Muslims: explain the whole slave thing?

[Russ]

Assalamu'alaikum'waramatulah.

I was going to a masjid daily and learning Islam for awhile there to really understand it. I wanted to know the truth without the media, ppl, and social media influencing my thoughts. How can i say i know christianity is without a doubt my truth if i dont understand Islam and other religions well? After awhile I just found so many things I didn't like about Islam, but that's just my opinion and no disrespect whatsoever. I actually think Muslims are the most dedicated to their faith then any other religion is. With all that being said, I heard Muhammad ( salallahu alayhi'wassalam ) had slaves. I really have a problem with slavery. I'm an American and I thought what my countrymen did 150 years ago with slavery was 150% wrong. I hate the fact that we had slaves back then and when I hear Muhammad (pbuh) had slaves it really creeps me out. Explain the whole slave process please. Please don't church it up to make it sound better then it is. I want what is actually written about it.
Naw kham I have every right to question what Muhammad did. The Quran does state that every man is equal, doesn't it? That means I'm equal to Muhammad and Jesus as God sees fit. None are better than me or you. Second I have right to question it because if Allah wants me to follow his path, Allah better make it a righteous religion or me and Countless others won't follow the religion.

[TANGENTINE]

You know I don't exactly know except that I learned in a class I took that he also freed his slaves. The best example I can use right now is Jesus. He also tried to change peoples minds about bad things but he did it slowly and didnt just bring down the hammer on them. The way of changing things for crooks is quickly by using deception and play on peoples petty desires to change them. It usually doesnt last and the people eventually figure out they were duped. Thats why people are always saying salesman in a bad connotation but theyre always falling for them. These tactics are used to change people's minds now or in days.

The way of God is to change peoples minds through persuasion and gently over many years. Thats called suffering and patience for the sake of good. When force is used it is when the time for patience about that issue has been ended and the people who rejected the change are forced to pay the price for ignoring truth. Then force is allowed or change comes in some powerful form. So I get why he used force in some matters but when it came to things like slavery he did it gently.

You can also look at why does God just not end slavery? Depending on the priority of the issue or who would get harmed these things are executed as God deems fit.

[Naw Kham]

Slavery is 100% soonnah in isslaam and are moosleems are expected to capture slaves as a war booty.

Capturing and keeping slaves is part of 1400 year glorious isslaamic civilization. You do not have a right to question or judge what pbuh did because everything that pbuh did is soonnah and all moosleems are expected to follow everything that mohammed did.

[use common sense]

Slaves were useful to Mohammad...to rape, to use for work, to sell. He also tempted his lecherous men to kill and die for him by allowing them to rape women they captured and slaves. It kept the whole religion going.

Mohammad made everything up to suit his agenda. Don't look for any wisdom in the Quran, most of it is plagiarized from the Bible and other older myths, while Mo added pedophilia, polygamy and other gruesome things he liked.

[Ali Saydi]

wa alaikum salam wa rahmatullah.. You can and please study this:

http://www.al-islam.org/slavery-from-isl...htar-rizvi

[LoveAllahalways]

Wa alaiykum salam wa rahmatuallahi wa barakatu

Let us look at Noble Verse 2:177 "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing."

Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: "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)." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Food, Meals, Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286)"

Useful website link is given below. Do click on it and check it out for yourself.


NOTE :

"After awhile I just found so many things I didn't like about Islam, but that's just my opinion."

You seem honest and humble. Very good. But if you dislike many things about Islam, then you will also may dislike everything about everything, isn't that true?

The fact IS, the main message is understood, that la ilaha ill Allah wa Muhammadan Rasoolulah!
Allah s.w.t enjoins the believers to do good and to forbid the wrong. We do not know better than the Creator.

But like I said, you seem already humble and that is good but focus on understanding the most important message of it all and understanding Islam because you will get confused everytime and it won't be good.

[Darya]

according to history you can find anything your tendency desires.a muhammedian finds everything about muhammed right and positive. and the one against muhammed finds everything about him negative. therefor history is not something reliable because of different types of historians. for understanding this issue we should pay attention directly to the verses of quran. there are so many verses for some major sins to be forgiven, you should make free the slave e.g. 4:92 , 5:89 .besides the verse of 90:13 is consisted of two words <to release the slave>. the book is speaking of releasing the slaves around 1400 years ago while the human being has put aside it just recently. even in some regions the slavery isn`t revoked yet.

