Why Did Slavery Continue to Remain in Islāmic Countries? — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 2
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Why Did Slavery Continue to Remain in Islāmic Countries?.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: V – Conduct of the Holy Prophet (sa) with Slaves and His Teachings on the Issue of Slavery
Pages: Book pp. 211–212 (PDF pp. 235–236)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Why Were All Slaves Not Freed at Once?] | Next: [A Final Testament of the Holy Prophet (sa) Regarding Slaves] »
Historical Account
At this point, the question has also been raised that if the actual intent of the Islāmic teaching was that slaves should be gradually freed, why then did the practice of slavery continue to remain in Islāmic countries up until the current era? The answer to this is that on the one hand, until the Islāmic State continued to progress and the sphere of its influence continued to expand; and the Muslims also continued to understand the true essence of the Islāmic teachings and adhere to them, the liberation movement of slaves continued to move forward very rapidly. Millions of slaves were delivered from the misfortune of slavery by the efforts of Muslims. However, as mentioned above, during that era, there was a countless and limitless number of slaves throughout the world. There was no civilized country in the world where slaves did not exist in great abundance. Hence, prior to the depletion of this inexhaustible store, on the one hand the progression of Islāmic conquests gradually weakened, and ultimately came to a halt completely. On the other hand, due to a distance from the prophetic era, that light of prophethood, which was the cause of all this bloom and blossom, began to fade in the hearts of the Muslims. That vigorous passion of understanding the true Islāmic doctrine and adherence to it, with which the Companions stood up, and which was given to future generations by the Companions as inheritance, gradually began to vanish from the hearts of the Muslims. As a matter of fact, during this Dark Age, such people were born who, due to their ignorance or materialism, distorted religion and disfigured it completely. The result of this was that in the likeness of other nations, who still practiced a very repulsive form of slavery, Muslims also abandoned the Islāmic teachings and traditions and resorted to that very cruel form of slavery, which Islām actually stood to uproot. However, even in the era of this crooked mindset and unbecoming conduct, as a whole, the state of slaves in Islāmic countries remained comparatively better than in other countries. Moreover, at the outset, even though Muslims kept slaves, they were never supporters of the actual spirit behind slavery. Contrary to this, in the Christian country of Abyssinia, such a horrific form of slavery exists even today that upon witnessing it, mankind is put to shame. Even today, death has not come upon the spirit of slavery in the cultured and civilized Christian countries of Europe and America. Nonetheless, the miserable state of a neighbouring nation cannot wash away the blemish of our own deterioration. There is an immediate and dire need for
Islāmic governments and Islāmic societies to engage in abolishing this cruel practice of slavery, with full concentration and effort. They must once again, bring the world back to that blessed nucleus, which the Holy Prophetsa and his Companions wished to gather it in, and the purpose of which was to eradicate slavery and its spirit from the world; and thus, establish true freedom and true equality.
A Final Testament of the Holy Prophetsa Regarding Slaves
I end this discussion with those immensely beautiful words, which were the last words uttered by the Holy Founder of Islām in a world of materialism. Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī bin Abī Ṭālibra and Anas bin Mālikra relate:
ُکَانَ عَامَّةُ وَصِ یَّةِ رَسُ وْلِ اللّٰهِ صَ لَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَیْهِ وَسَ لَّمَ حِ یْنَ حَ ضَ رَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ وَھُوَ یُغَرْغِر
بِنَفْسِ هٖ الصَّ لوٰةَ وَمَا مَلَكَ تْ اَیْمَانُكُ مْ
Meaning, “The last words which were heard upon the blessed tongue of the Holy Prophetsa in a state when death was about to overtake him were
ْ , اَلصَّ لوٰةُ وَمَ ا مَ لَكَ تْ اَیْمَ انُكُ مmeaning, ‘O ye Muslims! My last testament to you is that you must never forget my teaching relevant to the obligatory prayers and slaves.’”
[Sunanu Ibni Mājah, Kitābul-Waṣāyā, Bābu Hal Auṣā Rasūlullāhsa, Ḥadīth No. 2697 * Al-Jāmi‘uṣ-Ṣaghīru Fī Aḥādīthil-Bashīrin-Nadhīr, By Al-Imām Jalāluddīn bin Abī Bakr As-Suyūṭī, Volume 1-2, p. 319, Ḥadīth No. 5172, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2004)]
At the time when the Holy Prophetsa uttered these words, his wives who stood by his side in every difficulty and hardship as his life partners were also present. His beloved daughter and her children, as well as other friends and relatives of the Holy Prophetsa were also before him. The loyal Muhājirīn, in whose sincere companionship the life of the Holy Prophetsa had passed were present as well. The devoted Anṣār, who irrigated the plant of Islām by the water of their blood were also nearby. Moreover, this was a time when the Holy Prophetsa would not have had any further opportunity to advise anyone else. The Holy Prophetsa also knew and felt that an admonition made at such a time would outweigh all other exhortations. Yet, the eyes of the Holy Prophetsa did not settle upon any one of the people mentioned just now. If there was a single person in the world who the Holy Prophetsa remembered and this
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Section: V – Conduct of the Holy Prophet (sa) with Slaves and His Teachings on the Issue of Slavery | Navigation: « Previous: [Why Were All Slaves Not Freed at Once?] | Next: [A Final Testament of the Holy Prophet (sa) Regarding Slaves] »