Slavery – The Right Hand Possession

“Islam does not prohibit slavery but retains it for two reasons. The first reason is war (whether it is a civil war or a foreign war in which the captive is either killed or enslaved) provided that the war is not between Muslims against each other - it is not acceptable to enslave the violators, or the offenders, if they are Muslims. Only non-Muslim captives may be enslaved or killed. The second reason is the sexual propagation of slaves which would generate more slaves for their owner.”

Dr. 'Abdul-Latif Mushtahari

(Director of Homiletics and Guidance

Al-Azhar University, Cairo)

Slavery had existed in pre-Islamic times and is well supported in the Bible's Old and New Testaments. Muhammad's continuation of this Abrahamic tradition, where everyone outside their fold was considered an infidel or heathen, ripe for subjugation on account of their non acceptance of an exclusive one true God, allowed the perpetuation of slavery wherever these scriptures impacted society. Muhammad captured, traded, owned, distributed, freed and slept with slaves.

Muhammad, supposedly the best of creation according to his followers, set an example that was followed religiously for thirteen hundred years until international pressures brought an end to mass slavery in Islamic nations in the early twentieth century. However slavery still does continue in many Islamic societies under various guises by those who consider it still justifiable under Allah's unchanging final revelation to mankind, the Qur'an.

The Qur'an and Hadiths unequivocally justify slavery, stipulates the uses of slaves, their rights and even the status of their descendants. Many times in the scriptures, slaves are referred to as "ma malakat aymanukum" (that which your right hands possess). In Islam a slave is therefore viewed as an object to be owned, traded and treated according to the whims of their owner.

According to Muhammad a slave is categorised differently from other humans. Q.2:178 - O you who believe! retaliation is prescribed for you in the matter of the slain, the free for the free, and the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. This verse, which recommends the appropriate retalition for murder, implies that a free man, slave and female are different categories of humans. If not, then why specify specific retaliation as commensurate within those groups. Should a free man be killed then the life of a free man commiting the crime is taken, if a slave is killed then a slave's life is taken and for a female the life of a female is taken. A point to note is that 'the free' refers to a man. Hence technically speaking a woman, in Muhammad's eyes, is not free but is some form of possession, belonging to a man hence categorised differently from 'the free'. The crucial aspect of this verse is the requirement for killing like for like as retaliation. Hence should a free man kill a slave it is not the free man that will be killed as the punishment, it will be one of the free man's slave; the slave just being merchandise used as compensation for a man's crime.

An example of slaves being used for compensation for their master's crime can be found in the hadith, SB 83:41 - Two women fought with each other and one threw a stone causing the other to miscarriage. Allah's Apostle commanded that the killer (of the fetus) should give a male or female slave as blood money.

According to many Muslim apologists, Islam recommends the freeing of slaves and hence was an advancement in human rights as compared to biblical pre-Islamic times. Analysing Qur'anic verses used to make such claims, reveal their ulterior motives and their resulting perpetuation of slavery.

Q.4:92 And it does not behove a believer to kill a believer except by mistake, and whoever kills a believer by mistake, he should free a believing slave, and blood-money should be paid, but he who cannot find a slave should fast for two months successively.

Essentially what this verse is saying is that should a Muslim kill a fellow Muslim by mistake, manslaughter, the convicted Muslim should free one of his slaves as the punishment.

Firstly this is hardly an incentive to free slaves, and also note that the key characteristic of the slave being freed is that he/she must be Muslim. Therefore an unbelieving slave has no such avenue for freedom. Also Muhammad assumes that Muslims own slaves as a matter of course and slavery was legal, otherwise institutionalising such a penalty for such a severe crime would be pointless. The verse goes on to say that should a slave not be available, the murderer should fast for two consecutive months. This therefore equates the life of a slave to be equivalent to two months fast or simply adding an extra month to the Ramadan fast month and that is what a slave is worth and that is adequate punishment a Muslim will get for killing another Muslim.

Note there is no punishment recommended for a Muslim killing a non-Muslim in the Qur'an.

The following verse, though it acknowledges and upholds the institution of slavery, does give the permit to free slaves, if you see any ‘good’ in them. The ‘good’, based on Muhammad’s core teachings, implies that they must first accept Islam. In addition, a deed was to be written stating the conditions of freedom and the amount the slave would have to pay to earn the privilege.

