The Freeing of Slaves
- philhoraia
- Apr 10, 2023
- 8 min read
Muslims may say that Islam liberated slaves. Let's look at a few passages.
S 2:177 It is not piety to turn your faces in the direction of the rising place and the setting place but piety is he who has believed in Allah and the last day and the angels and the book and the prophets and has given money in his love of it to the two relatives and the orphans and the needy and the traveller and those who ask and on the necks and has performed salat and given the zakat and those who fulfill their covenant when they have covenanted and the patient in suffering and adversity and at the time of horribleness. Those are the ones who have told the truth and those are the fearers.
'Necks': slaves.
S 2:178 Those who have believed, retribution has been written for you regarding the killed. The free man for the free man and the slave for the slave and the female for the female. But he who has been pardoned something for it by his brother then following with kindness and performance to him with doing good. That is relief from your lord and mercy. Then he who has transgressed after that has painful torture.
S 4:92 And it was not for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And he who has killed a believer by mistake then the freeing of a believing neck and bloodwit is paid to his family unless they remit as charity. But if he was from a people hostile to you and he was a believer then the freeing of a believing neck. And if he was from a people with a treaty existing between you and them then bloodwit is paid to his family and the freeing of a believing neck. And he who has not found then fasting for two months consecutively, repentance from Allah. And Allah was learned, wise.
S 5:89 Allah does not censure you for nonsense in your oaths but censures you for what you have contracted of the oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people of an average of what you feed your family or their clothing or freeing a neck. But he who has not found then fasting for three days. That is an expiation for your oaths when you have sworn. And guard your oaths. Thus Allah clarifies his verses for you; perhaps you will thank.
S 9:60 The charities are only for the poor and the needy and those working for them and those whose hearts are united and for the necks and the debtors and for the way of Allah and the traveller--an obligation from Allah. And Allah is learned, wise.
S 58:3 And those who pronounce zihar from their women then return to what they have said and the freeing of a neck before they touch each other. That are you admonished with. And Allah is an expert in what you do.
Regarding zihar, a note in the N.J. Dawood translation (for verse 1) says: "Khawlah, daughter of Tha'labah, who had been divorced by the formula: 'Be to me as my mother's back', which was accepted as a declaration of divorce among pagan Arabs."
S 90:13 The freeing of a neck
If Islam has done away with slavery, why the references, for example, to freeing a slave following an offence? Why do they have slaves? Why one slave to be freed, a believing one at that? Why not all of them?
Hadith:
Narrated `Urwa bin Az-Zubair:
`Abdullah bin Az-Zubair was the most beloved person to `Aisha excluding the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr, and he in his turn, was the most devoted to her, `Aisha used not to withhold the money given to her by Allah, but she used to spend it in charity. (`Abdullah) bin AzZubair said, " `Aisha should be stopped from doing so." (When `Aisha heard this), she said protestingly, "Shall I be stopped from doing so? I vow that I will never talk to `Abdullah bin Az-Zubair." On that, Ibn Az-Zubair asked some people from Quraish and particularly the two uncles of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to intercede with her, but she refused (to talk to him). Az-Zuhriyun, the uncles of the Prophet, including `Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Aswad bin `Abd Yaghuth and Al-Miswar bin Makhrama said to him, "When we ask for the permission to visit her, enter her house along with us (without taking her leave)." He did accordingly (and she accepted their intercession). He sent her ten slaves whom she manumitted as an expiation for (not keeping) her vow. `Aisha manumitted more slaves for the same purpose till she manumitted forty slaves. She said, "I wish I had specified what I would have done in case of not fulfilling my vow when I made the vow, so that I might have done it easily."
Jarir used to narrate from the Prophet [SAW]:
"If a slave runs away, no Salah will be accepted from him, and if he dies he will die a disbeliever." A slave of Jarir's ran away, and he caught him and struck his neck (killing him).
Narrated Asma' bint Abu Bakr:
The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered us to free slaves at the time of solar eclipses.
