The Status of Prisoners of War in Islamic Law

Just and legitimate warfare is a necessity in order to resist aggression and oppression, to defend against enemy, and to overcome those who repress the truth and forcibly keep people from it. War captives or prisoners of war follow as a necessary consequence of war. The rules which have been framed by Islam to make war humane and civilized, are in the nature of law, because they are the injunctions of God and His Prophet which are followed by Muslims in all circumstances, irrespective of the behaviour of the enemies. This paper shows that Islam provides for the just and humane treatment of prisoners of war.