Q.24:33 ...And (as for) those who ask for a writing from among your slaves, give them the deed (to earn their freedom for a certain sum), if you know any good in them, and give them of the wealth of Allah which He has given you; and do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, when they desire to keep chaste, in order to seek the frail good of this world's life; but whoever so compels them {into prostitution}, then surely after their compulsion Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

It should be noted that at the time of this revelation, Muhammad and the Muslims were conquering many Jewish and Pagan tribes in Arabia. As the verse says to the slave master, ‘give of the wealth Allah has given you’. The wealth that Allah had given to the Muslims was the booty they obtained from holy war, Jihad. Hence a surplus of slaves would have been expected and therefore became an excess commodity from which a select few could be freed. This was beneficial to increasing the Ummah of Islam.

The verse continues, advising the slave owner not to force their slave girls into prostitution should they desire to remain chaste. The reason given is not related to the human rights of the slave but to the good the slave owner accumulates in this life. Prostitution involves the earning of money. For many slaves, the opportunity to acquire a share from such an income, to pay for their freedom, may have been enticing. Encouraging them into such a profession would not have been unlawful according to the Qur’an; for Allah allows prostitution of slaves if no force is involved. But even if force is involved the verse continues to inform us that the slave master and slave would be forgiven by the merciful Allah.

Muhammad's decree of freeing slaves who had accepted Islam, who were good and who could afford an agreed sum, resulted in the Muslim community becoming larger, one of the goals of Muhammad. However Muslims needed to replenish stocks of slaves for the dwindling slave pool. Muhammad clearly had an action plan and instigated revelations from Allah permitting continued enslavement of peoples. So contrary to ending slavery, verses recommending manumission of slaves only perpetuated its practice throughout history.

What were the laws Muhammad had put in place to acquire slaves? Well of course children born of slaves were automatically slaves and property of the owner of the slave. However the main source for many centuries was from captives obtained from war booty of which Muhammad obtained twenty percent.

Q.33:50 - O Prophet! We have made lawful to you your wives and those whom your right hand possesses out of those whom Allah has given to you as prisoners of war...

In Sahih Bukhari we read, SB 59:447 'Kill their warriors and take their wives and offspring as captives'

This revelation from Allah explicitly states that Muhammad and Muslims obtained slaves as their share of the captives in war. Muslims always prized females, not only because they could be used to do domestic work, but also because they could be used to satisfy their carnal appetites. In many battles the surviving males were killed and only the women and children enslaved. A prime example was Muhammad's invasion of Khaybar SB 8:367 - Dihya asked, 'O Allah's Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.' The Prophet said, 'Go and take any slave girl.' He took Safiya. The Prophet said, 'Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.' Muhammad on seeing Safiya wanted her for himself. Women captured by the Muslims were simply commodities traded for their bodies.

Ownership of slaves attracted no taxation on their owners as explicitly declared by Muhammad in SB 24:542 Allah's Apostle said, "There is no Zakat (tax) either on a horse or a slave belonging to a Muslim. Obviously slaves and horses were essential commodities to Muslims and hence exempted from taxation.

What rights does the master have over the slave? The following verse has Allah granting men the privilege of going unto their slaves as they would onto their wives.

Q.23:5-6 - (Successful are the believers) who abstain from sex, except with their wives or those whom their right hands possess (slaves), for they are free from blame.

This verse clearly give the slave owner the right of sexual access to his female slaves. Notice the reciprocal arrangement for women to approach their male slaves is non existent! The verse ends with the statement that there is no blame. In other words no sin involved in what is essentially committing rape.

Beating of slaves was obviously commonplace as can be ascertained from the words of Muhammad SB 60:466 It is not wise for anyone of you to lash his wife like a slave, for he might sleep with her the same evening. Maybe if you do not intend to sleep with her that night a lashing might be in order! Apparently, for Muhammad, the reason for not severely beating a woman like a slave had nothing to do with her rights as a human being but more to do with the man being satisfied in the evenings.

The Muslims gained great wealth from their expeditions among the non believers. Muhammad warned the believers not to share their wealth with their captured slaves, for it may put them on an equal footing with the believers. He insinuates that because they have not accepted Islam they do not get the grace of Allah

Q16:71 Allah has favoured some of you above others in provision. Now those who are more favoured will by no means hand over their provision to the slaves whom their right hands possess, so as to be equal in that respect. Is it then the grace of Allah that they deny?

