Islam, Qur'an and liberation of slaves

[Malcolm]

Al Islam as a way of life is the first religion to make it a matter of belief, and policy to free slaves.

This thread will focus on the history of Islam as it pertains to this highly conflictive subject. This is a subject very sensitive to Africans living in the West especially, but also to Africans living on the continent. So it makes sense that the opponents of Islam and Blacks would seek to manipulate us by casting images of 'Muslims and slavery,' and the 'arab boogie man'.

The first thing I want to say in line with my Islamic beliefs and that is being accountable, so I have to admit that many Muslims have been criminals with regard the subject of slavery, and for that they should have been punished or should be punished.

I am asking Jews, Christians, Arabs, Black Africans, and all others including secularists to take the same accountable position, or forever hold your peace, most threads such as these which show Islamic evidence are either ignored by opponents with the hope that it will just fade away, or they will go off onto a tangent with intention to divert from the subject matter. Let us hope that this will be an honest discussion.

In the Holy Qur'an it says; "And what can make you realize what is the difficult pass?

It is freeing of a slave, Or feeding on a day of severe hunger, an orphan near in relation, or a needy person in misery, and then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion."

Holy Qur'an 90:12-17

These verses are the pillars of a Muslims faith with regard to the subject of slavery, and for this reason the first three generations of Muslims during and after the Prophet Muhammad's (p) life freed thousands of slaves.

There is no evidence of slave raiding and slave trading during these generations, so with that let us use these generations as our primary sources of what Islam means, and compare future generations to the conduct of the first generations.'

[Semalina Puddings]

perhaps this is why Saudi Arabia didn't abolish slavery until 1964, and why the only places it id still done are Islamic countries. people caught in the UK and USA with slaves are ALWAYS moslems.

[Malcolm]

Semalina Puddings wrote:

perhaps this is why Saudi Arabia didn't abolish slavery until 1964, and why the only places it id still done are Islamic countries. people caught in the UK and USA with slaves are ALWAYS moslems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amend...

Except as a punishment for a crime, and the U.S has 22% of the world's prisoners, or as the U.S Constitution defines them 'slaves'.

And when a society practices mass incarceration as this one does, it is a form of human trafficking because those slaves are transported from their home districts to rural white areas these prisons act as attractions for businesses (mcdonalds, wendys', BK's, KFC's, post offices, hotels, motels), so jobs are provided to whites at the expense of blacks.

[Malcolm]

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) personally freed over 60 slaves, one of them was Zaid Ibn Haritha who was known as 'dark skinned and snub nosed', he was also known as a commander in the army after his freedom, and closer to the Prophet than most companions.

It is said that if Zaid had not been killed in battle he would have been Caliph or Ruler of the Islamic nation.

This shows that early Muslims were not prejudice towards black people, but that prejudice is a pre-islamic practice of ignorance.

Those Muslims who are prejudice towards skin color or race are considered ignorant, and at the bottom of knowledge.

[roofis wit a gold toofis]

it be duh slavery fualt yallz!

[king_spade]

I like this thread.

[G-Dubba-you]

Malcolm wrote:

<quoted text>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amend...
Except as a punishment for a crime, and the U.S has 22% of the world's prisoners, or as the U.S Constitution defines them 'slaves'.
And when a society practices mass incarceration as this one does, it is a form of human trafficking because those slaves are transported from their home districts to rural white areas these prisons act as attractions for businesses (mcdonalds, wendys', BK's, KFC's, post offices, hotels, motels), so jobs are provided to whites at the expense of blacks.

You make an excellent case for expediting [and possibly extending] Capital Punishment to other areas of the law.

[G-Dubba-you]

Malcolm wrote:

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) personally freed over 60 slaves, one of them was Zaid Ibn Haritha who was known as 'dark skinned and snub nosed', he was also known as a commander in the army after his freedom, and closer to the Prophet than most companions.
It is said that if Zaid had not been killed in battle he would have been Caliph or Ruler of the Islamic nation.
This shows that early Muslims were not prejudice towards black people, but that prejudice is a pre-islamic practice of ignorance.
Those Muslims who are prejudice towards skin color or race are considered ignorant, and at the bottom of knowledge.

