Emancipation: Marry a Slave

The Noble Qur'n An-Nur 4:32-33 32. And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Slihn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allh is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people). 33. And let those who find not the financial means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allh enriches them of His Bounty. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), give them such writing, if you know that they are good and trustworthy. And give them something yourselves out of the wealth of Allh which He has bestowed upon you. And force not your maids to prostitution, if they desire chastity, in order that you may make a gain in the (perishable) goods of this worldly life. But if anyone compels them (to prostitution), then after such compulsion, Allh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to those women, i.e. He will forgive them because they have been forced to do this evil action unwillingly).

Prefer Marriage to a Believing Slave

The Noble Qur'n An-Nur 2:221 And do not marry Al-Mushrikt (idolatresses, etc.) till they believe (worship Allh Alone). And indeed a slave woman who believes is better than a (free) Mushrikah (idolatress, etc.), even though she pleases you. And give not (your daughters) in marriage to Al-Mushrikn till they believe (in Allh Alone) and verily, a believing slave is better than a (free) Mushrik (idolater, etc.), even though he pleases you. Those (Al-Mushrikn) invite you to the Fire, but Allh invites (you) to Paradise and Forgiveness by His Leave, and makes His Ayt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to mankind that they may remember.
O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy 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 (Quran 33:50) (See also Quran 23:5-6, 70:29-30, 4:24, 8:69) (See also Sahih Bukhari 62:137, 34:432)

It is rare nowadays to find slaves in the shari sense in which it is permissible to be intimate with them etc. That is because most of the Muslims have long since given up the obligation of jihad for the sake of Allaah, in addition to their position of weakness and humiliation before their kaafir enemies, so that many of the majority-Muslim nations have signed the protocol that expressly forbids slavery and strives to put an end to it, which was agreed upon in the United Nations in 1953.

Question: I want to know the concept of a Londi (slave girl). Does that still hold? Are all female servants our slave girls?

Answer: The Londi is equivalent of the English word slave girl. We are talking about the concept of the slave girls in Arabia at the time of the Prophet (sws). These slaves, in those times, were an important part of the social and financial systems of all the civilized societies of the world. A slave could be bought or sold on will and the masters could have sex with their slave girls. They were considered their properties but were their responsibility. This means that these masters were also obliged to arrange for the basic needs of the slaves they owned. However, Islam gradually eliminated this institution and made sure that there remained no slaves. For this purpose, it took a number of gradual steps. As for the concept of servants today, that is a totally different and independent identity. You have no power over them but for their services, which they have agreed to do against some kind of payment. All the Divine directive regarding the slave women do not apply to the present day servants. As for the question whether there could be any slave men or women, the Shari'ah has closed all doors on the issue. There is no way we can get or keep a slave today.

Regards, Tariq Mahmood Hashmi Research Assistant, Studying Islam

Female Sex Slaves in Islam

Slaves or 'londi' is a very controversial topic in Islam. Unfortunately, 'Londi' has become a term synonymous with sex slaves. This is not true. 23:01 - Successful indeed are the believers, 23:02 - Those who humble themselves in their prayers; 23:03 - Who avoid vain talk; 23:04 - Who are active in deeds of charity; 23:05 - Who abstain from sex, 23:06 - Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, OR(the captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame, First thing first. Lust is to be avoided. A believer has to 'abstain' from sex. If there is a 'chance' of 'have a londi? - do sex' then this verse quashes it. And it comes before the verse which says 'Except with their wives OR captives/ londis' Mind you. God is All knowing. He chooses words very carefully. He used the word 'aao' in Arabic which means OR. He did not use 'wa' AND. All this means you can have sex EITHER with your wife OR londi. Its not 'free stuff'. Further, you have to get 'married' to have sex, in both the cases. No other way around. 4:25 - And whoso is not able to afford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the believing maids whom your right hands possess... 24:33 - And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste till Allah give them independence by His grace... As regards slavery, Quran does not endorse slavery and instead wants the believers to free the slaves. In effect, Quran suggests abolition of slavery.

