Slavery in Islam
Recently I have seen a lot of people questioning slavery in Islam . I understand why people find this topic disturbing today,considering modern moral standards.If anyone ever ask please respond them with these facts.
Islam gets highlighted when it comes to slavery because it’s the most recent and final religion and most practiced today still. No religion is practiced in these times as much as Islam. Now fun fact
Let me tell you. “SLAVERY EXISTED AND WAS ALLOWED IN ALMOST EVERY RELIGION INCLUDING JUDAISM , CHRISTIANITY AND HINDUISM.”
Let me break it down ,
Slavery was not introduced by Islam. It had existed for thousands of years across many civilizations including ancient Arabia, Rome, Persia, India, Africa, and the Byzantine world. Infact in those civilizations People became enslaved not only through war but debt, raiding, trade, punishment, poverty, and hereditary systems long before Islam emerged.
From the Islamic perspective, slavery was treated as an existing social institution rather than a new one to establish and was only allowed for war prisoners unlike other civilizations where People became enslaved not only through war but debt, raiding, trade, punishment, poverty, and hereditary systems.
In Islam It was to assimilate war prisoners in the society and become part of the households for them not to otherwise die from famine, diseases and what not. Moreover Islamic law placed regulations on it and repeatedly encouraged manumission (freeing slaves). Freeing slaves was presented as a virtuous act. Enslaved people were granted legal rights that were comparatively more structured than many surrounding systems of the time, including rights to food, clothing, humane treatment, the ability in some cases to seek contractual freedom (mukataba), and recognition of their humanity and religious status.
I agree now that the non-muslims must question , couldn’t there be a better way to assimilate war prisoners in the society ?? Couldn’t this be done differently?? And the answer is Yes! Maybe! But it was according to those times those customs, where it was already a norm so it was allowed and Islam has long eliminated it. It doesn’t exist. However we do have seen the slavery practices couple of hundred years back to be existed in 1600-1800 in western world and ykw and that wasn’t even war based but purely racial.
In short Wars where defeated populations were commonly killed, displaced, or enslaved. Islam understood the incorporation of captives into households as one possible response to that alongside ransom, release, or exchange.Slaves were not just the property but also the “responsibility” for them to take care of. Then the process of exchange and freeing of slaves existed to slowly make them progress and part of your society .
Understanding it in noway justifies in modern world that It should or should’ve existed but understanding the necessity of it according to times is importannt
NOW That being said Let me share the facts in comments (so the post doesn’t get long), that It has been as common in any other religion as it has been in Islam. It’s just that Islam is in spotlight in past one or two centuries because it is widely strictly practiced by most of it believers unlike other religions where secularism has prevailed which is good for them btw) but cherry picking crucial points from Islam by non-muslims has to be responded efficiently.