It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Battle of Badr had taken place, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them),“What is your opinion regarding these captives?”Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! These are your own people and family, let them live and try to win their hearts, perhaps Allah Almighty will turn towards them. Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted: O Messenger of Allah! These people expelled you and denied you, call them near and strike their necks. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! Find a valley where there is plenty of wood, put them in that valley and set the wood on fire. At this, Abbas said: You have severed the ties of kinship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went inside without giving any answer. Some people said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would act upon the opinion of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), some preferred the opinion of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and some expressed preference for the opinion of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him). After a short while, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and said,“Allah softens the hearts of some people in His matter until they become softer than milk, and He hardens the hearts of some people until they become harder than stone. And Abu Bakr! Your example is like that of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who said: Whoever follows me is of me, and whoever disobeys me, then surely You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. And Abu Bakr! Your example is like that of Isa (peace be upon him), who said: If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, surely You are the Mighty, the Wise. And Umar! Your example is like that of Nuh (peace be upon him), who said: My Lord! Leave not upon the earth any dwelling of the disbelievers. And Umar! Your example is like that of Musa (peace be upon him), who prayed: My Lord! Harden their hearts so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment. You people are in need, and none of them will return except by ransom or being killed.”Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that it slipped from my mouth: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Except Suhail bin Bayda, for I have heard him mention Islam. At this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Never did I fear more than on that day that a stone might fall upon me from the sky, until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself said:“Except Suhail bin Bayda.”Then Allah revealed this verse: «﴿مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرَى حَتَّى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيَا وَاللّٰهُ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ وَاللّٰهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ o لَوْلَا كِتَابٌ مِنَ اللّٰهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيمَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾ [الأنفال: 67-68] » “It is not for a Prophet to have captives until he has made a great slaughter in the land. You desire the goods of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter, and Allah is Mighty, Wise. Had it not been for a prior decree from Allah, a severe punishment would have touched you for what you took (of ransom).”