2:177 - ... righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; ... To summarize 1 - You should not commit adultery. (Quran 23:05) 2 - You can have sex with your wife (in case you are married) OR slaves (in case you are not married) (Quran 23:06), but also, 3 - In case of latter, you are to 'marry' the slave (Quran 4:25) 4 - If you are still single.. be content and abstain from adultery. (Quran 24:33)

According to Mufti Ebrahim Desai, a prominent sheikh of the Marasah In'aamiyyah in Cape Town, South Africa, when asked if female slavery could be implemented in this day and age, he responded with the following: One question that still remains is whether slavery still legally prevails anywhere in the Islamic world and whether it can be successfully implemented in this age. Firstly, the prisoners have to be captured in 'Jihaad' in the true sense of the word... According to Islamic Law, captive female prisoners are also part and parcel of the booty. One fifth of the booty has to be first distributed to the needy, orphans, etc. The remaining four-fifths should then be distributed among the soldiers who participated in the war. The distribution can only take effect after the booty is brought into Islamic territory. The Ameerul-Mu'mineen (Head of the Islamic State) remains the guardian of the female prisoners until he allocates them to the soldiers. Only after a soldier has been allotted a slave girl, and made the owner of her, will she become his lawful possession. After she spends a period called 'Istibraa', which is the elapse of one menstrual period, it becomes permissible for her owner to have relations with her.

Does the Qur'an permit sex outside marriage with female slaves?
3 Does the Quran permit sex outside marriage with female slaves? The question arises on the interpretation of the following two verses: 4:24 and 23:6. Again the problem arise as we take the verses in isolation i.e. without considering other relevant verses. For example the usual interpretation accepting a positive response to the above question would immediately contradict the following verses: 4: 3, 25 and 24:32, 33. According to these verses sexual relations with any woman is only permitted through wedlock. Typical translations of verses 4:24 and 23:6 are as follows: 4:24 And (forbidden to you are) all married women other than those whom you rightfully posses. [....]. This verse coming after the enumeration of prohibited degrees of relationship in the previous verse i.e.(4:23) is meant to stress the prohibition of sexual relations with any woman other than ones lawful wife. (see Asad verse 4:24 note 26). The verse does not say as to whether one can have sex without marriage with these women who are rightfully in their possession. Now looking at other verse: 23:6 Save from their wives or the (slaves) that their right hand possess, [.....]. Regarding this translation, apart from the contradiction already stated above, the other objection is as follows: I quote from note 3 in The Message of the Quran, by Muhammad Asad:
.....Nor is this the only objection to the above mentioned interpretation. Since the Quran applies the term believers to men and women alike, and since the term azwaj (spouses), too, denotes both male and female partners in marriage, there is no reason to attributing the phrase ma malakat aymanuhum the meaning of their female slaves; and since, on the other hand, it is out of the question that female and male slaves could have been referred to here, it is obvious that the phrase does not relate to slaves at all, but the same meaning as in 4:24 -- namely, those whom they rightfully possess through wedlock (see note 26 on 4:24) -- with the significant difference that in the present context this expression relates to both husbands and wives, who rightfully possess one another by virtue of marriage. On the basis of this interpretation, the particle aw which precedes this clause does not denote an alternative (or) but is, rather, in the nature of

explanatory amplification, more or less analogous to the phrase in other words or that is, thus giving to the whole sentence the meaning. .....save with their spouses -- that is, whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock].... etc.

Thus Asad translates the verse 23:6 as: (not giving way to their desires) with any but their spouses -- that is, those whom they rightfully possess (through wedlock) -- for then, they are free of all blame. If we now look at the verses 4:3, 25, and 24:32, 33, we see that sex with female slaves is only permitted through wedlock. The translations of these verses according to Asad are as follows: 4:3 And if you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably towards orphans, then marry from among (other women) such as are lawful to you 3 -- even two, or three, or four: but if you have reason to fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then (only) one -- or (from among) those whom you rightfully posses.4 [.....]. 4:25 And as for those of you who, owing to circumstances, are not in a position29 to marry free believing women, (let them marry) believing maidens from among those whom you rightfully possess.30 [......]. 24:32 And (you ought to) marry the single from among you42 as well as such of male and female slaves as are fit (for marriage)43 [......] 24:33 [.....] And do not, in order to gain48 some of the fleeting [pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your (slave) maidens into whoredom if they happen to be desirous of marriage;49 [.......]. The application of these verses with (4:24) and (23:6) as well as the additional explanation as given by Asad of verse 23:6, as stated above, lead to the conclusion that the Quran does not permit sex outside marriage with female slaves or for that matter with anyone. Note: The subscripts refer to additional notes in The Message of the Quran by Muhammad Asad.