So you are saying Louis Farakahm and the entire Nation of Islam are nut jobs and most definitely, "at the bottom of knowledge".

I must say that I agree.

[Malcolm]

The early generations of Muslims in the 7th century were known for their akhlaq (characters), and adhab (manners) this contributed to the fast spread of Islam in Palestine amongst the Christians there, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.

The Muslims were at war with both the fading Byzantine Romans and Persians for Iran. One would think that if the goal was to conquer and enslave the Muslims would have gone south into Yemen and into the Eastern coasts of Africa.

But Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said "do not fight the Abysinnians (Ethiopians) unless they take an offensive", the Muslims were also in debt to the Ethiopians for providing shelter to them against the tyranny of the pre islamic arab chiefs.

[Malcolm]

Though Islam was growing in the Middle East, one major setback resulted from the Muslims fanning out Bilal the first muezzin found himself in Syria, and Ali the Prophet's (p) cousin in Iraq. The knowledge of Islam was in the hearts and minds of these early generations as book as we know it didn't exist.

So Muslims began to argue about subjects, and schools of thought formed around the leading scholars such as Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Ahmed, Imam Ash Shafi. Though the Holy Qur'an would eventually be written in book form and agreed upon, the hadiths or sayings of the Prophet (p) were scattered in the four winds with the migrations of his companions.

[Malcolm]

With the deaths of these companions, corrupt leaders took charge of the early Muslim countries. Whereas before the scholars would rule, now the scholars were reduced to lesser roles in the muslim societies, and found themselves at odds with these rulers.

A classical example of this was Imam Malik in Arabia who was severely beaten in 764 by order of the Madinah amer (mayor) for making a ruling that forced divorce was invalid. The Abbassid rulers would make those who swore allegiance to them divorced if they broke that allegiance.

There is no evidence in Islam for this so Imam Malik went against it and paid for it by being beaten so severely that his lost some of the use of his arms and began praying with his hands at sides.

What this showed is that those who ruled were disconnected from those who had knowledge, and even within those who were learned they were debating matters because they didn't have access to hadiths as modern Muslims do.

[Malcolm]

As a result of this corruption many pre islamic acts began to creep back into the Muslim societies. Racism, alcohol, dancing girls in the courtyards etc.

Another problem occurred in the form of fabricated hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (p). Muslims will reject hadiths that cannot be verified to be from proper sources, here is an example of fabricated hadiths many of which are purely racist and used by opponents of Islam to slander Islam, but also a means by which ignorant muslims contribute to the problems in the Muslim community.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10846424/100-Fabric...

[Malcolm]

Slavery became a topic of debate, because the Holy Qur'an clearly encourages freeing of slaves, and the early Muslims did just that, but Islam never abolished slavery.

So the question is 'why wasn't slavery abolished?' It is more complex than most think, if a slave is one in one's custody, are our children slaves?

Think about the child, he eats what you feed him, does what you say, or face a consequence, must obey, must honor the parent until death, must serve the parent.

Is the child a slave? by that definition, yes

Some may say 'that is differant', it's not. Some say the parent is the captive of the child until a certain age serving the child's every need.'Well that's differant', when you wipe butts, and clean underwear you are a slave of the one to whom you are serving.

Prison; is a man in handcuffs bound to work gangs, and do as guards tell him not a slave?

'Well that's differant', how? take away all the differant names, and look at the substance of the human relationship, and what do you see?

The kind of slavery that most of us object to is where an adult or child is in custody of another for no just cause.

Race is not a cause for one man to be in the custody of another, religion is not a cause, but most societies maintain that it is justified for a criminal to be in the custody of the society.

What Islam does is that it states that those justified to be in custody have rights.

