The following is the chapter on slavery from the project I'm working on. It shows that Islam legislates for, encouraged and perpetuated slavery.
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 implies that a free man, slave and female are different categories of humans otherwise why differentiate? 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 fond 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.
You are quoting a personal opinion of some Dr. Abdul-Latif Mushtahari, who prefers to word his statement as "Islam does not prohibit slavery but
retains it for two reasons." and you are quoting ridiculous ahaadith. Is this Dr. Mushtahari also an ex-muslim?
You wrote:
According to Muhammad a slave is categorised differently from other humans.
and then quote me 2:178 for your blunderous assumption.
The verse in not talking about differential treatment of people.
Listen. Q 2:178 is talking about death punishment. If a free man was murdered by another freeman, that man had to get death punishment. If a slave killed another slave, that killer slave was also to receive death punishment. If a woman killed a woman, the woman had to receive death punishment.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحُرُّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْعَبْدُ بِالْعَبْدِ وَالأُنثَى بِالأُنثَى فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌ فَاتِّبَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَاء إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَانٍ ذَلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿١٧٨﴾
178:O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.
وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ يَاْ أُولِيْ الأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٧٩﴾
179:In the Law of Equality, there is (saving of) Life to you, o ye men of understanding; that ye may restrain yourselves.
In simple words, whoever kills anyone, shall receive death punishment, whether one was a free man, a slave or a woman. It does not mean that if a woman killed a man or a man killed a woman, he/she goes scot-free.
Now, what are the Arabic words for
Slave and
Slavery? If you can write in Arabic and transliterate, I will appreciate. If you don't know Arabic, you can ask Arabic-speaking ex-Muslim friends here.
Please tell Dr. Abdul-Latif Mushtahari to go, learn and read Qur'aan. Also tell him not to spread misinformation. Will wait for your answer. Till then, I will not be posting comments on your other posts.
Cheers
BMZ
Topic: DID QUR'AAN AND ISLAM SUPPORT SLAVERY?