Has not the Quran actually legalized adultery by allowing for the master to have sexual relationships with his female slaves? Female slaves are the natural by-product of the system of slavery. The situation that prevailed in all societies where the institution of slavery existed was such that slave women were used at will and were employed to gain economic advantage by inciting them towards prostitution. As for Islam, it provided for a facility which would, in the course of one generation, bring an end to the system through the slave women themselves. The slave woman is the property of the master. However, the master has no right, whatsoever, to incite her towards adultery. Like the male slaves, the female slaves, too, have rights of their own. It is the duty of the master to provide her with food, shelter, clothes and other necessities. Moreover, the Quran has asked the owner to make the necessary arrangements for her marriage as well (Quran 24:32).

This, in effect, means that the Quran has prompted the owner towards having sexual relations with an unmarried female slave. This permission is however restricted to the owner alone. None else is allowed to use her in this fashion even if it be with the permission of the master!

In giving birth to the child of the master, the slave woman becomes entitled to new rights. Thenceforth, the master has no right to sell her. She becomes the mother of her masters children. These children, too, become entitled to all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the masters other children. Islam disagrees with the Jewish stand that the children born through a slave woman has none of the rights that accrue from the position of fathership. These children are, in all respects, his own children. There is to be no discrimination of any kind between them and the other children. With the death of the master, the slave woman, who is the mother of his children, becomes a free woman. She is then protected by her own children. They, too, like the other children, will becomes entitled to a share in their fathers inheritance. The permission to accept slave women as ones life-partner was, in fact, a provision which would, in the course of one generation, cut out the very root of slavery. In reality, therefore, the permission granted for having relations with slave women was one among the many unique steps taken by Islam in practically eradicating slavery. Indeed, that was exactly what transpired in the Islamic world. It is not possible to equate the permission given for having relations with slave women to adultery. Both cases stand at two opposing poles. One is the case of the woman who lives under her master enjoying the protection that he confers upon her. It is a relationship in which he fully agrees to take up the responsibilities that may accrue as a product of that relationship. It is a relationship in which her personality, beyond the contours defined by sex, is accorded full recognition. It is a relationship which opens to her the door to freedom. As for the second, it is nothing but an irresponsible relationship with a prostitute. The prostitute is, in fact, much worser off than the slave woman. For, she is nothing more than a soul less animal. Her function is restricted solely to the gratification of the animal passions of man. There is not even a grain of love and compassion in that relationship. Not the slightest touch of personal fulfillment even. It is but a transaction made solely for money. Flesh trade! The man who comes for the satisfaction of the desire of his flesh is never prepared to take up the responsibility that may accrue from it. He has no obligation towards her. She is only an animal destined to satisfy the desire of his flesh. Each one of her relationships will serve only to immerse her even deeper into the mire that is the inhumanity of prostitution. Even the very dream of freedom will be alien to her. She is one doomed to embrace the loneliness of orphan hood when in a diseased state, with her skin withered and faded, she ends up being the object of nobodys concern. What, then, of the tradition which lays open, before the slave, the very door to freedom? And what of the rottings system which drives the woman from one dependence to the other? Any comparison, whatsoever, between these two is impossible. Two systems that stand at two opposing and extreme poles. One recognized by benign humanism, the other which leads to the depredation of bestiality.

