The Importance of Education in Islam

called Badr in 624 AD. Muslims emerged victorious in this battle, while seventy of the chieftains from the rival Makkan camp were taken hostage and brought to Madinah. At the time, the inhabitants of Makkah were largely literate, while that of Madinah were comparatively illiterate. The seventy hostages belonged to the educated elite of Makkah. According to the precedent in Arabia, prisoners of war were awarded no concessions and were promptly beheaded with the sword. This severe treatment was meted out because the enmity of prisoners of war was proven beyond any doubt. It had become well-known that these were a group of people who would go to any extent, even war, in opposition to their rivals. Releasing the hostages left one exposed to the threat of their re-organizing themselves to carry out further hostilities. This is why, exterminating them was the only safe option available. This sort of treatment of prisoners of war was an established custom in the ancient world. But contrary to it, the Prophet declared that a Makkan prisoner of war could ransom himself by instructing ten children of Madinah to read and write. This was not a simple matter, rather it was a momentous step. These seventy hostages were among the leaders of the thirteen-year movement of persecution directed