Introduction
Throughout history, various societies practiced slavery including the Muslim society. Prior to civilisation, slave trade was legal. Slaves were in the form of prisoners of war, individuals who were unable to pay their debts, women, and children. After the abolishment of the Atlantic slave trade, the Eastern slave trade increased.
The end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade did not bring freedom to slaves. On the contrary, it changed their destination to the Eastern parts. Even in the contemporary times when slavery has been banned entirely by other religions, Islam still practices it in the form of ‘bonded workers’ who cannot change their jobs due to debts that they owe their employers. This paper will look at the position of slavery in the Islamic society prior to civilisation and after civilisation.
Slavery before Islamic civilisation
Slavery in the Islamic society was a legal practice. Slaves were acquired through successful conquests (Jihads). As the Islam community expanded through conquests, thus extending its territories through the South-East Asia, Central Asia, and Africa among other regions, the number of the enslaved people kept on increasing (Mason 135). However, Muslims living in the Islamic states were protected from enslavement (Watkins 81). Therefore, the necessity of having more slaves pushed Muslims rulers to subdue more non-Islamic territories.
Prophet Muhammad participated in the selling, capturing, and owning of slaves (Goldenberg 447). After conquering a Jewish tribe, the Prophet executed all men and captured the women and children whom he divided amongst his people as their slaves (Goldenberg 448). Those captured during wars would become slaves by default.
A Muslim could also obtain slaves through gifting (Hammond 111). Prophet Muhammad received a Christian slave by the name Mary Copt as a gift from an Egyptian ruler (Hammond 114). These practices by Muhammad made it hard to abolish the slave trade in the Islamic society.
The Quran, which is the Holy book of the Islamic religion, played a key role in the grounding of the slave trade in the Muslim community. The book portrays the capturing of slaves in war as a right given by God. These slaves were to be considered as the spoils of war while women slaves were taken as concubines of the successful warriors (Ali 81). According to Clarence-Smith, Quran 23:1-6 grants “Muslim men sexual rights over their wives and those whom they possess” (293).
Other verses of the Quran also state that slave owners can use their slaves as their mode of payments for any penalties or debts that they incur. The Quran is ambivalent on the issue of slavery. However, looking closely it appears that the book encourages the practice as it clarifies that masters should treat their slaves appropriately. The hidden message here is that it is appropriate for Muslims to have slaves.
Slavery after Islamic civilisation
After the evolution of human rights and civilisation of the Muslim community, the slave trade was abolished. However, according to the Islamic laws, in some instances, slavery was allowed. With the civilisation of Muslims, the practice of slavery declined perhaps due to the enlightenment that came with this period.
Many Muslims shunned the practice of enslavement although some still carried out the practice albeit secretly. Socio-economic factors allowed some people to live under subjugation. After civilisation, Muslims started observing the Quran’s call for the treatment of slaves as human beings with some dignity. Therefore, slavery changed after civilisation whereby slaves were accommodated in the mainstream society as workers, with some rights, albeit limited.
In addition, the evolution of human rights and agitation from emancipationists was a key factor that influenced the abolishment of slave trade in the Islamic world. By 1964, open slave trade had been abolished in most Muslim countries and Muslim leaders had come out openly to condemn the practice (Lovejoy 87). However, the public denouncing of slavery by the Muslim society did not deter the fact that most Muslim countries still practiced slavery albeit privately.
The existence of Sharia laws that allow slavery made it hard to abolish slavery in the Islam world completely. Acts by Prophet Mohammad of participating in slave trade largely deterred the total abolishment of slavery in the Islam world. Some Muslim sheikhs came out openly and stated that slavery was approved of by Allah in the Quran and practiced by the Allah’s prophet, and thus it is part of Islam and it could not be renounced.
In addition, some Muslim leaders after the civilisation had come from slavery backgrounds. Therefore, to them the practice was normal, and thus they continued having slaves. Moreover, some leaders came from the military where they were used to conquering cities and taking slaves. Therefore, after the Islamic civilisation, slavery continued albeit subtly.
Conclusion
Civilisation in the Muslim society, which led them to the embracing of modern human rights, caused a shift in how Muslims treated non-Muslims. With time, the slave trade was outlawed and considered as a gross violation of human rights. In a bid to keep up with the modern society, Muslims are against slavery even though some propagate it, but secretly.
Works Cited
Ali, Kecia. Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2010. Print.
Clarence-Smith, William. Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Goldenberg, David. The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003. Print.
Hammond, Peter. Slavery, Terrorism & Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat, Cape Town: Xulon Press, 2010. Print.
Lovejoy, Paul. Slavery on the Frontiers of Islam, Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2003. Print.
Mason, Mathew. “The Barbary Pirates, Islamic Slavery and the West.” Journal of Religious studies 30.2 (2006): 133-138. Print.
Watkins, Richard. Slavery: Bondage Throughout History, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.