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This procedure was praised by al-Nabighah.
1
Alternatively, when
a man did not want to marry his woman captive. he might sell her; -
in Mecca, there was a market place for selling slaves.
2_ Although
killing captives was considered to be disgraceful by Arabs,. women,
captives were sometimes slain. - For example., al Mundhir bin MP a
al-Saiala slew his captives from the Bakr on the Mount of twTrah and
3
burned some of the women captives. , So, taking women captives was
common with the exception of -the people of Mecca because they were
secure. None of Quraysh's women was taken captive.
4
Thus, the
woman in pre-Islamic society was treated most of the time. as if she
were an article of merchandise to be sold. In a society of wars and
raids, women suffer-constant humiliation and contempt since they, are
helpless.
ý It was also the result of life in an unstable and lawless
society which needed organising to impose some degree of order.
Although -in most wars. she was powerless and not actively involved.
there were wars behind which she was the actual reason for fighting,
and in which she played an-active role. An example of, such a war
which was triggered by a woman was Al-Bai_usýwar which had continued
between Bakr and Taghlib-for about forty years.
However, sometimes. women are shown. to have encouraged men to
fight and arouse their rage as was done by women of Shayb; n, Bakr
bin W; Iel andAjlgn on the day of Dhj Q; r'
6
5
Sometimes a woman
wanted to instigate her people to revenge as Kabsha is said to have
done. on behalf of her brother, Abd Allah. Hind BintrUtbah went out
with the unbelievers during the battle of Uhud to incite them to-
0
Al-Pawi Iylya, 'al-Nabigha)l Siy; stah va Fannah wa Nafsiyyatuh, (Al-
Nabt. ghah His politics, arts and psychology),, P. 21.
2. See Al-yu-fr, op, cit., P, 489
3. Ibid. P9 491
4. Ibid
5. For more details, see. Ali. op. cit., Vol 9 51, P. 336.
6. Al-pGfr.
_op. cit.,
P, 445
13