The Concept of Slavery in Islam and a Response to Western Criticisms
✒ Written by: Umair Ramzan
Western orientalists and liberal secularists frequently criticize Islam for not abolishing slavery outright. However, it is essential to recognize that slavery existed long before the advent of Islam and was a widespread, institutionalized practice.
✔ Ancient civilizations such as Greece, Rome, China, Japan, and Arabia normalized slavery.
✔ In ancient Greece, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato openly supported the slave trade system.
✔ In the Roman Empire, slaves endured severe violence, sexual exploitation, and inhumane treatment.
✔ Even in Confucian societies, slavery existed—though initially limited to government circles.
Before Islam, people became slaves due to various unjust and unethical reasons:
① Captivity in war
② Poverty or debt, leading individuals to sell themselves or their children
③ Punishment for crimes
④ Loss in gambling
⑤ Kidnapping and forced enslavement
Islam eliminated all inhumane and unjust forms of slavery and restricted it to only one condition:
✔ War captives, and that too under the discretion of the Islamic ruler.
✔ The ruler could decide whether to enslave, free, or ransom prisoners, based on public interest and justice.
Shaykh al-Shinqīṭī رحمه الله said:
“The cause of slavery in Islam is warfare against Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and it is subject to divine command.”
(Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān, Vol. 3, p. 387)
Islam introduced a comprehensive ethical system to uphold the dignity of slaves and actively encouraged their liberation:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Your slaves are your brothers. Feed them what you eat, and clothe them with what you wear.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 30; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1661)
• Freeing a slave is considered a form of charity and a means of attaining reward.
• War captives could gain freedom through mukātabah (contractual agreement).
• Marriage with slave women was encouraged to enhance their social dignity.
When a slave girl accepted Islam, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Set her free, for she is now a believer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
In the modern period, slavery was abolished in Muslim lands largely under Western pressure, with key dates as follows:
✔ 1924 – Abolished in the Ottoman Empire
✔ 1929 – Abolished in Iran
✔ 1962 – Abolished in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
✔ 1970 – Abolished in Oman
✔ 2007 – Mauritania formally abolished slavery
Despite championing abolition today, Western nations were historically the greatest promoters of slavery:
✔ Britain, France, and the United States ran global slave trade networks, especially in Africa and Asia.
✔ African women were sexually exploited in large numbers.
✔ Even today, the West practices economic and social forms of slavery through modern systems of exploitation.
Islam granted dignity and defined rights for slaves, making emancipation a moral and spiritual goal.
The Prophet ﷺ emphasized:
“Take special care of prayer and of those under your authority.”
(Musnad Aḥmad, Ḥadīth: 11759)
✔ Islam tackled slavery through ethical reform and social elevation, not merely by legal prohibition.
Those who raise this objection overlook the fact that:
① Islam introduced a thorough and gradual strategy for emancipation.
② It dismantled the inhumane foundations of slavery and offered rights, respect, and liberation.
Islam eliminated all cruel and unjust aspects of slavery and guided society toward dignity and freedom for all individuals. The Western claim that Islam failed to abolish slavery is hypocritical in light of their own brutal history of enslavement and ongoing systems of exploitation.
✒ Written by: Umair Ramzan
◈ Criticism on Slavery and Its Historical Background
Western orientalists and liberal secularists frequently criticize Islam for not abolishing slavery outright. However, it is essential to recognize that slavery existed long before the advent of Islam and was a widespread, institutionalized practice.
✔ Ancient civilizations such as Greece, Rome, China, Japan, and Arabia normalized slavery.
✔ In ancient Greece, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato openly supported the slave trade system.
✔ In the Roman Empire, slaves endured severe violence, sexual exploitation, and inhumane treatment.
✔ Even in Confucian societies, slavery existed—though initially limited to government circles.
◈ Pre-Islamic Causes of Slavery
Before Islam, people became slaves due to various unjust and unethical reasons:
① Captivity in war
② Poverty or debt, leading individuals to sell themselves or their children
③ Punishment for crimes
④ Loss in gambling
⑤ Kidnapping and forced enslavement
◈ Islam’s Perspective on Slavery
Islam eliminated all inhumane and unjust forms of slavery and restricted it to only one condition:
✔ War captives, and that too under the discretion of the Islamic ruler.
✔ The ruler could decide whether to enslave, free, or ransom prisoners, based on public interest and justice.
Shaykh al-Shinqīṭī رحمه الله said:
“The cause of slavery in Islam is warfare against Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and it is subject to divine command.”
(Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān, Vol. 3, p. 387)
◈ Rights of Slaves and Encouragement of Emancipation in Islam
Islam introduced a comprehensive ethical system to uphold the dignity of slaves and actively encouraged their liberation:
✔ Respectful Treatment:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Your slaves are your brothers. Feed them what you eat, and clothe them with what you wear.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 30; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1661)
✔ Emancipation as a Virtue:
• Freeing a slave is considered a form of charity and a means of attaining reward.
• War captives could gain freedom through mukātabah (contractual agreement).
• Marriage with slave women was encouraged to enhance their social dignity.
✔ Freedom Upon Faith:
When a slave girl accepted Islam, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Set her free, for she is now a believer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
◈ Abolition of Slavery in the Modern Era
In the modern period, slavery was abolished in Muslim lands largely under Western pressure, with key dates as follows:
✔ 1924 – Abolished in the Ottoman Empire
✔ 1929 – Abolished in Iran
✔ 1962 – Abolished in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
✔ 1970 – Abolished in Oman
✔ 2007 – Mauritania formally abolished slavery
◈ The Double Standards of the West
Despite championing abolition today, Western nations were historically the greatest promoters of slavery:
✔ Britain, France, and the United States ran global slave trade networks, especially in Africa and Asia.
✔ African women were sexually exploited in large numbers.
✔ Even today, the West practices economic and social forms of slavery through modern systems of exploitation.
◈ Islam’s Unique Approach
Islam granted dignity and defined rights for slaves, making emancipation a moral and spiritual goal.
The Prophet ﷺ emphasized:
“Take special care of prayer and of those under your authority.”
(Musnad Aḥmad, Ḥadīth: 11759)
✔ Islam tackled slavery through ethical reform and social elevation, not merely by legal prohibition.
◈ Addressing the Objection: “Why Didn’t Islam Abolish Slavery?”
Those who raise this objection overlook the fact that:
① Islam introduced a thorough and gradual strategy for emancipation.
② It dismantled the inhumane foundations of slavery and offered rights, respect, and liberation.
❖ Conclusion
Islam eliminated all cruel and unjust aspects of slavery and guided society toward dignity and freedom for all individuals. The Western claim that Islam failed to abolish slavery is hypocritical in light of their own brutal history of enslavement and ongoing systems of exploitation.
