Sex Slavery in Islam?
Assalamoalikum:
I am very confused these days about slave system in islam.
I know a little about this system that slaves were allowed during the time of prophecy of Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w) , and men were allowed to have sex with them without nikah (with female slaves of course)... but my question is are slaves halal today in this era?
one of my friend always tries to justify that if you are buying slave from some one else who even smuggled that slave is halal for you.... Personally this slave type things dosent click me very much ... i mean how can you have sex with someone without nikkah? Or even i can buy a girl from someplace have sex with her few days and "release" her? what is the difference between zinna and sex slavery then?
Please i want complete information on this topic
Shehram_khan
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Assalamu'alaikum,
Short answer from my insignificant knowledge: it is not existent in present times because there is no war like the times of old. And if the wars happen like they did in the history, then it will begin again. There is not just women slaves, but male slaves also, as it is evident from the Quran.
You must contact a scholar or student of knowledge among the Ahlussunnah to clarify this doubt if you still have it.
Assalaamualaikam
In answer to your question, no! It would be morally and legally wrong for you to have a slave, whether for a minute or a month or a year. In the vast majority of the world, slavery is illegal, and for good reason. The idea of young men of our Ummah wanting to force women and girls into sexual slavery or to exploit them is utterly reprehensible. If you were to ever feel tempted to do this, think how you would feel about it if the girl in question were your sister or your daughter - would you want them to have to endure that ordeal?
As Muslims, we are meant to respect and adhere to the laws of the countries in which we live, so long as those laws do not contravene Islamic teachings. Thus, if slavery is illegal, we should respect that.
The issue of slavery has been the subject of a lot of discussion and consideration by scholars, and has both historical and contemporary importance.
One of the key things to remember about the historical context is that slavery was already well established as part of life for many people in the time of The Prophet (peace be upon him) - Islamic teaching emphasised the importance of fair treatment of people in servitude and slavery, established rights and legal protection for them, and repeatedly stated the great reward in freeing slaves (one of the earliest movements towards emancipation and abolition of slavery). Some people get very focused on the idea of slaves as "free sex" - this is far from the reality, and a great shame considering the huge steps taken by members of our Ummah to protect and advance human rights for all.
I hope that your question is based on an academic curiosity, and if so, I would recommend studying the Quran and hadiths in order to increase your knowledge of what Islam teaches about the issue. You might also want to ask a reputable imam at your mosque if he could direct you towards any reliable resources on the matter.
If your question is based on wanting to know if you can go ahead with acquiring a sex slave, or if you know of people involved in human trafficking and exploitation... Stop! This is illegal, immoral and sinful. Walk away from anything and anyone tempting you towards this path, before it is too late to protect yourself and the vulnerable people being exploited. If you are tempted, remember that the woman or girl being abused is someone's daughter, wife, sister, mother... and above all else, a human being with feelings and rights, who is created and loved by Allah.
May Allah guide you to act honourably, and grant comfort and strength to all people enduring exploitation and abuse. May He help us all to respect and protect each other.
Midnightmoon
IslamicAnswers.com editor
Sex slave?
what? it was permissible in Islam to have sex with one's slave?
I don't comprehend please explain
I dispute whether any such thing as "slavery" - beyond a socially necessary system for dealing with prisoners of war until they could be repatriated or had served their sentences - was ever sanctioned by Islam, and I certainly do not accept that sex with one's "slave" was ever permitted by Islam. The Quran is quite clear that sexual relations are allowed only within the bounds of marriage.
To the original poster, slavery is illegal in all nations of the world. For you to even consider buying or selling a human being is heinous. I fully agree with Midnightmoon on this.
Islam came to free human beings from bondage to others and to unite them in servitude to Allah; not to subject one human being to bondage by another.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
wael: "I certainly do not accept that sex with one's "slave" was ever permitted by Islam."
Muslim men are allowed to have sex with " married women your right hand possess"?
SEARCH VIDEO ON YOUTUBE WHERE A FEMALE POLITICIAN SAYS MUSLIMS SHOULD HAVE SEX SLAVES, IT IS PERMISSIBLE.
SEX SLAVES FEMALE POLITICIAN KUWAIT
I don't care what some politician says. I have researched the subject myself.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Assalaamualaikam
If you search the internet hard enough, you can find someone somewhere who'll support pretty much anything.
