๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR
Question
In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet bought a slave with two black slaves, so why did he use black slaves when we are equal regardless of race? And why would he enslave two slaves to get one?
Answer summary
The cause of slavery has nothing to do with color or race, rather it was according to what Muslims slander from the infidels.
Allah Exalted He revealed the last and final divine Universal message of Islam to our Beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him, in a time when Slavery was rife in the Arabic peninsula, so Islam had to deal with an existing chronic massive Problem.
In saying that, Islam prohibited the enslavement of anyone- the only time Islam still allows slavery is for the enemy fighters who attack Islam and Muslims. In other words, the enemy prisons of war are to be kept as slaves and servants as a Deterrent
Islam came to find various types of slavery that ranged from tribes raiding other free people and enslaving them, buy, selling, and swapping them. And obviously, mistreat them beside take their women.
Islam prohibited any form of enslaving any peaceful free people regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity.
The Only type of slavery that Islam allows is when the hostile enemy of Islam and Muslims takes aggressive offensive measures by starting to attack Islam and Muslims in way, shape, or form.
It is a well-known fact to anyone with common sense that victims reserve the absolute right to defend themselves. Therefore, if enemies of Islam fall into the hands of Muslims as prisoners of war.
How and why, there is a certain type of Slavery that is still allowed in Islam?
In Islam usually, slaves are the non-Muslim enemy fighters and aggressors who started wars against Muslims. Once they are captured in become prisoners of war at the hands of the Muslim army. The Muslims have four choices in dealing with those fighters and prisoners of war regardless of their gender.
1. Return them without a price and peacefully to their place of origin and that is illogical and will encourage them to fight Muslims again.
2. Kill all of them and that would be harsh.
3. Enslave them to work for Muslims and emotionally humiliate them to make them regret fighting Muslims.
Yet treat them well in terms of food, shelter, and medication and show them the true teachings of Islam which they were opposing due to the brainwashing Islamophobic black propaganda they grow up with.
ย
4. Exchange the non-Muslim prisoners of war at the hands of the Muslim army with the Muslim prisoners at the hands of the non-Muslim army.ย Or exchange certain benefits, lands, equipment, or any other beneficial things with prisoners of war.
Reiterating again that Islam came to find various types of Slavery that were unjustified, that is why Islam start to prohibit those types and dry out the main sources of those types of Slavery.
The fact remained that there were slaves and as per the above-mentioned Hadith, our beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon, received a slave who wanted to accept Islam.
While the Prophet did not realise that this person was a slave owned by his master and he did not seek his masterโs permission. That is why when his master came to the Prophet seeking to retrieve his slave, the Prophet done the swap which in some views he gave those two black slaves to the master of the slave and kept the slave since he accepted Islam and had an agreement with the Prophet.
The Prophet was not buying or selling slaves as a business nor he was a slave trader but as part of trying to alleviate the existing bad situations. The Prophet had to resolve that situation to the best possible working solution, by keeping the slave who accepted Islam and obviously later freed him.
And the two black slaves were given in exchange to the master and owner of the slave that the Prophet kept and Freed later since he accepted Islam.
There was a disparity between slaves in terms of value according to religion, color, qualities, and shape, and this is a matter that is up to the people, and what they desire, and the law has nothing to do with setting a price or specifying a value for black or white;ย Rather, this is due to what people agree upon and desire.
Slavery was prevalent before Islam in its ugliest forms
Slavery was prevalent in the nations of the earth before Islam, and it was practiced in the ugliest forms, and they did not make any difference between taking slaves in a legitimate war, being taken in unjust aggression or defrauding the taking of the free treacherously, or because of a debt that he was unable to perform, or otherwise.
When Islam came, it forbade free sale and slavery and made slavery in what was taken through legitimate jihad a reciprocal treatment and in response to enemies who enslave prisoners and other Muslims.
Islam urges the emancipation of slaves
Moreover, Islam urged his family to free man, desired them for it, and placed in it the great reward.
There was no intention of the blacks themselves in order to be gentle, rather the matter was according to what the Muslims would take captive from the infidels, in the battles and invasions that they were waging against them.
Therefore, among the slaves were those who were white, those who were black, and those who were in between in color; However, what appears to be the case is that the white was preferred over the black, and the same person who had rank or lineage in his people before the captivity was preferred over others. The beautiful or honorable nation in its own people was naturally preferred and desired over others.
In Sahih Muslim (1365) on the authority of Anas, may God be pleased with him, โThe Prophet, may Godโs prayers and peace be upon him, bought Safiya bint Hayyi – may God be pleased with her – from Dihya al-Kalbi for seven wives.โ
Al-Suyuti said in Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah (p. 164): Because Safiya was their mistress, and the daughter of their chief, so he, may Godโs prayers and peace be upon him, compensated him with seven heads.
A slave may be bought with two slaves or more, because he is a Muslim, or he desires Islam, so the one who buys him desires to help him in that or to set him free.
ูู ู ุฐูู ู ุง ุฌุงุก ูู ุงูุญุฏูุซ ุงูู ุดุงุฑ ุฅููู ูู ุงูุณุคุงู ุ ูุงูุฐู ุฃุฎุฑุฌู ู ุณูู (1602) ุนููู ุฌูุงุจูุฑู ุ ููุงูู : ” ุฌูุงุกู ุนูุจูุฏู ููุจูุงููุนู ุงููููุจูููู ุตููููู ุงูููู ุนููููููู ููุณููููู ู ุนูููู ุงููููุฌูุฑูุฉูุ ููููู ู ููุดูุนูุฑู ุฃูููููู ุนูุจูุฏู ุ ููุฌูุงุกู ุณููููุฏููู ููุฑููุฏููู ุ ููููุงูู ูููู ุงููููุจูููู ุตููููู ุงูููู ุนููููููู ููุณููููู ู He bought it for two black slaves, then he did not pledge allegiance to anyone yet until he asks him: โ Serve ?
Al-Qadi Iyadh said: โIt appears that his master was a Muslim, and the Prophet had released him, so his master deserved him by the health of his possession of him, then he – peace be upon him – wanted with what he was endowed with noble morals not to reject, nor to invalidate what he had contracted for, so he bought it from his master.
It indicates that his master is a Muslim and the two slaves paid him to him, otherwise he – peace be upon him – pledged allegiance to the slaves of the people of Taif and others who descended to him, and he did not spend them on their masters.
And his purchase of the slave by the two slaves is the basis for this method… End quote from Ikmal al-Muallim with the benefits of Muslim (5/301).
Al-Nawawi said:
This is to be understood as meaning that his master was a Muslim, and that is why he sold him to the two black slaves. It appears that they were Muslims, and it is not permissible to sell a Muslim slave to an infidel.
It is possible that he was an unbeliever, or that they were unbelievers, and his ownership of the slave who pledged allegiance to the emigration must be proven, either with evidence, or with the slaveโs ratification before his acknowledgment of freedom.
And in it is what the Prophet, may Godโs prayers and peace be upon him, was upon of noble morals and public charity, for he hated that the servant should be disappointed with his intentions of migration and companionship, so he bought him to complete what he wanted. End of Sharh al-Nawawi on Muslim (11/39).
Accordingly, there are two things:
The first:
That the causes of slavery have nothing to do with color or race, rather it was according to what the Muslims slandered from the infidels.
The second:
that there was a disparity between slaves in terms of value according to religion, color, traits and shape, and this is a matter that is up to the people, and what they desire, and it has nothing to do with Sharia setting a price or specifying a value for black or white; Rather, this is due to what people agree upon and desire.
Allah knows Best.