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=="Ma malakat aymanukum" in the Qur'an==
=="Ma malakat aymanukum" in the Qur'an==
For the main points about "those whom one's rights possess" (ie slaves) in the Qur'an, see [[Islamic views on slavery]].
{{see also|Islamic views on slavery}}

Slaves are mentioned in at least twenty-nine verses of the Qur'an, most of these are Medinan and refer to the [[legal status]] of slaves. The legal material on slavery in the Qur'an is largely restricted to manumission and [[Human sexual behavior|sexual relations]].<ref name="Brockopp">[[Encyclopedia of the Qur'an]], ''Slaves and Slavery''</ref> According to Sikainga, the Qur'anic references to slavery as mainly contain "broad and general propositions of an ethical nature rather than specific legal formulations."<ref>Sikainga (2005), p.5-6</ref>

The Quran accepts the distinction between slave and free as part of the natural order and uses this distinction as an example of God's grace,<ref>{{Quran-usc|16|71}}</ref> regarding this discrimination between human beings as in accordance with the divinely established order of things.<ref name="Brockopp"/><ref>EoI</ref> "The Qur'an, however, does not consider slaves to be mere chattel; their humanity is directly addressed in references to their beliefs,<ref name=q2221425>({{Quran-usc|2|221}}, {{Quran-usc|4|25}})</ref> their desire for manumission and their feelings about being forced into prostitution.<ref>({{Quran-usc|24|33}})</ref> In one case, the Qur'an refers to master and slave with the same word, ''rajul''. Later interpreters presume slaves to be spiritual equals of free Muslims. For example,<ref>{{Quran-usc|4|25}}</ref> urges believers to marry 'believing maids that your right hands own' and then states: "The one of you is as the other," which the Jalaalayn interpret as "You and they are equal in faith, so do not refrain from marrying them." The human aspect of slaves is further reinforced by reference to them as members of the private household, sometimes along with wives or children.<ref name="Brockopp"/> Pious exhortations from [[Ulema|jurists]] to free men to address their slaves by such euphemistic terms as "my boy" and "my girl" stemmed from the belief that God, not their masters, was responsible for the slave's status.<ref>Marmon in Marmon (1999), page 2</ref> The historian Bruschvig states that from a spiritual perspective, "the slave has the same value as the free man, and the same eternity is in store for his soul; in this earthly life, failing emancipation, there remains the fact of his inferior status, to which he must piously resign himself."<ref name="eois">Brunschvig. 'Abd; ''[[Encyclopedia of Islam]]''</ref>

There are many common features between the institution of slavery in the Quran and that of neighboring cultures. However, the Quranic institution had some unique new features.<ref name="Brockopp"/> [[Bernard Lewis]] states that the Qur'anic legislation brought two major changes to ancient slavery which were to have far-reaching effects: presumption of freedom, and the ban on the enslavement of free persons except in strictly defined circumstances.<ref name="L1">Lewis 1990, page 6.</ref> According to Brockopp, the idea of using alms for the manumission of slaves appears to be unique to the Quran, assuming the traditional interpretation of verses {{Quran-usc|2|177}} and {{Quran-usc|9|60}}. Similarly, the practice of freeing slaves in atonement for certain sins appears to be introduced by the Quran (but compare Exod 21:26-7).<ref name="Brockopp"/> The forced prostitution of female slaves, a Near Eastern custom of great antiquity, is condemned in the Quran.<ref name="Esposito" /><ref>{{Quran-usc|24|33}}</ref> Murray Gordon notes that this ban is "of no small significance."<ref>Gordon 1989, page 37.</ref> Brockopp writes: "Other cultures limit a master's right to harm a slave but few exhort masters to treat their slaves kindly, and the placement of slaves in the same category as other weak members of society who deserve protection is unknown outside the Qur'an. The unique contribution of the Qur'an, then, is to be found in its emphasis on the place of slaves in society and society's responsibility toward the slave, perhaps the most progressive legislation on slavery in its time."<ref name="Brockopp">[[Encyclopedia of the Qur'an]], ''Slaves and Slavery''</ref>


== List of Slaves amongst Muhammad's Companions ==
== List of Slaves amongst Muhammad's Companions ==

Revision as of 18:07, 27 September 2013

This is a sub-article to Islamic military jurisprudence and Prisoner of war

Template:Fiqh-Mil Ma malakat aymanukum ("what your rights possess", ما ملكت أيمانکم) is a reference in the Qur'an to slaves.