Rather than taking such things as being proof of a viewpoint being correct, we should look to the teachings and evidence provided by reputable scholars.
Midnightmoon
IslamicAnswers.com editor
Its extremely sad and unfortunate that even after submitting my question six weeks back and asking for quick help, it has not been published yet.
It dint stop there, I submitted one more post requesting to publish previous post and also reached out to the admin on a personal email. All that only because I was desperate for the help.
I only want to ask one question to admins of this website with all due to respect to what they are doing, is there any good use of help if its not in time? In all platforms of life, things are to be prioritized, why can't we do it here? You said, everyone thinks their situation is urgent, can't we decide upon the urgency of the situation of the posts and publish accordingly.I have seen posts like "Getting married, how to do sex" and detailed answers to that; can't that question wait for an urgent question like Muslim female who is pregnant and thinking of abortion and needs suggestions in time or where people are asking serious questions about Ramzan and answers given after Eid.
I have seen posts where females are asking question about aborting child or not,and mashallah so many nice ppl advising the right way out.But what if the questioner has already performed the abortion? All those wonderful suggestions just go down the drain for that person.
This is the reason I hardly see any questioner coming back and replying to the advises offered to them because it's already late and people have acted in whatever ways they could.
I pray 5 times,have done istekhara, ask for forgiveness from Allah swt, do dhikr as suggested by brother Yusuf and Sister Z on other threads and still every day I wait for my post, reading every mail notification from Zawaj in the hope to see my post. I read every single post and advises in detail to find answers for my situation in every possible way.
Today I just decided to write this one last post, and I hope its not deleted and hope am not asked to Login and write.
I really would like to hope one last time for suggestions from all moderators and guests on this forum with special mention of brother Wael, Sister Z, Sister midnight moon, Brother Issah and also Brother Ali Yusuf who gives Islamic detailed insights.
I hope I have not offended anyone, I really love all the work you all are doing but still feel the pinch of delayed help.
Allah swt bless you all!
Sana, the recent post in which the sister was asking whether she should abort, was published only five days after being submitted. We moved it to the front of the queue as that is truly an urgent situation. So your assumption is incorrect.
We do our best. I've been sick for three weeks, I feel like I'm coughing my lungs out, my daughter has been sick and out of school for three days, and I am dealing with all the normal challenges in life, yet I still make time to work on this website every day, for which I receive no monetary compensation. If you do not find our website useful, then do not submit your question here.
Furthermore you already added your question as a comment on someone else's post a few months ago, and you received a few good replies. So I can't imagine what you are complaining about.
The first challenge in dealing with any problem in life is patience.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
May Allah cure you and grant you the patience you seek Wael.
“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan girls then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice”
Assalaamualaikam
One significant issue regarding this in a contemporary context (and historical as well) is consent.
Modern practices of human trafficking and forced sexual exploitation pretty much universally take place without the consent of the victims - to participate in such practices would be against Islamic values on that basis alone.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions were people of exceptional virtue, and I'm not aware of any evidence to suggest that their relations with those whom their right hands possessed were anything other than consensual. Indeed, on many occasions The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasised the importance of gentleness and consideration in sexual encounters.
It is not permissible for a man to force himself on anyone - morally or legally - and it is illegal in most of the world for anyone to buy or sell a person.
To respond to the last part of your post, as far as I am aware, a woman is perfectly entitled to stipulate terms for a marriage contract, which could include insisting on a monogamous relationship.
Human trafficking and rape are wrong. It is our duty as Muslims to protect those of our Ummah who are vulnerable, and to strive to follow the example of The Prophet (peace be upon him), who never abandoned anyone in need.
Midnightmoon
IslamicAnswers.com editor
Mahmud, I deleted the bulk of your comment. I do not deny that slavery existed in Islam, though it would be more accurate to describe it as servitude, since it bears no similarity to what Westerners typically think of as slavery. It was a typical method of dealing with prisoners of war in that age, and was meant to be only a temporary situation, since the slave was given the ability to free himself through community service. Nowadays we have internationally recognized conventions for dealing with prisoners of war, though the treatment of such prisoners is often less humane than what was practiced by the Muslims.
In any case, sexual slavery is one of many evils that Islam came to abolish. A fundamental principle of morality in Islam is that sexual intercourse is only allowed between husband and wife. How can one make sexual slavery permissible without an explicit text from the Quran? And such a text does not exist.
