Salahuddin recovers a little French girl from Arab slaves and returns her to her mother during a battle against French crusaders.
Video: Salahuddin Rescues a French girl in the midst of crusades
Once an army scout came to Salahuddin with a sobbing woman beating her breast. She had come from the enemy camp of French crusaders and wanted to see the Commander.
Salahuddin asked his interpreter to question her.
French mother said: 'Yesterday some Muslim thieves entered my tent and stole my little girl. I cried all night, and our commanders told me: the king of the Muslims is merciful; we will let you go to him and you can ask for your daughter back. Thus have I come, and I place all my hopes in you.'
Salahuddin was touched, and tears came to his eyes. He sent someone to the slave market to look for the girl, and less than an hour later a horseman arrived bearing the child on his shoulders. As soon as she saw them, the girl's mother threw herself to the ground and smeared her face with sand in extreme happiness. All those present wept with joyous emotion. Mother looked heavenward and began to mutter incomprehensible words of joy and gratitude.
Thus was her daughter returned to her, and she was escorted back to the enemy camp of the French Crusaders.
The Rights of the Non-Combatants
Islam has first drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the non-combatants of the enemy country. As far as
the non-combatant population is concerned such as women, children, the old and the infirm, etc., the instructions of the Prophet ( peace be on him) are as follows:
"Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman" (Abu Dawud).
"Do not kill the monks in monasteries" or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship" (Musnad of Ibn Hanbal).
During a war, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: "She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?"
From this statement of the Prophet (peace be on him) the exegetists and jurists have drawn the principle that those who are non-combatants should not be killed during or after the war.
Concluding Remarks
Salahuddin was a true follower of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and so were the righteous caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umer, Uthman and Ali( may God be pleased with them).
Today’s world is in dire need of a true follower of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ( peace be on him). Justice for all of humanity, Muslims or non-Muslims alike, will only come by following their footsteps by the Will of Allah, the One and Only One God.
As we reflect on the Muslim ummah today, and on the dead state of political and religious leadership of Muslim majority countries, let us remember that we are only accountable for what we do and not what others do.
So, let’s rise and do what we can for peace and justice for all!!!
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