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| How Islam Tackled The Problem Of Slavery | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 29 2004, 02:20 PM (38 Views) | |
| KNOWN STRANGER | Oct 29 2004, 02:20 PM Post #1 |
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My HeArT is BroKen, TherZ Nothing to BrEak....
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A few Western writers claim that Islam is based on slavery. Some cheek, considering their bleak history of genocide and slave populations! And they support their claim by referring to Arabs who carried on the slave trade. In fact, they were the few opportunists taking advantage of a system that started long before Islam came on the scene - a system that Islam was geared to eradicate. Anyone knows that slavery was the system of labor used by the major civilizations of the world for thousands of years before the advent of Islam. The Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the Cities of the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans and Persians were all built by slave labor. But Islam did not build a universal brotherhood by the enslavement of man, any man. Yet Islam knew that an immediate declaration of abolition could not end slavery but would only create confusion and severe dislocation in that epoch. Islam instead, instituted a program where slaves could be assimilated into free society. Thus was slavery gradually phased out from an Islamic society. It was made obligatory that all slaves be educated. Muslims were enjoined to feed and clothe slaves in the same manner as themselves. It was decreed that if a slave wanted to purchase his or her freedom he or she should be helped with money and means to maintain an independent life. Harsh treatment of a slave was declared to be sufficient ground for his or her emancipation. Moreover, the atonement of certain sins was declared to be the freeing of slaves, and freeing a slave was declared to be a virtue of the highest order equal in value perhaps to prayer and fasting... The Noble Quran commands: "Marry those among you who are single or the virtuous ones among your slaves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasses all and He knows all things … And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum) give them such a deed if you know any good in them. Yea give them something yourselves out of the means which Allah has given to you. But force not your maids into prostitution when they desire chastity in order that you may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them yet after such compulsion is Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them)." [Noor 24:32-33] The law of slavery in the legal sense of the word is now obsolete. While it had any meaning, Islam made the slave's lot as easy as possible. Abdullah Yousuf Ali's commentary on the following verses runs as follows: "A slave, male or female could ask for conditional freedom by a written deed fixing the amount required for emancipation, and allowing the slave meanwhile to earn money by lawful means and perhaps marry and bring up a family. Such a deed was not to be refused if the request was genuine and the slave had character. Not only that but the master is directed to help with money out of his own resources in order to enable the slave to earn his or her own liberty. "Where slavery was legal, what is now called the 'white slave traffic', was carried on by wicked people like 'Abdullah ibn Ubai, the hypocrite leader at Medina. This is absolutely condemned. While modern nations have abolished slavery, the White Slave Traffic is still a big problem… It is absolutely condemned in Islam. No more despicable trade can be imagined. The poor unfortunate girls that are victims of such a nefarious trade will yet find mercy from Allah, whose bounties extend to the lowest of His creatures. "Under the unique program of assimilation, slaves in the Islamic era were able to acquire all the rights of free citizens, and attained the highest levels of social, political and economic achievement. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) actually warned his followers to: "Listen and obey even if a black slave becomes your leader, so long as he should enforce amongst you the Law of Creator." Thus we read about Bilal Al Habashi, a former slave from Ethiopia, who became the Prophet's closest aide and one of Islam's most prominent personalities. Bilal also possessed a marvelous singing voice to call believers to Prayer in the Prophet's lifetime. Then there was Zeyd ibn Harithah, the slave whom the Prophet adopted, showering upon him love and culture insomuch that he grew up to become one of Islam's greatest generals. In Islamic history, we find dynasties of those who were someday slaves but then reached power and achieved victories for all the Muslim nation. We read about Kafur, a slave from the Sudan who rose to be ruler of Egypt and Syria, whose name has since become proverbial for wise leadership in Islam. We read about Malik Ambar, another African slave, who became a brilliant ruler in Bombay, India. He was one of the Nawabs (Muslim Princes) of India. Even slaves had all social, political and economic doors opened to them in Islam. Slaves rose to be Sultans and slave-women to be favorites of the ruler and mothers of heirs to the throne. At times, a slave himself became a master and held freeborn men of wealth and power in dread of him. From these few examples we can see that neither one's ancestry, nor the color of one's skin, nor the place of one's birth, were allowed to stand in the way of anyone achieving any position or making any contribution in the Muslim world. To say, therefore, that Islam practiced slavery would be to totally misunderstand (or misrepresent) the dynamics of history and the nature and record of Islam. Some people conveniently forget that there is a profound difference between slavery that was in the Islamic societies and the perception of slavery that is handed down to us from the abominations that were practiced in the Imperial colonies. A far cry from luring or abducting men from India and Africa, to be put to work in West Indian sugarcane fields. The slightest dissent would earn torture by being spread-eagled nude on anthills, or stuffed with gunpowder in both ends and blown away for fun! Or do we care to think of indentured labor that still exists in the great democracies of the world, where generations of men till earth in chains? The Islamic injunctions for the slaves of yore are humane in comparison to the indignities of economic slavery today. At least they had had the hope for freedom. Going deeper into the matter, a contemporary Muslim scholar, Abul A'la Maududi explains that: "Islam stands for liberation from all sorts of slavery such as many inhibit the progress of humanity, or may not allow it to follow the path virtue and goodness. It means man's freedom from dictators who enslave him by force or fear, make him do what is wrong and deprive him of his dignity, honor, property and life. Islam liberates man from such tyranny by telling him that all authority vests in the Creator and the Creator alone. He alone is the Real Sovereign ... Thus Islam brings to man freedom from fear and oppression inflicted on him by men like himself ... "Islam also means freedom lust, including the lust for life, as it is this very weakness of man which is exploited by tyrants and dictators, intentionally and otherwise, in enslaving their fellowmen. But for it no man would silently accept subservience to men like himself, or sit idle to watch tyranny on the rampage and dare not challenge it. It is a great blessing of Islam that it taught man to fight tyranny and oppression bravely rather than cringe before them in abject servitude." So although Islam stands for Peace, it does not accept peace on humiliating or debasing grounds. Peace in Islam is based on dignity, freedom, brotherhood and lasting security, not upon humiliation and helpless surrender to tyranny, exploitation and oppression. |
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| Hawk | Apr 20 2008, 09:20 PM Post #2 |
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bohat achay |
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4:06 PM Jul 11