IT IS A fact that when Muslims engaged in battle during the time of Prophet Muhammadsa, prisoners were distributed among the Muslim soldiers. It is in fact this distribution that causes the confusion between slaves and prisoners of war. This issue cannot be understood properly unless we study the context in which this was done.
First, it must be understood that this practice was not an essential teaching in Islam. It finds no mention in the special instructions which have been given in the Quran with regards to prisoners of war. It was only a retributive measure which was taken recourse to as an answer to the extremely aggressive conduct of the enemy who made slaves out of Muslim prisoners by distributing them among their soldiers. However, as shown in the previous section, the Islamic teachings clearly forbade turning any prisoner into a slave. These teachings clearly stated that the prisoners are to be set free as soon as the war is over.
One practical reason why prisoners used to be distributed among the soldiers is that there were no state prisons at that time. It was common practice in the world at that time that prisoners were distributed among the soldiers, and the Muslims did the same. Over time, this system changed and today there are state prisons where such prisoners are kept.
Due to the beautiful teachings of Islam in regard to the prisoners of war, the reality is that the prisoners in possession of Muslim soldiers enjoyed a comfortable stay as compared to being in a state prison. The prisoners of war ended up living as members of the families to which they were assigned. This also became the reason for prisoners of war to convert to Islam as the kind treatment served to them was unparalleled.
Regardless, due to the fact that the old ways have changed and now the prisoners of war can easily be accommodated in state prisons, it is no longer necessary to assign them to families. In fact, such a practice would be un-Islamic, as the Promised Messiahas also notes:
It is a matter of gratification that in the present times non-Muslim nations have abandoned the aggressive practice of making slaves of Muslim captives, therefore, now the Muslims are also not allowed to enslave their prisoners, for, the Holy Quran says that the punishment inflicted on the enemy should be proportionate to the wrong the enemy has been the first to inflict on the Muslims. Hence, when the conditions have changed and the people hostile to the Muslims no longer go to the extent of making slaves of Muslim men and women in times of war, but treat them as State prisoners, it would be unlawful for the Muslims to make slaves of the prisoners of war taken from a belligerent army.185
Hence, treating prisoners of war as slaves does not have a place in Islam in modern times.