[887]

First of all, get your head out of american slavery. I'm american too, born here...learned what you learned. Slavery through most of history, across the world wasn't racist....was as "brutal" as we were taught....etc.
Did you see Amistad? IT was big when i was growing up, based on a true story...a little innaccurate, but basically africans were captured to be sold as slaves...they mutinied....were in prison in america...argued they weren't slaves, so they couldn't be sold as slaves, and what they did was in defense.....they won the case and were set free.
.
Pre columbus native americans had slaves...for instance. Every culture in the world did...it was primarily due to prisons of war...some cases, debtors.
So prisoners of war....what do you do?
Kill them?...they did surrender...saved you the hassle of them fighting to the death.
Set them free.....welll they did just try to kill you, your friends, your family....that doesn't sound fair...also they could regroup and attack again.
Imprison them?...so not only feed, clothe, shelter... your own family, but this guy that just tried to kill everyone you know???
Slavery was the default. Its what made sense. Most of history, all nations...race was never an issue.
Back to america, african slaves brought to america and sold into slavery, were prisoners of war in african conflicts....black africans sold them to the europeans.....

Islam set rules about how to deal with it.
You had to treat them well, cruelty was forbidden.
If they want freedom, you have to come to an arrangement....so lets say you bought them for $500...lets say they work $5 / day, but costs $3 / day (food, clothes)....so that's $2 / day net. You could say..alright, well 1 year i'll let you go free...just an example...i know that comes out to more than $500...but yeah

Now, freeing slaves were highly encouraged, it was a great blessing to do so. Its one of the applicable things you can donate zakat towards. It was required as compensation in certain situations. Muhammad and his companions went out of their way to purchase and free slaves....

Restrictions were set, like you couldn't castrate a slave, which was a common practice. Some people bought slaves and whored them out....forbidden.

Slaves were given a lot of rights...could marry or divorce....get educated.....they could take their master to court....If a master beat his slave for instance, he was ordered to set him free.

Islam deals with the real world and slavery was everywhere. Like a murderer is sentenced to death, but the family of the victim can opt to forgive him instead. Its recommended to forgive, but a violent crime was committed and legal response was created. Theft is the same...large items (not some teen stealing dvds from walmart)...can result in your hand being amputated, but the victim can forgive.
Slavery is the same. SO it didn't flat out abolish it, but changed its nature. The recommendation is the free them, but there is the reality.

Sorta done, but also have to consider the economic impact. Society was based on slavery....what happened to the south when slavery was suddenly abolished???? Their economy collapsed and parts of it still never recovered. A phased out approach would've worked better. Give people ten years to set their slaves free.

[Joaquim Zorro]

Slavery in Islam was never that slavery we know here in the West, if you impoverished and black, you are a slave. Even in today's modern terms, that happens to blacks generally.

In Islam slaves could buy away their slavery and become free, and Abu Bakr was the laughing stock of the Arabs when he went out and bought slaves and freed them if he heard that they accepted Islam, and one of the illustrious companions, Salman Al Farsi (you should read up his history it's fascinating) was one of them too. During Islam you were not born into slavery, if you could not pay your way, you had to slave your way out of that debt. It had no gender, colour or ethnic barriers; whether you Arab, Yemeni, Indian or European, if you could not pay your debts, jails were for murderers and such, you work your debts away and carry on working until you've enough money to move on.

One such slave that Abu Bakr bought and then freed, was a European woman called Ghoula and Abu Bakr's father called him one side and told him:"My son you making a laughing stock of our family, for once buy a slave that will be an asset for you and whom you can make money on"

It's just a pity that these historical facts by Ibn Kathir are written in Arabic only and many of the learned people are too busy "defending Islam" with the red herrings that are thrown out there by every Tom. Dick and Obama.

[244]

I don't really know the whole story.

But I do know prophet muhammed did free slaves.

Even if you do have slaves and servants, first of all you cant call them that and you are not allowed to treat them unfairly and horribly.

Lets say you earn loads of money, wont u hire a cleaner to come in and clean your home, u can afford it right? as well as guards, gardeners, nannies for your kids, a driver etc.

You need to make sure you give all of them fair pay, that they have breaks and lunch, that you treat them like family, that you do not call them names, make the work so much and so hard.

Slaves don't get paid and are treated cruelly but Prophet Muhammed did not treat any cleaners/cooks he had like this and nor are u allowed to treat them like this too.

Anyone who has staff at there home like cleaners, drivers, gardeners, nannies etc they need to make sure they treat them right and if you don't u will go hell. You are not allowed to treat anyone cruelly in islam like the way the americans did to the africans 100yrs ago or however long it was.