A child born out of wedlock is destined for slavery according to Muhammad in this hadith, SAD 11:2126 - A man said: I married a virgin but found her pregnant. The Prophet said: She will get the dowry, for it made her vagina lawful for you. The child will be your slave. When she has begotten flog her. The vagina of the woman is lawful to the husband hence presumably what comes out, becomes his property regardless of who is the mother or biological father. They have no say in the matter and their child is given into slavery to the one who gave the woman a dowry to apparently purchase her genital.

Muhammad had no problem utilising the services of other people's slaves when required, such as in SB 8:439 - Allah's Apostle sent someone to a woman telling her to "Order her slave to prepare a wooden pulpit for him to sit on."

The freeing of slaves was not always a rewarding option as Muhammad points out in SB 47:765 - Maimuna bint Al-Harith said, "Do you know, O Allah's Apostle, that I freed my slave-girl?" He said, "You would have got more reward if you had given the slave to one of your maternal uncles."

Muhammad was an equal opportunity slave master obviously employing the service of slaves from around the globe. SB 60:435 - I went to Allah's Apostle's residence and a black slave of Allah's Apostle was sitting on the first step. I said to him, 'Say to the Prophet 'Umar bin Al-Khattab is here...'

Trading slaves was not an issue for Muhammad as we see in SB 10:3901 Allah's Apostle said: Sell him (a slave) to me. And he bought him for two black slaves... and in SB 34:351 - Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah bought him for such and such price and the Prophet gave him the slave.

The rewards for one freeing a Muslim slave are quite interesting: SB 79:706 The Prophet said, "If somebody frees a Muslim slave, Allah will save from the Fire every part of his body for freeing the corresponding parts of the slave's body, even his private parts will be saved from the Fire because of freeing the slave's private parts." Freeing a slave, a Muslim one of course, brought great merit to the owner who was guaranteed that their private parts would not be burnt in the fire. By freeing slaves who had converted to Islam, Muhammad ensured growth of his ummah. For slaves were easy to replace from the constant expeditions conducted.

Slaves obeying their master or the master converting his captured slave girl to Islam and marrying her brought double rewards as Muhammad explains in SB 3:97 - Allah's Apostle said "Three persons will have a double reward: 1. A Christian or Jew who embraced Islam. 2. A slave who discharges his duties to Allah and his master. 3. A master of who converts his female-slave to Islam, frees her and then marries her." It was imperative that a slave was converted to Islam before they could be freed and then married. No concern is given for the wishes of the slave-girl regarding her choice of husband. Again this was all part of Muhammad's strategy for expanding the Muslim community.

Slaves were obviously discouraged from running away from their masters. Muhammad states in Sahih Muslim 1:129, The slave who fled from his master committed an act of infidelity as long as he would not return to him. Further he adds in 1:131, When the slave runs away from his master, his prayer is not accepted. Therefore threatening that God will not answer a runaway slave's prayers played into the gullible hands of the downtrodden.

If a slave was freed, everything they owned, even family members, was to be inherited by the master. Muhammad explains in Sahih Muslim 9:3595, The right of inheritance for a freed slave rests with the one who emancipates. Therefore for many, freedom may not have been a desirable option.

According to Muhammad, slavery is to continue until the end of time. There is supposedly no abolition of slavery in Muhammad's vision of the future. His sign of the coming of the last day involves a slave giving birth to one who would become her master, as narrated in Sahih Bukhari 2:47 One day while the Prophet was sitting in the company of some people, Gabriel came and asked, "When will the Hour be established?" Allah's Apostle replied, "The answerer has no better knowledge than the questioner. But I will inform you about its portents: 1) When a slave gives birth to her master, 2) When the shepherds of black camels start boasting and competing with others in the construction of higher buildings."

How can the end time possibly be realised unless slavery is still an established institution? For Muslims to believe in the signs conveyed by their prophet, they must ensure slavery persists in our world and that shepherds of black camels pursue engineering courses to compete in building skyscrapers.

Muhammad's life and teachings embodied the principles of slavery. He encouraged it, laying a foundation for succeeding generations of Muslims to follow suit. The resulting effect was vast segments of humanity suffering untold mental, physical and emotional trauma over many centuries. Muhammad had the power to end slavery had he had an ounce of humanitarian compassion in his genes.

He was able to prohibit alcohol, pork and adultery, yet he vigorously promoted slavery. How a man who disgracefully used and abused fellow human beings could ever be considered the best example of a human being, is one of the miracles of Islam.