Why did the Quran not make marriage mandatory for having sexual relations with the slave woman? The Quran does provide permission for those who wish to marry slave women (4:27). Indeed, the prophet had said that such marriages will confer a double reward. He who provides the slave woman under him with

proper manners, provides her with the best education, then frees her and ultimately marries her will be given a double reward. (Bukhari, Muslim) The guardian of the slave is the master whether it be a male or a female slave. The guardianship of the slave woman who is under a male master rests with that man. Even if she is to be married off, it is he who will have to carry it out to completion. It is also he who is to take care of all her affairs. It is for this very reason that there is not the need for the act of marrying her. In Islam, marriage is a contract that is solemnized by the guardian of the woman and the bridegroom. Here, both is the master himself. Those is that the marriage ceremony becomes irrelevant in itself. The Quran instructs that the maximum number of wives for a man must be four (4:3). Let us suppose that there is a slave woman under the care of a man who has four wives He cannnot, in that case, marry her. If he is not ready to grant her her freedom, liberation from dependence will remain for her a dream. She will then be forced to approach adultery in her bid to satisfy her sexual desire. But since there is the law that the master can engage in sexual relations with her without recourse to marriage, a solution for all such problems manifests itself. It becomes possible for her to walk into freedom when she gives birth to her masters child. It will also be the solution for her sexual needs. In a society where slavery prevails, if a solution is not found for the satisfaction of hude.....,it will lead to a large scale erosion of values. Along with this, there will also be the problem of the children born off adulterous relationships. Natuarally, they ,too,will end up as slaves. The end result of all this will be that slavery becomes entranched as a system that can, is, no wise, he terminated. In the case of Islam, however, the provision is made such that the masters are permitted to have sexual relations with woman slaves, whereby, within the span of a single generation, slavery is made extinct. If marriage is made a condition for it, it is not possible then to obtain the results envisaged by Islam. Certainly, all masters would not be willing to marry their woman-slaves. Besides, it is impossible for those who already have four wives.

Javed_Iqbal 27-07-11, 02:35 PM As-Salaamu-Alaikum-Wa-Rahmatullah, Dear Brother and Sisters in Islam, I strongly disagree that having intercourse with a salve-woman is allowed in Islam. Islam is a religion which preaches abstinence from lust and shamelessness, hence such a thing cannot be allowed in Islam. This was infiltrated by the envious Jews and the disbelievers of that time, who had ostensibly converted to Islam, so that they can insert such filthy things within the Islamic literature. It is heart-rending to read the filthy comments of the Non-Muslims on the internet regarding the Sahabas (R.A) and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), whom we respect and revere so much [as far as Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is concerned, I have have got strong evidence to prove that he (S.A.W) had married Hazrath Mariya (R.A)]. I knew about the Ayats in the Holy Quran refering to having intercourse with the slave girl, while I was reading Quran by meaning long ago, but I thought that the Ayats referring to having intercourse with slave-women were finally abrogated by the Ayat 17:32 of the Surah Bani Israel, as was done in the case of drinking alcohol, because the Ayats referring to having intercourse with slave-women are in Surah Maa'rij and Surah Muminun which were revealed in Mecca much before Surah Banu Israel which was revealed just before migration (Hijrah). It is also highly possible that the phrase whom their right hands possess must be referring to the slave girls whom they had married, but Allah has mentioned them as their right hand possess because

