Mishkat al-Masabih #3804

Qatada told that Anas b. Malik mentioned to him on the authority of Abu Talha that at the battle of Badr God’s prophet ordered twenty-four of the strong men of Quraish to be cast into one of the wells of Badr cased with stones which was corrupt and corrupting. When he prevailed over an enemy he stayed three nights on the field of battle; and when the third day came at Badr he ordered his riding-beast to be saddled. He then walked followed by his companions till he came to the mouth of the well, when he began to call them by their names and their fathers’ names, saying, “So and so son of so and so, so and so son of so and so, does it please you that you obeyed God and His Messenger? We have found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?” ‘Umar said, “Messenger of God, what you are addressing are only bodies without spirits.” The Prophet replied, “By Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, you cannot hear what I say better than they.” A version has, “You cannot hear better than they, but they cannot answer.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) Bukhari added that Qatada said God brought them to life and made them hear what he said by way of rebuke, humiliation, revenge, and to produce grief and repentance.