Do you think that people will not notice that in the ayah you quoted, the word (slaves) is in parentheses? That's because it's not in the text. How can one casually insert this word, imposing his own interpretation, when it does not exist in the text? Are we so foolish that we should fall for such a sleight of hand?
I challenge you to bring me a single explicit text authorizing sexual slavery, or an authentically documented case of the Prophet having sex with a female prisoner of war.
Some have mentioned Maria, but many scholars say that the Prophet freed her and married her. One of the prominent Al-Azhar scholars, Sheikh Abdul Majid Subh, states: “Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), instead of taking concubines, entered into lawful marriages based on reason and wisdom. Maria the Copt was given to him as a present, but rather than taking her as a concubine, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married her, thus elevating her status by marriage.” If you read the circumstances surrounding the delivery and housing of Maria, it reads like the treatment of a dignitary, not a slave.
And Ibn Kathir wrote: Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) is said to have married the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and certainly everyone gave her the same title of respect as the Prophet's wives, 'Umm al Muminin' 'Mother of the Believers'. Maria was born in upper Egypt of a Coptic father and Greek mother and moved to the court of the Muqawqis when she was still very young. She arrived in Medina to join the Prophet's household just after the Prophet returned from the treaty with Quraish which was contracted at al-Hudaybiyya.
Muhammad Qutb, addressing this subject, pointed out that, "Islam could not effect the abolition of slavery so long as the world did not agree to put an end to the only source of slavery - enslavement of prisoners of war. So when that concord was achieved, Islam welcomed it as it formed the unalterable fundamental principle of its polity: liberty for all, equality for all." ("Islam the Misunderstood Religion" by Muhammad Qutb).
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
As-salamu Alaykum,
It is interesting that you quoted from "Islam, the Misunderstood Religion," by Muhammed Qutb. Unfortunately, I do not have the book in front of me at the moment, but I read it a long time ago when I first converted to Islam. As I recall, there is a detailed chapter on slavery, and it fully explains many of the issues that so many people are curious about. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand this issue in more depth. Although I am not personally an expert on this issue, I can say with complete confidence to the OP that it is not in any way permissible to buy a human being and hold that person as a "slave" for the purpose of having sexual relations or any other purpose. I once asked a Saudi-based scholar if it would be okay to buy a slave for the purpose of freeing that person, and he said no, because it would only encourage human trafficking if the traffickers found people willing to pay money for this purpose. You might also find that the person you freed was soon captured and enslaved again. Or you might even find people lying about owning slaves in order to be paid money. As Muslims, we must combat slavery through other means. Slavery is real and something abhorrent, and one should not speak about it without having proper knowledge.
And now you have me on moderation for what? For speaking the truth?
[Rest of comment removed by editor]
You added nothing new in your comments except imprecations against me and warnings about the state of my soul. I am not going to quake in my boots because Mahmud says I am going to Hell. You did not post any explicit permission from the Quran, nor any authentic narration regarding the Prophet (sws), and instead reposted your previous "evidences" in which the scholars interpreted this phrase, "aw maa malakat aymanuhum" to mean captives of war.
What I believe is that the scholars of the past interpreted this phrase ("aw maa malakat aymanuhum") according to the norms of the time. However, I recall that Muhammad Asad interpeted it to mean wives. He points out that "aw" can mean "or" in the sense of a clarification, like, "in other words." Keep in mind that the right hand in Islam is used to describe that which is halal, known and above board. So Muhammad Asad said that a more accurate translation would be, "except with your wives, in other words, those whom your right hands possess."
That makes sense to me. I know what I know, and one thing I know unshakeably is that Islam came to liberate human beings from bondage to other humans, and to unite them in servitude to Allah. This is one of the fundamental meanings of "Laa ilaha il-Allah." Also, Islam came to curtail the immoral sexual practices of the past, and to teach people a decent code of moral behavior, which includes the stipulation that zinaa is haram.
You can rant and rave all you like, but I will not allow any comments on this website advocating sexual slavery. Period.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
if this isn't the place, then apologies. Please could you clarify the statement:
"Keep in mind that the right hand in Islam is used to describe that which is halal, known and above board."
only because I simply dont understand, have never come across an explanation of what is meant by the "right hand".
jazakallahkhairun
Assalaamualaikam
Mahmud, this website is a place of supportive discussion and advice. Yes, at times people may have different viewpoints on issues, and that is absolutely fine; debate and discussion have always been valued as ways of increasing knowledge.
