Islam did not create the institution of slavery.slavery is the negation of right relationships.when Islam appeared on the Arabian peninsula the institution of slavery was flourishing in its primitive barbarism in the 7th century of the Christian era.Slavery had become deeply rooted in the social, commercial and domestic life of the Arabs,when Islam dawned on the semi barbarous society of the Arabs.Islam reluctantly tolerated the existence of slavery as a sociological necessity of the age.The abolition of slavery would have been unrealistic and ineffective since it formed an integral part of the social structure of the times long established and firmly rooted.Islam took every possible step to humanise the institution of slavery and to bring its gradual liquidation.
The Holy Qur'an abounds in verses which exhort the Muslims to show kindness to the slaves,warm concern for their welfare and pave the way for the emancipation of the slaves and the virtual abolition of the institution of the slavery in the end.
1."(show) kindness to parent,to near relatives,to orphans, the needy,to the neighbour who is related to you, to the neighbour who is not related to you,to the fellow traveller,to the way farer and to your slaves"(4:36)
In this verse Qur'an exhorts the Muslims to show kindness to the slaves who are also as helpless as the orphans, the needy and so on.Islam exhorts kindness to the slaves because the slaves were treated brutally by their masters.They were illfed,illclothed and their labour was ruthlessly exploited.Their earnings were taken over by the master.Slave girls were forced into prostitution and the proceeds were grabbed by the slave masters.They were forced to perform worst menial jobs.They had no security of limb and life.Their health their wealth and their life were at the mercy of the master.The Quran, therefore,calls upon the Muslims slave masters to treat the slaves with kindness and no ill-treat them and punish them harshly.
2."And marry such of you as are solitary, your slave girls who are pious and your maid servants.If they are poor,Allah will enrich them from His bounty.Allah has ample wealth and is aware".(24:32)
In the days of Prophet Mohammad, the slave girls were used by their masters as concubines.This was an outrage on the modesty of those girls who wanted to live a pious life of chastity and honour.The Quran removes this outrage by exhorting the slave masters not to outrage the modesty of those girls but marry such of them as are honourable.
3. "And let those slave girls who cannot find match keep chaste till Allah gives them freedom by His grace.......Force not your slave girls to whoredom that you may seek enjoyment of the life of this world,if they want to preserve their chastity.(24:33)
4. "And if he is not able to marry free Muslim women,let him marry from his free Muslim slave girls.Allah knows best your faith...... So wed them by permission of their folk,give them their mahar in kindness,they being honest,not debauched nor of loose character.And when they honourably married,if they commit lewdness,they shall be given half the punishment which is prescribed for free women.This is for him among you who fears to commit sin;but to have patience would be better for you.Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.(4:25)
5. "And Allah has favoured some of you with great riches than others.Now those who are more favoured do not give their riches to their slaves lest they should become their equal in their riches.Is it not the Grace of Allah that they deny?"(16:71)
In this verse Allah indicts the rich people and admonishes them to share their wealth with their slaves who earn for them.
Having exhorted the belivers to show kindness to the slaves,to marry slave girls and make them honourable members of their family,to give them a portion of their wealth, the Qur'an then proceeds to take steps for the emancipation of the slaves:
1. "........He who has killed a believer by mistake must set free a believing slave and pay the blood money to the family of the slain......."(4:92)
2. "The expiation thereof (for breaking an oath) is the feeding of ten needy persons with the average of what you feed with your own folk or the clothing of them or the liberation of a slave....."(5:89)
3. Those who put away their wives and afterwards would go back that which they have said,(the penalty)is the liberation of a slave before they touch one another.Unto this you are exhorted and Allah is informed of what you do.(58:3)
4. Ah! What will convey to you what the adcent is!It is to free a slave and to feed in the day of hunger an orphan,near of kin or some poor wretch in misery and to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perservence and exhort one another to pity"(90:to 17)
5."It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or West but righteous is he who in the love of Allah gives his wealth to set slaves free."(2:177)
6. "And such of your slaves as seek a writing (liberation,)write it for them if you are aware of anything good in them and bestow upon them of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you.(24:33)
According to the custom of the day,it was open to any slave to seek his freedom By written agreement entered into between the slave and his master.The terms of the agreement were payment to the master of a lumpsum amount of money or a few instalments over a period of time or years of service to the master for a fixed number of years plus some amount of money.The process of seeking emancipation by a slave through such a written agreement was called 'Kitabah' and the slave thus freed was called''Mukatab".
