In handling the subject of Slavery in Islaam it is it is first of all important to decouple “Arabism” and Islaam. This becomes ambiguous for many people considering that Islaam started in Arabia. I need to state here before I proceed that The Holy prophet is among a group of people referred to as MUSTARAB – spelled this way for lack of better letters in the English alphabet. These are people who became Arabs by virtue of settlement. Like any society one’s behavior can either be traced to his tribal roots or to his religion. This applied also to the Arabs as well. An Arab does not necessarily represent Islaam, just as someone from Rome will not necessarily represent Catholicism. A European could be more representative of Islaam than an Arab.

As far as slavery is concerned, it predates any religious organization, Jews, Christianity, Islaam, Hindu or whatever. Even in many parts of Africa and the Indian sub-continent bonded labour existed before the coming of the white man and still exists today. But slavery as it is understood today, Islaam is the only religion that put up a systematic process to dismantle institutionalized slavery. Islaam first taught that the best of us before our Creator is the most pious; be he a slave or a free man. Islaam then put in motivations to inspire the freeing of slaves by believers. There are motivations such as in Sura Al-Nisaa Chaper 4 verse 92, where the Qur’aan states that for one who kills a fellow believer accidentally, he has to expiate for his deeds by FREEING A SLAVE, then pay compensation to the deceased’s family. If however the victim was among a group at war with you, and he was a believer, FREEING OF A SLAVE was enough without compensation. If however, he was among a people with whom you have a treaty, compensation should be paid to the victims people and AGAIN, A SLAVE BE FREED. It is important to note how in every situation how A SLAVE HAS TO BE FREED.
In Islaam swearing off the hook or futile oaths are not accepted. But what happens if someone swears in futility. In Al-Maida Chapter 5,verse 84, a believer is warned that he will be called to account by Allah for his oaths. So for one who swears carelessly, to expiate for his sins, he had to either FEED A POOR PERSON with food equivalent in value and quantity to what he feeds his own family, or GIVE A SLAVE HIS FREEDOM. If one does not have enough to feed the poor, and has no slave he should fast for three days.
In the pre Islamic period Divorcing women was very common and some for very trivial reasons. One of the methods used was called Idh-haar in which by telling your wife that her back was like the back of your mother she was divorced. Some people divorced their wives this way and then took their wives back just when and how they wished. To give strength to the women and to check the men, Allah decreed in the Qur’aan in Sura Al-Mujaadila chapter 58, verse 3, that whoever Believer divorced his wife this way, before he could touch her again, HE WAS TO FREE A SLAVE.
In the above examples, freeing a slave was FOR a specific action or inaction. However in general The Qur’aan described the companions of the Right hand – Those who will receive salvation and that which every Believer aspires to achieve; in Surah Al-Balad chapter 90 vrs 13 as those who ; first (It is:) THOSE FREEING THE SLAVE; second, giving of food In a day of privation to the orphan with claims of relationship, or to the indigent (Down-trodden) in the dust. With these values, one is of the fellowship of the Companions of the Right hand if one faithfully practices the five pillars of Islaam, then enjoins peace and self- restraint and do Deeds of kindness and compassion.
Having given the above references on how slavery was systematically abolished by Islaam, I need to mention that Islaam did not abolish slavery in one go. Like any other Society, slavery was deep rooted and since one was not in any way obliged to free a slave the incorrigible characters among them had to be given time. Some who were pious immediately set the slaves free out of fear of Allah, and seeking his pleasure. Some even bought slaves and set them free from their wicked owners, all in the hope of gaining Allah’s pleasure. As Taqwaa or fear of Allah has different levels in different people, others had to be prodded along and motivated as we have seen above; and as faith is a drip drip affair it had to take some time for some to put in practice what they should forgo – freeing their slaves for a reward from The Almighty. Some certainly never made it, but that was a reflection on their weak faith or due to a serious necessity for a slave. For those who kept them they had to treat them strictly according to Islamic teachings viz, they eat of what you eat, wear of what you wear and not to do work which the owner would not allow himself do. It goes without saying that Slaves were never to be overworked or asked to perform tasks beyond their strengths.
In the real Islamic Society as a whole, status was not bestowed based on social advantage or lineage, but on piety and knowledge. In line with this, Slaves were given opportunities to rise up in the society, and the sky was the limit for them. For example at one point in history, the Muftis (The highest Scholar authorized to give Islamic rulings) of, Basra, Kuffa, Madina, Makkah, Khorassan and Damascus were all freed slaves. That the Mufti being the highest and most prestigious position a scholar can attain to, tells a lot about the knowledge acquired by these former slaves.
During the reign of Suleiman bin Abdulmalik, he made a decree that nobody except Ataa bin Abee Rabah was to make a fatwa during Hajj, because though a freed slave, he proved to be the most learned among his contemporaries. During the Hajj people lined up in front of his tent to seek his rulings on matters that bordered on their Hajj performance. It was in one of these occasions that The Ameer himself, - who had appointed him, appeared and cut the line and came to him. He asked him - the Ameer whether he was coming for a visit. The Ameer replied he was coming to seek his ruling on a subject. He replied the Ameer saying; in that case he should not break the line but wait in the line until it was his turn. Remember that the Ameer was ruler of almost half the world at that time because Islam had spread from the Arab peninsula to Spain, Constantinopole (Turkey) and South of France. But the Ameer had to take the orders of the Scholar. This is Islam. The best among you is the most pious. So the Qur’aan teaches. In the Islamic world, notable among freed slaves who rose to prominence and celebrity status due to their knowledge were, Hassan Al-Basry, Ibn Sereen, and Saeed Ibn Jubair, to mention but a few.
Discussing how Islaam discouraged slavery and fought against it will take a book of many volumes but the above is just to give semblance to how Islaam tackled the problem with a view of eliminating it.

i.alhassan
idris_alhasan@yahoo.com