What we do insist on, though, is respect for each other. Your past few posts (which have not been published due to their content) include personal comments and unkind content which is not befitting a Muslim. Given that everyone has come to this website to help and advise others, to respond in such a manner is not going to be tolerated.
Please, rather than continuing to post angry comments, take some time to calm down and reflect.
Midnightmoon
IslamicAnswers.com editor
JazakAllah Sr. Midnightmood and Br. Wael for the information. My knowledge has been limited regarding slavery and the information here has been very useful.
AsSalaamu Alaikum Brother Mahmud,
I have seen your yelling and I didn't like the way you were doing it. Please stop it. This matter hasn't got that far. The Sahabah (r.a) differed in many issues, and so did our scholars, yet you will never hear anyone cursing the other or calling each other names. Wouldn't it be a good thing for us to learn from the life of the Sahabah and that of our scholars, especially when we differ???
I hope you got my point and you will consider it and delete those comments, InshaAllah
JazakAllahu Khair
brother,
i think that for the most part we are ignoring what is logical. NO woman who is captured would LOGICALLY want to CONSENT to have sex with their CAPTORS.
NO woman or girls would want to have sex with men who capture them in war. lets not try to change what has occurred. and we dont have the knowledge to know what they were are thinking..but we do know that after a woman is left in orphanage or male family members killed the last she will want is to have consentual sex with one of those parties.
lets tell it like what it is.
Salam,
I am very confused about this issue as there are controversial views on it. But I do not think for one second that Allah or our Prophet SAW would allow a person to oppress another person. Rape is the most horrific ordeal for any women to go through, whether she is muslim or non muslim. All women have a heart, all women have feelings.
It is really horrendous that there are some countries who are forcefully taking women as slaves and abusing them. This is common in third world countries. What I find really disturbing is that there are men who are looking forward to a war between muslims and non muslims so that they can enjoy sex slaves! How can a man even think about hurting a women like this and stripping her of all honour and dignity and just turning her into a toy!
I have not seen a verse in the quran that gives permission for men to rape slave women although some scholers say they can. This is inhumane and immoral at the very least.
These men need to think would you want your mother or sister to be used like this? Then how can you even contemplate such a thing!
Mahmud, so now you are comparing slavery to marriage? You're not making sense. You simply keep repeating your false assertion that the Prophet (sws) did it. You mentioned Rayhana. This narration is from At-Tabari and other sources. As you can see, the Messenger of Allah (sws) MARRIED Rayhana with her permission. She was not a sex slave. Would he have bothered with this if sexual slavery was allowed?
I want to thank you Mahmud for forcing me to take time to research this issue, as the more I do so, the more it reinforces what I believe to be true, namely that Islam would never permit a barbaric institution like sexual slavery and mass rape.
Here's the story of Rayhana, in her own words:
Rayhana Bint Zaid: `Umar Ibn al-Hakam narrated: "The Messenger of God freed Rayhana Bint Zaid Ibn`Amr Ibn Khunaqa. She had been married to a loving and honouring husband. She said, 'I shall never have a husband after him.' She was beautiful. When Banu Quraiza were taken captive, the booty was shown to the Messenger of God, and she was among the captives that were shown him so he commanded her to be set aside. He used to have a choice from each booty. She herself narrated, 'When I was set aside, he chose me and sent me to the house of Umm al-Mundsir Bint Qais for some days till he had the captives killed and the spoils distributed. Then the Messenger of God entered upon me, and when I was too shy to meet him, he called me and sat me between his hands. He said, "If you choose God and His Messenger, the Messenger of God will choose you for himself." I said, "I choose God and His Messenger." So when I surrendered, he freed me, married me, and gave me twelve ounces [of gold] as a bridal gift as he would do with his wives. He consummated the marriage with me in the house of Umm al-Mundsir, and he used to distribute for me as he did all his wives, and commanded me to be veiled.' The Messenger of God was fond of her and he granted her all she asked for. She was told, 'Had you asked the Messenger of God for Banu Quraiza, he would have freed them.' She answered, 'He reclined with me after he had already distributed the booty.' He reclined with her frequently and she remained with him till she died. He buried her in al-Baqi`. He married her in Muharram, six years after the Migration."
