|
Islam and Slavery
(Special Folder)
|
By Living Shari`ah Staff
|
Apr.
02, 2007
|
The word "slavery" evokes many bitter feelings and recalls a
long history of brutal practices and inhuman treatment afflicted on
poor slaves who were victims of the worst in the human nature. The
brutality of the Romans towards slaves is a shame that can never be
forgotten.
What is Islam's stand on slavery?
Islam adopted a unique yet practical attitude towards this problem.
First of all, it recognizes freedom as a genuine right to every human
being. When Islam came, slavery was a deeply rooted social system; and
to eradicate it all at once was impractical and impossible. So, Islam
adopted a gradual but effective plan of liberation. It almost dried
out sources of slavery, disallowing the then prevalent practices of
aggression against others or invading weaker nations to take their
people as slaves; such practices were responsible for enslaving
and abusing millions of helpless Africans and putting them to horrible
sufferings two centuries ago.
Islam took further steps in the way of liberating slaves; it liberated
them spiritually and psychologically: Islam put them on equal footing
with their masters, commanded kind and merciful treatment to them,
prohibited hurting, abusing, or even overburdening them, and allowed
them to seek freedom through arranging with their masters. In
addition, Islam opened the door wide for freeing slaves, making it one
of the most recommended and rewardable acts. It even made freeing
slaves an expiation for many sins.
Now that all nations have agreed to stop this system and stand up
against it, Islam is the first to welcome such an agreement and to
endorse it. In fact, Islam has been eager to such a step for long and
seized every opportunity to reach it.
To
know more about Islam's stance on slavery and its scheme to do away
with it, listen to Dr. Jamal Badawi, member of the Fiqh Council of
North America and the European Council for Fatwa and Research:
Read Also:
|
