Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْمُزَكِّي أنا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ عُبْدُوسٍ ثنا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الدَّارِمِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ ثنا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ {مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرَى حَتَّى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ} [الأنفال 67] وَذَلِكَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَلِيلٌ فَلَمَّا كَثُرُوا وَاشْتَدَّ سُلْطَانُهُمْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ تَعَالَى هَذَا فِي الْأُسَارَى {فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً} [محمد 4] فَجَعَلَ اللهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالْخِيَارِ فِي أَمْرِ الْأُسَارَى إِنْ شَاءُوا قَتَلُوهُمْ وَإِنْ شَاءُوا اسْتَعْبَدُوهُمْ وَإِنْ شَاءُوا فَادَوْهُمْ
English Translation
Ibn Abbas said regarding the verse: 'It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued the land' [Al-Anfal 67] - this was on the day of Badr when the Muslims were few. When they became many and their authority was strong, Allah revealed regarding the captives: 'Then either free them graciously or ransom them' [Muhammad 4]. So Allah gave the Prophet and the believers the choice regarding the captives - if they wished they could kill them, if they wished they could enslave them, and if they wished they could ransom them.