there were cerain differences between the laws regarding a married slave woman and a married free woman. I did not go deep into this topic at that time. But, a few weeks ago, while counterarguing a Non-Muslim on internet regarding the permission of Islam to treat the slave girls as wives, he told me about Hadith - Volume 3 Hadith No: 432 from Sahih Al-Bukhari, in which it is clearly narrated about the women-slave and that even the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) was present and he had given the Sahabah (R.A) his suggession regarding coitus interruptus while having intercourse with the women-slaves. I frantically surfed the net for the next three days, searching to find a single hadith contradicting the hadith of Sahih Al-Bukhari, or any evidence from the books of Islamic history in which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) had forbidden the treatment of the women-slaves as wives; But the more I surfed, the more I came across ahadith as well as historical text in concordance with the hadith of Sahih Bukhari. I can refute anybody, particularly the Non-Muslims who write filthy things about the Sahabha (R.A) regarding their behaviour with the women-slaves, based on Quranic verses and rational arguments; But if a book like Sahih Al-Bukhari has mentioned something like this, then how can I silence the disbelievers? If the treatment of women-slaves as wives is mentioned in so many books of ahadith as well as at so many place in the Islamic literature, then arguing without any strong evidence is futile and insane. Hence, I would request all my Muslim brothers and sisters to send me at least a single evidence from the ahadith of the four main hadith Books (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi) or from Ibn-Majah; Or from any other authentic Islamic book by an authentic author, contradicting the above hadith of Sahih Bukari regarding the treatment of slave girls as wives. . Note: I do not want any lectures justifying this act in Islam. I have gone through hundreds of them, including the ones in this site, but they were not at all satisfactory. In all these arguments, people were beating around the bush in trying to prove that Islam has allowed this practice by giving baseless arguments which did not have any real worth. For instance, many people said that the word used, in Arabic, for female-captives (which the Sahabah (R.A) have taken as captives in the battles) means "marry" or "married"; But how can a Muslim and a Polytheist be married to each other, when it is absolutely clear that such marriages are forbidden in Islam; Are they trying to prove that a disbeliever was a wife of a Sahabah? Many others have stated the rules of Islam regarding the treatment of slave girls, i.e., to treat them kindly, not to beat them, ... etc. This is absolutely right, because Islam came to restore human rights to the servants of Allah and to put an end to wickedness. But what connection does it have with having intercourse with the female-slaves? Some others argue What the Sahabah (R.A) would have done with the female captives given to them as a booty of war!. The Sahabas (R.A) could have handed them over to their wives to get them well-acquainted with the basic beliefs and practices of Islam, and later they could have released them as an act of a piety! It is as simple as that! These slave-girls would either have embraced Islam or would have remained polytheists, because there is no force in Deen; They could have married a man of their choice or would have remained unmarried. Anyway, all the polytheists had later converted to Islam. Is it written anywhere that if a Muslim cohabits with a Non-Muslim slave-girl, then she must become a Muslim? Then what is the point in cohabiting with a slave-girl? Allah Tala have promised the Muslims that He will make them heirs of Paradise in the Hereafter in return for their good deeds and for their sacrifices in the way of Allah and for their abstinence from excessive sexual pleasures. If Muslims keep four wives and on top of it have intercourse with slave girls, then where is the abstinence? It is like they are allowed to have almost all kinds of sexual pleasures; They can have intercourse with four wives and on top of that have

intercourse with, new, polytheist women whom they have got as booty of war and later sell them off by practising coitus interreptus (as if I buy a car or a scooter and use it taking care that it is in good condition so that I can get maximum price on resale, and then sell it off) or set them free if they become pregnant. Not only this, but they can also buy a slave-girl, who may look attractive to them, and then have intercourse with her until she gets pregnant and then let her free [Nobody can claim that a Muslim cannot have intercourse with a slave-girl whom he had bought but can have intercourse only with the slave-girls whom he has got as booty of war. This is because the phrase used in the verse of the Quran is whom their right hands possess which means that whom they own, as a property, hence a slave girl bought from the slave market is also eligible for intercourse]. This looks as if there is not limit to sexual pleasures and there is no control or leash on the sexual passions, except with free women or slave-girls of other men, but once a person has intercourse with so many women, i.e., four wives and slave girls, then he will have no appetite for any other women, because his sexual desire would have been completely satisfied. By giving permission to have intercourse with slave girls, there is no limit to the number of women a man can have intercourse with! And there is no space left for sexual abstinence and sexual continence. One more important thing that I want to state here is that, in the pre-Islamic days all the members of a masters family, i.e., the brother, father if he was alive, and his sons used to have intercourse with the female-slaves of a particular master and vice-versa. I have not found any hadith explaining the rules of sexual relationship that Muslims must follow in case of a slave-girl, for instance, it is not given anywhere that only a master of a slave-girl can have intercourse with her, and that his father and sons are forbidden to cohabit with her. If this practice was allowed in Islam, then Allah would have given detailed instructions regarding it, as in the case of marriage. Regarding marriage, Allah has given complete instructions concerning a wife and husband. Since Allah has not given any instructions regarding the slave girl, it means that the old custom of pagan Arabs have to be continued. Just think how vile was the old custom, the father, son and brothers of a master having intercourse with the same woman? How can Islam allow such an abominable act? This looks absolutely inhumane and un-Islamic. I strongly and sincerely believe that this is not possible in Islam, and there should be some evidence somewhere in the book of hadith or in the Islamic literature not allowing such an act in Islam. Hence I humbly request for evidence, only from those who have a strong evidence to offer, and I would request the vain-arguers to excuse me.