17/9. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1456a — Captive Women and Iddah
It is permissible to have intercourse with a female captive after it is established that she is not pregnant, and if she has a husband, then her marriage is annulled when she is captured
Hadith About Captive Women and Iddah at Autas
Sahih Muslim : 1456a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1456a
حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ الْقَوَارِيرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ، بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ صَالِحٍ أَبِي الْخَلِيلِ، عَنْ أَبِي عَلْقَمَةَ الْهَاشِمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ بَعَثَ جَيْشًا إِلَى أَوْطَاسٍ فَلَقُوا عَدُوًّا فَقَاتَلُوهُمْ فَظَهَرُوا عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَصَابُوا لَهُمْ سَبَايَا فَكَأَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَحَرَّجُوا مِنْ غِشْيَانِهِنَّ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَزْوَاجِهِنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذَلِكَ { وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ} أَىْ فَهُنَّ لَكُمْ حَلاَلٌ إِذَا انْقَضَتْ عِدَّتُهُنَّ .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri Narrated from:
At the Battle of Hanain Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent an army to Autas and encountered the enemy and fought with them. Having overcome them and taken them captives, the Companions of Allah's Messenger (may peace te upon him) seemed to refrain from having intercourse with captive women because of their husbands being polytheists. Then Allah, Most High, sent down regarding that:" And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess (iv. 24)"(i. e. they were lawful for them when their 'Idda period came to an end).
[1] An-Nisâ' 4:24.Reference : Sahih Muslim 1456aIn-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 41USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 8, Hadith 3432
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1456a
This hadith about the Battle of Hunain and Autas reports a specific wartime case. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri says the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sent an army to Autas. After the Muslims overcame the enemy, they took captive women. Some Companions held back from intercourse because those women had husbands among the polytheists. The report then says Allah revealed the verse, And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess. In this wording, the explanation adds that they became lawful when their iddah period came to an end. So the core topic is not desire or general permission without limits. It is a text about a particular case, a revealed verse, and the waiting period mentioned in the narration.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Companions were careful when they felt unsure about the women who had husbands.
- The report connects the event to the revealed verse about women already married except those whom right hands possess.
- In this wording, lawfulness is tied to the end of the iddah period.
- The hadith shows that questions of marital status were not treated lightly.
