Mauao Man

Myth 14: “Islam Abolished Slavery”

📉 The Reality: Islam Codified, Regulated, and Perpetuated Slavery — It Didn’t Abolish It

The claim that Islam abolished slavery is a modern apologetic fabrication. The truth is both historically and textually undeniable: Islam institutionalized slavery as a permanent fixture of society, sanctioned by the Qur’an, modeled by Muhammad, and preserved by Islamic law for over a millennium. Far from abolition, Islam formalized slavery into a legal and moral system.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 I. Muhammad: Slave Owner, Trader, and Master

Muslim sources explicitly record Muhammad owning, buying, selling, and gifting slaves — male and female.

Owned multiple slaves, including Zayd ibn Harithah (who became a freed man), Mariyah the Copt (his concubine), and others.
Captured slaves in raids (e.g., Banu Qurayza), distributed them as war booty, and even gave women slaves to companions.
Never condemned slavery or called for its abolition. Instead, he legitimized it through Qur’anic revelation.

Sahih Muslim 3901:

“A woman from the captives of Banu Qurayza was brought, and she became the property of Muhammad…”

This isn’t a fringe report — it’s core sīra and hadith literature.

📜 II. Qur’anic Sanction: Clear, Repeated, and Undeniable

The Qur’an does not abolish slavery — it regulates and normalizes it.

Sex Slavery:

Qur’an 4:24 – “...except those whom your right hands possess...”
Refers to female captives with whom sex is permitted without marriage.

Also see:

Qur’an 23:5–6
Qur’an 33:50
Qur’an 70:29–30

These verses institutionalize concubinage and strip consent from the equation. Apologists claim this was “humanely regulated,” but there’s no avoiding the fact: it’s authorized rape under modern standards.

General Slavery:

Qur’an 2:178, 4:92 – Mandate freeing a slave only as a form of expiation — not abolition.
Qur’an 24:33 – Allows slaves to buy their freedom if their masters consent.

Slavery is treated as an economic given, not an injustice.

⚖️ III. Sharia Law: A Full Legal Framework for Enslavement

Classical Islamic law defines detailed rulings for:

Types of slaves: war captives, born into slavery, purchased.
Sex with slaves: permitted, without consent or marriage.
Slave trade: legal and regulated.
Slave inheritance: slaves were part of a man’s property.
Freeing slaves: encouraged as charity or penance, but not required.

From the Reliance of the Traveller:

m3.13 – “When a child or woman is taken captive, they become slaves by the fact of capture...”

Slavery wasn’t an anomaly — it was built into the architecture of Islamic society.

🌍 IV. The Islamic World Sustained Slavery Long After the West Abolished It

While the West abolished slavery in the 18th–19th centuries through moral revolutions and legislative action, Islamic lands continued the practice well into the 20th century:

Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962 — under pressure from the West.
Mauritania abolished slavery on paper in 1981, criminalized it in 2007, but it’s still practiced today.
Trans-Saharan slave trade enslaved millions, especially African women, often for sexual exploitation.

Unlike the West, where abolition was often rooted in religious reform (e.g., Quakers, Christians), there was no internal Islamic abolition movement grounded in Islamic texts. Every push came from outside — colonizers, human rights groups, or secular reformers.

🧨 V. Apologetics vs. History: The Gaslighting Narrative

Modern Muslims often claim:

“Islam laid the groundwork for abolition by encouraging manumission.”

This is dishonest spin. Encouraging manumission isn’t abolition — it's moral window-dressing to keep the institution in place while making the master feel pious.

Ask the real questions:

Why didn’t Muhammad abolish slavery, as other prophets and reformers did?
Why didn’t the Qur’an declare all men and women equal in dignity and liberty?
Why did the Prophet of Islam own, sell, and rape slaves with divine approval?

If slavery were immoral, the Qur’an should have said so unambiguously. Instead, it endorses it 100%.

❌ Final Analysis: Islam Did Not Abolish Slavery — It Cemented It

Area	Reality in Islam
Sexual slavery	Explicitly permitted (Qur’an 4:24)
Chattel slavery	Fully legal under Sharia
Abolition	Never called for in Qur’an or Sunnah
Muhammad’s example	Owned, used, and distributed slaves
Historical duration	Practiced in Islamic world for 1,400 years

🚫 Conclusion: “Islam Abolished Slavery” Is Historical Fiction

If you claim divine revelation should elevate human dignity, then Islam’s record on slavery is a damning indictment, not a defense. The fact that Muhammad himself participated in slavery makes it impossible to claim Islam was a force for abolition.

Islam didn't just tolerate slavery — it normalized, regulated, rewarded, and preserved it. Any attempt to deny this is an exercise in historical whitewashing and moral evasion.

Slavery in Islam isn’t a bug. It’s a feature — built into the blueprint.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the Author

Mauao Man is a blog created by a New Zealand writer who believes in following the evidence wherever it leads. From history and religion to culture and society, Mauao Man takes a clear, critical, and honest approach — challenging ideas without attacking people. Whether exploring the history of Islam in New Zealand, the complexities of faith, or the contradictions in belief systems, this blog is about asking the hard questions and uncovering the truth.