Overview

The term itself is normally considered to refer to prisoners of war, or more broadly to slaves in general, according to the classic tafsirs. Bernard Lewis proposes the translation "those whom you own,"[1]

A common misconception is to translate yameen as "right hand", the correct translation would be just "right". While right hand would be "yad alyumna", يد اليمنى.

The general term ma malakat aymanukum (literally "what your rights possess") appears fourteen times in the Qur'an, in the following Arabic variations:

Arabic Literal translation
ما ملكت أيمانكم what your (masculine plural) rights possess *
ما ملكت أيمانهم what their (masculine plural) rights possess *
ما ملكت أيمانهن what their (feminine plural) rights possess
ما ملكت يمينك what your rights possess
الذين ملكت أيمانكم Those whom your (masculine plural) rights possess *
  • Note: Masculine plural may also refer to a group of males and females.

The Quranic verses 90:12-13 may be translated as below, though these verses do not use "what your rights possess", and the word used in the verse means "neck" and not a slave:

Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is? - It is the freeing of a slave.[2]

Although slavery was not outright condemned, Muslims[who?] argue that this is because slavery was a vital part of the world during the time of the revelation and it would be difficult for society to end it immediately[citation needed]. Muslims (apologetics) argue that God sought to incrementally push for the abolishment of slavery through personal humanitarian initiatives. For example, "The Prophet said, «Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom).»"[3] Also when an individual erred such as missing a day of fasting, they were to free a slave. Slavery was not encouraged, i.e. there was no command to take slaves. On the contrary, there were commands that freeing slaves is a righteous act. Therefore, this set the emancipation of slaves in motion. While this emancipation was occurring, the Qur'an and the Prophet established rights for slaves that were not previously enjoyed, as well as limiting the source of slaves to only prisoners of war.[4]

After the Muslims executed the male members of the Banu Qurayza tribe,[5] the women and children were taken as slaves, Muhammad himself took Rayhana as his slave.[6]

During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, the tribe of Tayy that lived to the North East of the city of Madina, engaged in banditry and highway robbery, and came in conflict with the Muslims of Madina, which led to battles in between them that led to Tayy's defeat, and the subsequent captivity of some of their tribes folk.

Abu Hamid al Ghazzali narrated in his Ihya Uloom ad deen that when the daughter of the Hatim at-Tayy was taken as a captive, she came to the Prophet Muhammad asking for her release, and not to be made a subject of humiliation amongst the various Arab quarters, as her father, Hatim at-Tayy, was a person who used to aid the needy, feed the hungry, spread greetings, free slaves, and never refused an assisting request; to which the Prophet Muhammad replied that these described qualities of her father are those of the believers, and if her father was a Muslim then indeed he would have asked for (Divine)mercy on him. He then asked his companions to release her stating that her father loved the noble-character, and God loves the noble-character.

Sexual relations with captives

Main article: Ma malakat aymanukum and sex

According to Muslim theologians, it is lawful for male masters to have sexual relations with female captives and slaves,[7][8] regardless of whether or not the slave woman gave her consent.[9] Al-Muminun 6 and Al-Maarij 30 both, in identical wording, draw a distinction between spouses and "those whom one's right hands possess", saying " أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ" (literally, "their spouses or what their right hands possess"), while clarifying that sexual intercourse with either is permissible. Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi explains that "two categories of women have been excluded from the general command of guarding the private parts: (a) wives, (b) women who are legally in one's possession".[10]