It was narrated from Anas, that the Messenger of Allah had a female slave with whom he had intercourse, but 'Aishah and Hafsah would not leave him alone until he said that she was forbidden for him. Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed:
"O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that which Allah has allowed to you.' until the end of the Verse.
This was Mariyah the Copt.
Narrated `Urwa on the authority of `Aisha:
On the days of Mina, (11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) Abu Bakr came to her while two young girls were beating the tambourine and the Prophet (ﷺ) was lying covered with his clothes. Abu Bakr scolded them and the Prophet (ﷺ) uncovered his face and said to Abu Bakr, "Leave them, for these days are the days of `Id and the days of Mina." `Aisha further said, "Once the Prophet (ﷺ) was screening me and I was watching the display of black slaves in the Mosque and (`Umar) scolded them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Leave them. O Bani Arfida! (carry on), you are safe (protected)'."
Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported:
There came a slave and pledg- ed allegiance to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slaves, and he did not afterwards take allegiance from anyone until he had asked him whether he was a slave (or a free man)
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was on a journey and he had a black slave called Anjasha, and he was driving the camels (very fast, and there were women riding on those camels). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Waihaka (May Allah be merciful to you), O Anjasha! Drive slowly (the camels) with the glass vessels (women)!"
It was narrated from Abu Saeed that :
the Prophet(ﷺ) said: "Whoever says, following the morning prayer: La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sahrikalau, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu, bi yadihil khair, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate. His is the dominion, all praise is to Him, in His Hand is all goodness, and He is Able to do all things), it will be as if he freed slave from among the sons of Isma'il."
So no need to free a slave? And non-'Ishmaelite' slaves aren't important?
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: None of you must say: "My slave" (abdi) and "My slave-woman" (amati), and a slave must not say: "My lord" (rabbi or rabbati). The master (of a slave) should say: "My young man" (fataya) and "My young woman" (fatati), and a slave should say "My master" (sayyidi) and "My mistress" (sayyidati), for you are all (Allah's slave and the Lord is Allah, Most High.
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas:
A blind man had a slave-mother who used to abuse the Prophet (ﷺ) and disparage him. He forbade her but she did not stop. He rebuked her but she did not give up her habit. One night she began to slander the Prophet (ﷺ) and abuse him. So he took a dagger, placed it on her belly, pressed it, and killed her. A child who came between her legs was smeared with the blood that was there. When the morning came, the Prophet (ﷺ) was informed about it. He assembled the people and said: I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right to him that he should stand up. Jumping over the necks of the people and trembling the man stood up. He sat before the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! I am her master; she used to abuse you and disparage you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not abandon her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was my companion. Last night she began to abuse and disparage you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her. Thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Oh be witness, no retaliation is payable for her blood.
Jabir bin `Abdullah was heard to say:
“We used to sell our slave women and the mothers of our children (Umahat Awaldina) when the Prophet (ﷺ) was still living among us, and we did not see anything wrong with that.”
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf from Abu Hurayra that a woman from the Hudhayl tribe threw a stone at a woman from the same tribe, and she had a miscarriage. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave a judgement that a slave or slave-girl of fair complexion and excellence should be given to her.
https://sunnah.com/urn/515680 (Muwatta Malik Book 43, Hadith 5)
'Uncle' Hamza:
"Then I came to the Prophet, with whom Zaid bin Haritha was present. The Prophet (ﷺ) noticed my state and asked, "What is the matter?" I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I have never experienced such a day as today! Hamza attacked my two she-camels, cut off their humps and cut their flanks open, and he is still present in a house along some drinkers." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked for his cloak, put it on, and proceeded, followed by Zaid bin Haritha and myself, till he reached the house where Hamza was. He asked the permission to enter, and he was permitted. The Prophet (ﷺ) started blaming Hamza for what he had done. Hamza was drunk and his eyes were red. He looked at the Prophet (ﷺ) then raised his eyes to look at his knees and raised his eves more to look at his face and then said, "You are not but my father's slaves." When the Prophet (ﷺ) understood that Hamza was drunk, he retreated, walking backwards went out and we left with him."
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