8:67
It is not fitting for a prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but Allah looketh to the Hereafter: And Allah is Exalted in might, Wise.
Ali explains that warfare motivated by worldly objectives—such as territorial expansion, commercial gain, revenge, or military prestige—is regarded negatively, as such goals represent purely temporal interests. In contrast, jihād in Islamic teaching is conducted under strict ethical conditions and solely for the cause of God, excluding motives such as greed or personal gain. Consequently, seeking ransom from captives as a primary objective of warfare is considered incompatible with the moral principles governing such conflict (Ali, 1989).
Ali further notes that when significant loss of life has already occurred, captives may nevertheless be taken. In such cases, the authority responsible for the community (imām) may exercise discretion regarding their release, determining whether it should occur freely, through parole, or through the payment of a ransom as a form of penalty. Although warfare and its destructive consequences are generally repugnant to a compassionate nature such as that attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, they are described as sometimes unavoidable when injustice attempts to suppress righteousness. Ali compares this concept with a statement attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, where he declares that his mission would not necessarily bring peace but division (Matthew 10:34).
Ali also discusses the historical example of the Battle of Badr, in which approximately seventy captives were taken. Although the general principle discourages fighting primarily for the purpose of capturing prisoners for ransom, the specific decision to accept ransom from the captives taken at Badr was later affirmed in Qur’anic verses 8:68–71 (Ali, 1989).
References:
Yusuf Ali, Abdullah. Translation and Commentary of the Quran. (surah 8 verse 67).