"Ma malakat aymanukum" in the Qur'an

See also: Islamic views on slavery

Slaves are mentioned in at least twenty-nine verses of the Qur'an, most of these are Medinan and refer to the legal status of slaves. The legal material on slavery in the Qur'an is largely restricted to manumission and sexual relations.[11] According to Sikainga, the Qur'anic references to slavery as mainly contain "broad and general propositions of an ethical nature rather than specific legal formulations."[12]

The Quran accepts the distinction between slave and free as part of the natural order and uses this distinction as an example of God's grace,[13] regarding this discrimination between human beings as in accordance with the divinely established order of things.[11][14] "The Qur'an, however, does not consider slaves to be mere chattel; their humanity is directly addressed in references to their beliefs,[15] their desire for manumission and their feelings about being forced into prostitution.[16] In one case, the Qur'an refers to master and slave with the same word, rajul. Later interpreters presume slaves to be spiritual equals of free Muslims. For example,[17] urges believers to marry 'believing maids that your right hands own' and then states: "The one of you is as the other," which the Jalaalayn interpret as "You and they are equal in faith, so do not refrain from marrying them." The human aspect of slaves is further reinforced by reference to them as members of the private household, sometimes along with wives or children.[11] Pious exhortations from jurists to free men to address their slaves by such euphemistic terms as "my boy" and "my girl" stemmed from the belief that God, not their masters, was responsible for the slave's status.[18] The historian Bruschvig states that from a spiritual perspective, "the slave has the same value as the free man, and the same eternity is in store for his soul; in this earthly life, failing emancipation, there remains the fact of his inferior status, to which he must piously resign himself."[19]

There are many common features between the institution of slavery in the Quran and that of neighboring cultures. However, the Quranic institution had some unique new features.[11] Bernard Lewis states that the Qur'anic legislation brought two major changes to ancient slavery which were to have far-reaching effects: presumption of freedom, and the ban on the enslavement of free persons except in strictly defined circumstances.[20] According to Brockopp, the idea of using alms for the manumission of slaves appears to be unique to the Quran, assuming the traditional interpretation of verses [Quran 2:177] and [Quran 9:60]. Similarly, the practice of freeing slaves in atonement for certain sins appears to be introduced by the Quran (but compare Exod 21:26-7).[11] The forced prostitution of female slaves, a Near Eastern custom of great antiquity, is condemned in the Quran.[21][22] Murray Gordon notes that this ban is "of no small significance."[23] Brockopp writes: "Other cultures limit a master's right to harm a slave but few exhort masters to treat their slaves kindly, and the placement of slaves in the same category as other weak members of society who deserve protection is unknown outside the Qur'an. The unique contribution of the Qur'an, then, is to be found in its emphasis on the place of slaves in society and society's responsibility toward the slave, perhaps the most progressive legislation on slavery in its time."[11]

List of Slaves amongst Muhammad's Companions

A list of people who were amongst Ma malakat aymanukum includes:

622 – 719 AD

See also

References

  1. ^ Bernard Lewis, Race and Slavery in the Middle East, page 146.
  2. ^ http://www.quran.com/90/12-16
  3. ^ Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Food, Meals, Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286
  4. ^ Slavery
  5. ^ Guillaume, Alfred. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah. pp. 461–464.
  6. ^ Rodinson, Maxine. Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. p. 213.
  7. ^ [1] Dr. Zakir Naik's views on sex with slave women
  8. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/slavery_1.shtml
  9. ^ http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/33597
  10. ^ Surah - Al - Muminoon
  11. ^ a b c d e f Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, Slaves and Slavery
  12. ^ Sikainga (2005), p.5-6
  13. ^ [Quran 16:71]
  14. ^ EoI
  15. ^ ([Quran 2:221], [Quran 4:25])
  16. ^ ([Quran 24:33])
  17. ^ [Quran 4:25]
  18. ^ Marmon in Marmon (1999), page 2
  19. ^ Brunschvig. 'Abd; Encyclopedia of Islam
  20. ^ Lewis 1990, page 6.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Esposito was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ [Quran 24:33]
  23. ^ Gordon 1989, page 37.

Traditional Sunni viewpoints

Traditional Shi'a viewpoints

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