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Assalam alaikum brother,
If a person has no knowledge of Islam and reads your post, I think it will lead to many misconceptions--because as far as I know, there is no such thing as slavery today. Reading your last paragraph makes readers think that this could be practiced today and could lead some people to justify their wrongdoings by rationalizing that their relationship was of a master and slave. I fear that those with limited knowledge could be misled.
I deleted the comment in question.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
It is dishonest to say that Islam never allowed slavery, because our Prophet (SAWS) himself had slaves, and the Quran even mentions slaves as well. Sure, our religion does say it is better to free slaves, but never once does the Quran classify it as halaal. Even though it was not like Western slavery, it was a type of slavery all the same, and it did allow Muslim men to have sexual relations with captives without marriage. Just because this issue brings doubts in people's hearts about Islam, does not mean we should pretend they never happened.
"our Prophet (SAWS) himself had slaves"...
Name one.
Also, I dispute your assertion that Muslim men are allowed to have sexual relations with captives without marriage.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
there is no place for sex slavery in Islam. you have to marry the woman and only four marriages are allowed at one time be it a slave or ordinary woman.
no contract marriage is allowed in islam as well.
Does Islam permit sex with slaves?
By: khurshid imam
Rethinking and introspecting whether Islam permits sex with slaves and encourages slavery system.
Imagine!
A young muslim lady captured by US troop in iraq/Afghanistan/ Somalia/ Yemen. She is held captive by her captor. The captor wishes to have physical relation with her.And he had it.
What do you call it? Rape? Or illegal relation? Un Islamic? Against humanity? Barbaric? I am sure you will call one of these.
Now again imagine!
There is Islamic state established in near future. Muslim army is fighting with a nation. A young lady is captured by muslim forces. Now; be honest and tell me: If the Muslim captor wishes to have physical relation with the lady without marriage – can he?
If you have not read my above paragraph then may be you will take some time to answer but eventually you will answer – YES.
A. Introduction to this sensitive issue
One of the favorite topics of anti-Islamic writers is the issue of “physical relation with slaves”. They humiliate Muslims by saying that what is the religion Islam which permits physical relation with slaves. An innocent Muslim tries to defend by saying that Islam absolutely permits physical relation with slave without marriage; because he thinks this is the permission of Almighty God. The common understanding among Muslims is that Islam absolutely permits to maintain physical relationship with slave women – without marrying them - who are possession of Muslims in a war.
Islam is deen-e-fitrat i.e. religion as per the nature. Not a single teaching of Islam can be against humanity or against the law of nature. If some so-called-teachings of Islam is against humanity then one need to seriously ponder over the issue and analyze and try to find out what exactly Islam say about the issue. In no case one should go against the revelation of Almighty God i.e. QURAN.
B. Pre Quranic Arabian culture and social system
Before understanding this issue; let’s first understand that social culture of Arab was very different from today.
1. Black people were considered inferior. Slavery system was flourishing. Slaves were sold, bought, disposed off. Slave women could be used as concubines. One could have maintained physical relationship with as many slave women he wished. War of that time was also very different from today. Captives of war were also considered as possessions. Captive’s women would become slaves.
2. Women were considered inferior to men. People burying their baby girl alive were one of the evil cultures. No rights for women in the property.
3. Alcohol was rampant. People would drink alcohol very fondly. People had different kind of alcohol for different occasions.
Such was the situation when Prophet Muhammad claimed Prophet Hood in the desert of Arabia. As Islam is the complete way of life and it deals with the all aspects of life so it has to deal with these notorious customs also. How it dealt? In a very sophisticated way – keeping in mind the human psychology.
C. How Islam dealt with this unjust system
Islam gave the concept of one brotherhood. No one is better than other on the basis of color, birth, race, language, region or wealth. Quran, Surah Hujrat 49:13
Also Almighty God made clear that men and women are equal in the sight of God. They have different priorities in some duties but they are equal. Elaborating these points is out of the scope of the subject.
We all are aware that Alcohol was eradicated from the society in gradual manner.
1. In first step people were informed that though alcohol has something good but as a whole it’s harmful and sinful.
”They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit……". Quran, Surah baqrah 2:219
2. As a second step Almighty God commanded people that they should not approach prayer when they are intoxicated i.e. had alcohol. So this way people were forced to reduce the alcohol. At least for 6-7 hours a day people could not have alcohol.