In the caliphate Umar the agreement between the slave and his masters was written to set free the slaves in period of time.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him librated 63 slaves,his uncle Abbas librated 70 slaves;Hakam bin Hazm librated 100 slaves; Abdullah bin Umar librated 1000 slaves;Zulkala Himyari librated 8,000 slaves;Abdur Rahman bin Auf librated 30,000 slaves (Tafheemul Qur'an By: Maulana Maudoodi,vol.III.)
In the Islamic history,there were slaves who acquired greater power and wealth than their contemporary free men.Subaktgin was a slave of Samanid Prince in Transoxiana,who could conquer and become the king and founder of the Ghaznavid Dynasty from which came the great conquerer, invader and king Mahmood Ghaznavi.The Mumluk dynasty of Egypt indeed slave origin. Who ruled saveral Hundred years over the Islamic world.The suljuq sultan of Turkey appointed slaves as body guard gradually they rose to the biggest positions and gained Kingdom which is famous with the name of Mumluk dynasty, Mumluk in Arabic means slave. Qutbuddin Aibak who was Sultan of Delhi in 1206 indeed was a slave of Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori.The slaves ruled India for about 85 years.Shamsuddin Altamish ruled for 25 years,Nasiruddin Mahmood ruled for 40 years,Ghaysuddin Balban ruled for 20 years, they all were ablest rulers of undivided India from slave origin.
The first muazzin,caller for Salah in Islamic history was an emencipated slave, who's name is:Hazrat Bilal.His master was Ubai bin Khalf who used to severly torcher him physically.Abu Bakr Siddique freed him,latter on married him with their own daughter. Hazrat Umar Bin khattab the second Caliphe used to say about Bilal"our master emencipated our master."(Bukhari:Bab Manaqib Bilal)He became first Muazzin of the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and first Muslim in slaves. When Makkah conquered by the Prophet,there were more than ten thousand companions but Prophet ordered this black slave origin personality to stand on the upper side of Kaabah which is Holiest place of Islam on the earth and call Azan.He did according to the Prophet order,thus all differences between masters and slaves removed.Kaabah was most respected place on the planet in the minds of Meccan Arab idolators or unbelievers as well,as they could not tolerate to stand up an emencipated slave on it.But by the order of the prophet clearly confessed and agreed that Islam will not tolerate differences between masters and slaves black and White between Arab and non Arab. It's historically approved,that this emencipated black slave lived in Madina with the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a prominent master of hearts of saveral Muslims.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed to the whole Islamic nation:
1."No Muslim is a true believer unless he desires for his fellow Muslim what he desires for himself."(Bukhri: Kitabul Eman)
2."Give your slaves such food as you yourselves eat; cloth them in such clothes as yourselves wear and burden them not with such labours as are too heavy for them."(Bukhari)
3."Every one who has slave girl then he teaches her good manners and educate her nicely then freed her and married her with someone he will receive double reward from Allah"( Bukhari)
4."Once upon a time a person came to the Prophet (PBUH)and asked him: How much time should I forgive my slave on his mistakes?the prophet turned away their face from him, and did not answer,he came again and repeated his question, but the did not answer,he came thricely and repeated their question,Prophet didn't answer,he repeated their question fourth time,then Prophet answered:اعف عن عبدک سبعین مرہ فی کل یوم۔"Forgive your slave on his mistakes seventy times daily."
5.Prophet (PBUH) directed to whole believers"لا یقل احدکم عبدی وامتی ولیقل فتای وفتاتی وغلامی"Every one of you must not call or say to their slave,My slave,or my slave girl,but he must say:My son or My daughter"(Bukhari)
6.Hazrat Abu Hurairah relates that he heard the apostle of Allah say:"whoever beates the slave unjustly, revenge will be taken from him on the day of resurrection."(Baihaqi)
7.Narrates Abu Masud Ansari that once I was beating a slave of mine that I heard a voice from behind.Someone was saying "Oh Abu Masud! Remember that Allah has a greater power and authority over you than you have over the poor slave"I turned round and saw that it was the Apostle of Allah, upon which I said:O Apostle of Allah!I am setting him free.Now, he is free from my side, for the sake of Allah.The Prophet observed:
"You should know that had you not done so,i.e.,set him free, the fire of hell would have consumed you."(Muslim)
8.It is related by Hazrat Ali that the last words spoken by the Apostle of Allah before his death,were:Observe Salah,And fear God as regards your slaves and servants."(Abu Dawood)
