayda', for he should not be killed; I have heard him speaking in favor of Islam." At that he (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Ibn Mas'ud says: I have never felt as much fear as I felt at that moment; I was afraid that (for giving my opinion during his (peace and blessings be upon him) decision) stones might rain down upon me from the sky, until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Except Suhayl bin Bayda'." This hadith has an authentic (sahih) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam'ah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the prisoners (of Badr) were brought to Madinah, I was at that time with the family of Afra', offering condolences on the death of their sons Awf and Mu'awwidh, and this was before the commandments of hijab were revealed. Sayyidah Sawdah says: By Allah! I was there when news reached us that the prisoners had been brought. So I came to my house, where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was present, and I saw that Abu Yazid Suhayl bin Amr was in a corner of the room, with his hands tied to his neck with a rope. By Allah! When I saw him in that state, I could not control my emotions and said: "O Abu Yazid! Did you people accept captivity so easily? Why did you not die an honorable death!" Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called out from inside the house: "O Sawdah! Are you inciting against Allah and His Messenger?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah! By the One who sent you with the truth, when I saw him in that state, I said this involuntarily." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it. And the two Shaykhs have agreed upon the narration that Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Some men of the Ansar sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Permit us to waive the ransom of our nephew al-Abbas. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Allah! You shall not leave (even) a single dirham.'"