“O you who believe! Approach not As-Salat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter…..”. Quran, Surah Nisa 4:43
3. And then finally Almighty God straightforwardly prohibited alcohol.
“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansab , and Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaitan's (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.” Quran, Surah Maida 5:90
Almighty God in his divine wisdom prohibited alcohol in steps. Had Almighty God ordered in one go it would have been very difficult for people to stop.
It’s natural and logical because any addict will find it difficult to give up addiction of alcohol in one go.
Now let’s come to the main point – what about physical relation with slaves?
D. Sex with slave – PROHIBITED in Islam in stages!!!!!!!
Islam prohibited it in stages: why?
There is no doubt that unjust system of physical relation-with-slave had to be eradicated. So what approach Islam adopted? In one go? No. It would have proved disastrous because of following reasons:
A. There were numerous slaves present that time: young, poor, elderly, handicapped, women, widows, and children. They were dependent on their master for their food, clothing and shelter. If all of a sudden slavery system was abolished then there would have been a large number of poor people left in the society who would have no means to support them.
B. Similarly there was a great chance of exploitation of large number of slave women in the form of prostitution or brothel because they would have become helpless with nothing to sustain and nowhere to go. Please keep in mind most of these slaves were people foreign to the land of Muslims.
C. There was no proper system for the rehabilitation and taking care of large number of slaves if all of a sudden slavery system was banned.
Islam started discouraging the slavery system:
In no verse, Qur’an has approved of slavery. Please note that the phrase, ‘whom your right hands possess’, has been used on all such occasions instead of being kept in jails, be distributed among the victorious believing men where they can observe the living examples of Islam in practice. Though Quran has used the word ‘whom your right hands possess’ I will be using this word and “slave” interchangeably through this article.
1. Muslims were encouraged to free the slaves.
Almighty God encouraged people to give freedom to slaves. Freeing of slave was one of the ways of repentance of the sin of Muslims. This was great wisdom as people would gradually free slaves.
a. “It is not for a believer to kill a believer except (that it be) by mistake; and whosoever kills a believer by mistake, (it is ordained that) he must set free a believing slave and a compensation (blood-money, i.e. Diya) be given to the deceased's family unless they remit it…..”. Quran, Surah Nisa 4:92
b. “Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation feed ten Masakin (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe them or manumit a slave…” Quran Surah Maida 5:89
c. “Those who divorce their wives by Zihar(Zihar was an pre-Quranic evil practice in which a wife would be considered mother to a person if her husband would call her as “MY MOTHER”. Also marriage in this case would become invalid), then wish to retract the words they uttered, shall have to free a slave before they touch each other. This is enjoined (as a penalty for doing so). Allah is well-aware of all your actions”. Quran Surah Mujadila 58 : 3
Muslims were told to raise the status of slaves. Treat them with more honor and respect. Give them proper food and clothing. Look at the teaching of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
d. Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet said, "Set free the captives and accept invitations." (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 89, Number 285)
(Bukhari Book #62, Hadith #103)
(Bukhari Book #70, Hadith #552)
e. Narrated Al-Ma'rur: At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad
names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.(Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 29)
f. Hilal b. Yasaf reported that a person got angry and slapped his slave-girl. Thereupon Suwaid b. Muqarrin said to him: You could find no other part (to slap) but the prominent part of her face. See I was one of the seven sons of Muqarrin, and we had but only one slave-girl. The youngest of us slapped her, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded us to set her free. (Muslim Book 015, Number 4082)
g. Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: "The Prophet said, "Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom)." (Bukhari,Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286)"
h. Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: The last words which the Apostle of Allah spoke were: Prayer, prayer; fear Allah about those whom your right hands possess. (Sunan abudawud Book #41, Hadith #5137)
2. Encourage the marriage between slaves so that they can lead independent life away from slavery.
“And marry those among you who are single the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people)”. Quran, Surah Nur 24:32
The teaching of Porphet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) is:
Narrated Abu Musa: Allah's Apostle said, "He who has a slave-girl (or a woman of captivity) and educates and treats her nicely and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward." (Bukahri Volume 3, Book 46, Number 720)
3. Above all were methods to discourage the slavery system. It was putting a psychological pressure on people against the slavery system.
Initially only unmarried men were permitted to have physical relation with slaves:
1. Now we are entering the area where one needs to seriously ponder over the Quranic Ayah. The ayah that people quote in justification of sex-with-slaves is mainly these 2 ayah.
