This chapter focuses on the existence and association of slavery with one of the five major religions that is known as Islam. This chapter will include definitions of key Arabic terms related to Islam, the law, and slavery. It will not only define terms, but it will also discuss terms, historical events, and the development of Islam and slavery, which is known as the eastern slave trade. It will also explore and briefly introduce its precedent, which was Biblical slavery. Moreover, this chapter will discuss various developments when it comes to Islam and slavery worldwide with a specific emphasis on Africa.
TopIntroduction
فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
But he has not broken through the difficult pass.
And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?
It is the freeing of a slave.
– Sura 90:11-13, Sahih International Version
Islam began via a merchant named Muhammad1 and after - through profound persecution (Gelvin, 2008) from both Jews and Christians, his life was to change. Prophet Mohammed came to believe that al-Lah, which was the name for God or ‘the god” was the same God as the Jews and the Christians believed in and thus, he was praying to him (Armstrong, 1993). For years, the Jews and the Christians who were in contact with Arabs such as Muhammad use to “taunt them [the Arabs] for being a barbarous people who had received no revelation from God” (Armstrong, 1993, p. 136). It was Prophet Mohammed2 who claimed to have received a vision from Allah via the angel Gabriel (Gelvin, 2008), and he was told to write (kitab) (Ashker, 2017; Caner & Caner, 2009; Gelvin, 2008; Lutzer & Miller, 2013; Pflander, 1986; Sahner, 2018; Shoemaker, 2021) and to recite (iqra) around the age of 40 (Gelvin, 2008).
The written work became known as the Quran (Ali, 2004; Ashker, 2017; Caner & Caner, 2009; Gelvin, 2008; Incognito Islamic Productions, 2019; Jabbour, 2006; Lutzer & Miller, 2013; Pflander, 1986; Sahner, 2018; Shoemaker, 2021) or the recitation (Armstrong, 1993), and it became the authoritative text for Muhammad’s newly found religion (Armstrong, 1993; Gelvin, 2008; Pflander, 1986; Shoemaker, 2021), which was established during the 14th century (Armstrong, 1993; Glang, 1971). This text is the foundation for sharia or the law for Islam (Armstrong, 1993; Jabbour, 2006). From this text, Muslims emphasize a belief in a God who is only one (Jabbour, 2006; Glang, 1971), and who cannot be divided into three persons or one-third of a person (Sura 4:171). Sura 64:3 states the following: “O people of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords of patrons other than God” (Glang, 1971, p. 13), which would appear to be an affront to Christian believers.