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.'(Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Belief, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 29)"

This form of slavery was unheard of in the Americas, such a form of slavery would have shown white men working in sugar cane plantations alongside their slaves, and would have negated a slave trade all together because the concept of exploitation is unlawful in Islam.

[Malcolm]

Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari reported: "When I was beating my servant, I heard a voice behind me (saying): Abu Mas'ud, bear in mind Allah has more dominance over you than you have upon him. I turned and (found him) to be Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). I said: Allah's Messenger, I set him free for the sake of Allah. Thereupon he said: Had you not done that,(the gates of) Hell would have opened for you, or the fire would have burnt you.(Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths (Kitab Al-Aiman), Book 015, Number 4088)"

This hadith shows that the Prophet discouraged the beating of a slave, and was satisfied with the freedom of the slave.

How can such a man be hated in the West, while George Washington be loved?

For any African American brother/sister if you had to choose between Prophet Muhammad (p) and former U.S President George Washington who would you prefer as governor?

Not as your Prophet, or spiritual guide, but as a governor?

If you can't decide because those were differant times, who would you prefer to govern the affairs of Black African slaves in the 18th century?

[jayrag]

whats up brother malcolm. as salaam alaykum.....
I will try to add my two cents into your thread.

I see you a Islamic history student. You are bringing up some very ancient Islamic knowledge.

I have recently became interested in SALAFI style islam which is focused on following the ways of the Prophet(pbuh) and the rightly guided Kalifas(successors).

http://www.salafimanhaj.com/index.php
here is a salafi web site I have been checking out.

[Malcolm]

jayrag wrote:

whats up brother malcolm. as salaam alaykum.....
I will try to add my two cents into your thread.
I see you a Islamic history student. You are bringing up some very ancient Islamic knowledge.
I have recently became interested in SALAFI style islam which is focused on following the ways of the Prophet(pbuh) and the rightly guided Kalifas(successors).
http://www.salafimanhaj.com/index.php
here is a salafi web site I have been checking out.

Wa alaikum as salaam, all muslims should definately refer to the first 3 generations for guidance whether they identify themselves as salafi or not.

If they refer to that community they will be on the methodology of the salaf, but we are obliged to go to the graves as muslims, because only Islam will be accepted on the Day of Judgement.

[Truth Hurts]

Malcolm wrote:

<quoted text>
Wa alaikum as salaam, all muslims should definately refer to the first 3 generations for guidance whether they identify themselves as salafi or not.
If they refer to that community they will be on the methodology of the salaf, but we are obliged to go to the graves as muslims, because only Islam will be accepted on the Day of Judgement.

So its you way or I burn in hell? No compulsion to be a Muslim huh?

[The Real Elias]

Truth Hurts wrote:

<quoted text>So its you way or I burn in hell? No compulsion to be a Muslim huh?

Actually all human beings will be judged on their deeds not whether they wear a beard and can speak Arabic.

White Americans and Saudis alike should be very concerned that they are facing judgement for their sins.

[coonilator]

Malcolm wrote:

<quoted text>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amend...
Except as a punishment for a crime, and the U.S has 22% of the world's prisoners, or as the U.S Constitution defines them 'slaves'.
And when a society practices mass incarceration as this one does, it is a form of human trafficking because those slaves are transported from their home districts to rural white areas these prisons act as attractions for businesses (mcdonalds, wendys', BK's, KFC's, post offices, hotels, motels), so jobs are provided to whites at the expense of blacks.

perhaps if those blacks actually obeyed the laws, they wouldn't all be in jail? and they aren't slaves, they even get paid, plus TV and free food. Also, hangin' with homies, having gay sex and lifting weights is what they do outside.

[donkey mo ham head]

The Real Elias wrote:

<quoted text>
Actually all human beings will be judged on their deeds not whether they wear a beard and can speak Arabic.
White Americans and Saudis alike should be very concerned that they are facing judgement for their sins.

well, that's habdy for all the women, as not all of them have beards. But of course, islam does not acknowledge women to have souls.