2. Elaborating the good qualities of a true believer Allah speaks about maintaining modesty in the two ayah: Surah Momenun 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30
لَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ
“And those who guard their chastity, except from their wives OR (the slaves) that their right hands possess”
Now both of these ayah talk about maintaining sexual relationship with wife OR those whom your right hand possess. Please mark the key word OR here.The Arabic word “AW” means OR. Unfortunately some of the Quran translation wrongly translates here “AW” as AND. The correct translation is OR. The key is: permission of having physical relationship is given with wife OR those whom your right hand possess. It’s not that by chance or by mistake (nauzbillah) God has mentioned OR, rather it is deliberate. The initial restriction was to have physical relation with wife OR slave. So initial permission for physical relation with slave girl was ONLY for unmarried person. But how could they have maintained this relation - with nikah or without nikah? Go ahead and you will get answer.
Please note that both of this ayah were revealed in mecca. Don’t believe? Please confirm. So it was an early regulation of Quran.
Finally Allah ordered that one has to do MARRY a slave girl in order to maintain sexual relationship:
1. Whenever we want to understand final and complete ruling for an issue then we need to take into account all related / relevant ayah. As we have seen with the two ayah that initially only for unmarried person it was permitted that they could have maintained physical relationship with slaves lets see what is the final and complete ruling on this issue.
2. After few years of revelation of above mentioned 2 ayah (Surah Momenun 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30) the below ayah was revealed regarding maintaining physical relation with slave girls.
“If any of you have not the means wherewith to wed free believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess: And Allah hath full knowledge about your faith. Ye are one from another: Wed them with the leave of their owners, and give them their dowers, according to what is reasonable: They should be chaste, not lustful, nor taking paramours: when they are taken in wedlock, if they fall into shame, their punishment is half that for free women. This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin; but it is better for you that ye practice self-restraint. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, most Merciful.” Quran, Surah Nisa 4:25
This ayah was revealed in medina. Through this ayah last nail in the coffin of sex-with-slave was hammered. Pondering over the above ayah we find that:
A. Obviously a person will look for girl according to his status. In case he is unable to afford then he should MARRY slave girl. However Allah made clear that all people are from one man and woman – so slave or free person – they all are from one man and woman. None is greater than other except by the reason of virtue.
B. This permission of marriage with slave is if he fears that he will not be able to practice restraint, and fears to commit sin, he is permitted to marry the possessed women. Please note If Islam permitted sex with captive women, there was no need for the above elaboration.
C. Also if having physical relation with slave girls was allowed then there was no need of committing sin as Allah has mentioned in this ayah - This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin.
D. So Allah made very clear in this Ayah that if you don’t have means to marry free women and if you fear that you can commit zina by having illegal relationship (It automatically closes the door for permissibly of having physical relation with slave) then you can MARRY slave girl. Still Almighty God encourages self restrain (restraining from what? Obviously illegal physical relation. So how come illegal physical relation with slave is permissible?) i.e. you wait till you get means to marry free believing women.
It also - a myth - that prophet Muhammad was allowed to have physical relation with slave girls outside the bond of nikah. Quran testifies to this fact.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللَّاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ
“O Prophet! We have made lawful to you your wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;- this only for you, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Surah ahzab 33:50
This ayah of surah ahzab 33, Ayah 50 was revealed for prophet and it says:
1. It is lawful for the prophet - his wives AND whom your right hand possess. Note the arabic word "WA" (AND) here. Remember for believers the word "AW" was used in the context of slave women while in case of Prophet word "WA" which means AND is used. So this ayah is telling that ONLY for prophet - wives AND slave women both are lawful. How they are lawful? Through the bond of NIKAH ONLY.
Please note the arabic word يَسْتَنكِحَهَا used in this ayah. This word - saying those women whom "Prophet wishes to MARRY (and NOT to have sex outside marriage)" INCLUDES cousins, believing women AND slave girls. So Prophet was permitted to MARRY / Do NIKAH with slave girls.
2. And then Allah made very clear that this SPECIAL permission of having wives AND slaves is ONLY FOR YOU. And this permission is NOT for the believers. Then again Allah provide the context of this special permission by saying - "this only for you, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess". Thus Allah made clear that in the matter of slave rulings for prophet and believers is different.
3. SO through 33:50 Allah says that for prophet marriage with free women+slaves is allowed while for believers it is NOT the ruling. For normal believers - they were permitted to marry slave girls ONLY if they did not have wife. For prophet he could have married slave girls even if he had wives. This is the difference.
The final ruling of Quran on the issue of sex with slave:
The sequence of orders of the holy Qur’an is a very clear cut. Those who have misunderstood it, have erred, however great they were. After the completion of Quran Islam was complete. Whatever guidance has been given by Quran – that will always be final and not semi-final. So on the issue of physical relationship with slave-girl; teaching of Islam is that ONLY after marrying them one can have physical relation with slave girl. Any physical relation outside the bond of marriage is haraam / prohibited / adultery / major sin.
Any doubt?
A. Some people may have doubt that since ayah of Quran can NEVER be abrogated hence what relevance Surah Momenun 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30 and other such ayah have today or in future? The answer is simple - YES; not a single ayah of Quran can be abrogated. Ayah speaking about slave girls in Surah Momenun 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30 is valid even today.
The only thing is that since 4:25 maintains that slave girl should be taken into nikah in order to maintain physical relation, so if a person is not married and wants to follow Surah Momenun 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30 then he has two option-
a. Marry a lady
b. If slave system persists then take into nikah to the slave girl.
Also remember 4:25 discourages marriage with slave girls because of obvious reasons. That is why Allah has prescribed self restrain in this case.
Please note that slavery system is nowhere today so second option is eliminated today. However, if a person is married then he has to maintain physical relation ONLY with wife.
B. Some people may have this misunderstanding that in case when a person can not marry free believing woman (may be because of financial reason) - as per 4:25 then how he will marry his OWN slave girl (assuming that the person financial condition is bad then how come he is possessing slave?). Please clear this misunderstanding by reading 4:25 carefully. This ayah speaks about marrying slave girl from AMONG slave girls; also it says wed them with the permission of THEIR folk. This ayah makes clear that slave MAY or MAY not be your own slave-that is why it mentions marrying them with the permission of their master. Here again i would like to emphasize that one should MARRY a slave girl in case he fear he will not be able to practice self restraint. If he can then he should wait till he is able to marry a free lady. In no any case islam permits adultery or any relation outside the bond of nikah.
E. Conclusion
1. Slavery system was in full business during the pre Quranic era.
2. Slaves were bought, sold, treated badly, not considered dignified human beings. People captured in war were treated as slaves.
3. Worst situation was for women. Their masters would treat them as concubines. Their masters could have had physical relations with them.
4. Eradicating gradually this menace; Islam proceeded in steps.
5. In the first step: earlier only unmarried Muslims were allowed to have physical relations with slaves. Surah muminoon 23:5-6 and Surah Marij 70:29-30.
6. Afterwards in Almighty GOD commanded people to MARRY slaves if they wanted to have physical relationship 4:25
7. Today Quran is complete. Any practice that was prevalent earlier and when Quran puts an end to it then we have to see the final ruling from Quran. As in the case of Alcohol when 5:90 was revealed then it was made absolutely prohibited to have alcohol. Similarly in 4:25 Allah made clear that one has to MARRY a slave if he wants to have physical relationship.
8. Any physical relation relationship outside the bond of NIKAH / MARRIAGE is absolutely haraam.
9. No matter how much you try to convince a non muslim you will never be able to justify – through out your life – that Islam permits having sex with slaves without marriage. Neither can you convince yourself nor anyone.
1. If you don't agree with the mail then instead of giving fatwa of deviation/kufr/shirk/biddat - have faith in Allah and leave it to him to judge.
2. I am very well aware that the general understanding among the muslim world is that Islam permits sex with slaves. In spite of this I have dared to go against the tide.
3. Believe me I have thought dozens of time before; whether to write on this subject or not. I tried my best to avoid it. However I realized that anti Islamic writers are attacking Islam on this issue on which Muslims are on the wrong side - unfortunately. So I have to be honest. What should I do?
4. Should I go with the majority of muslim world even though their understanding contradicts Quran and law of nature?
Or should I go by what GOD has mentioned in Quran?
I chose second option.
Author: Khurshid Imam is software engineer at Bangalore.
On the day of Qiyamah Prophet will complain to Almighty God - "Oh God! My people had LEFT / ABANDONED Quran" - Quran, Surah Furqan 25:30
Read the article online here: http://khurshidimam.blogspot.in/2011/08/does-islam-permit-sex-with-slaves.html
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Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor