The Heart's Witness Against Muhammad: Propheting from Slavery

By Andrew M. Greenwell, Esq.
11/20/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Not only is chattel slavery part of Islam, chattel slavery is part of Muhammad.

In light of the natural law's condemnation of chattel slavery, and Muhammad's participation in chattel slavery, we can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Muhammad was neither God's messenger, nor the seal of the prophets. He was but a man, his head perhaps in the clouds, but with feet of clay.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - "Slavery is part of jihad." These are not the words of some Islamophobe, but the words of Shaykh Saleh Al-Fawzan, a member in very good standing of the Senior Council of Clerics in Saudi Arabia. And Al-Fawzan knows his Islam. Not only is chattel slavery part of Islam, chattel slavery is part of Muhammad.

In Islam, Muhammad--held to be al-insan al-kamir, the perfect model of a human being--is someone whose life ought to be imitated. To criticize any aspect of Muhammad's life is blasphemous under Islam's law, the Shari'a. And yet it is an indisputable fact that Muhammad, after acquiring power and money in Medina, owned slaves, captured slaves, accepted slaves as gifts, traded slaves, enjoyed the fruits of slave labor, and had sex with his female slaves.

From the many instances that could be cited, one might observe that he had a wooden bench or pulpit made by a slave. Sahih Bukhari 1.8.439. He had a slave he nicknamed "ship" because he could carry such a load. He had slaves as household servants. Sahih Bukhari 3.43.648. He had a slave that was his tailor. Sahih Bukhari 7.65.345. He had one slave named Anjashah which drove his camels. Sahih Bukhari 8.73.221. He personally took slaves captive, and gave them away as gifts. Sahih Bukhari 1.8.367 and 4.53.373. He bought and sold slaves. Sahih Muslim 10.3901. Many other examples could be cited, but these suffice for our purposes.

Apologists for Muhammad insist that the founder of Islam was a humanitarian reformer: they point that on occasion he manumitted slaves, that he prohibited the earnings of slave girls through prostitution, and such other events. But lest we get too pious about Muhammad, we ought to mention that Muhammad also instructed his followers they ought not to lash their wives as they would their slaves, suggesting that slave lashing is something that his followers may do (as well as wife lashing, but only less severely). Sahih Bukhari 6.60.466.

Muhammad also advised that coitus interruptus with a female slave was acceptable (even if she was married before capture, as her capture nullified the marriage to a nonbeliever, and made her property of the Muslim who acquired her). By approving a Muslim's coitus interruptus ('azl) with a slave, of course, Muhammad necessarily approved of a Muslim's coitus with his slave. Sahih Muslim, 8.3383.

Unquestionably, Muhammad had his hands deep in slavery. His hands are stained crimson with the unfortunate human who suffered from his law of capture. Now, by his treatment of men and women as if they were possessions, Muhammad showed that he is not the khair ul-bashar, the "best of all mankind." Not by a long shot.

It is true, many of our National heroes are no different than Muhammad. Washington owned slaves, and Jefferson owned them and, it is alleged, slept with one and fathered a child. Historically, the West's hands are mired in slavery, and the institution was part of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. It took hundreds of years to confront it, erase it, only to see it come back again, and removed again. It is a historical blight on the history of our nation which was only overcome with much blood.

It is also true that some of the Jewish patriarchs owned slaves. Even the Christian Scriptures make mention of the institution without its express condemnation, though certainly not with any approval. Only implicitly in the mustard seed of the Gospel may be found the seminal source for the understanding that chattel slavery is against the natural moral law.

But none of those slave-owning men in our history are al-insan al-kamir. None of them have been perfect, or claimed perfection. All are sinners. Most have had feet of clay. None of them have disciples that claim their heroes perfect, the "best of all mankind," khair ul-bashar: none of them unable to be criticized; none of them must be slavishly followed (excuse the pun).

There is one man that Christians slavishly follow, Jesus. And Jesus owned no slaves. And the Gospel that he preached contained an implicit rejection of the underlying assumptions that justify slavery. Jesus undermined slavery's foundations. As an institution, slavery is inconsistent with St. Paul's credo in his letter to the Galatians: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you all are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).

The Gospel's teaching was social salt indeed. And through the tutorship of the Gospel, we--all humanity, Christian or no--have learned much ...

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

Judy claar
6 months ago
Andrew M. Greenwell: Nothing says it like the Truth. And the sources of Truth you supplied. Thank you once again.
Peace and Blessings Be Upon You...
Andrew M. Greenwell
6 months ago
@Mahmoud: While I understand and sympathize with your desire to defend Muhammad, I do not think that your position is tenable. While Muhammad did capture persons and hold them for ransom, he also captured persons and held them as slaves (as did his followers). Muhammad captured, owned, and relied upon slave labor. While he manumitted some, and ransomed others, he did not manumit or ransom all his slaves.

In his book, Zad al-Ma'ad (Provisions for the Hereafter), the famous Sunni jurist Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (also known as Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr) (1292-1350 A.D.), identified Muhammad's male slaves:

Yakan Abu Sharh, Aflah, 'Ubayd, Dhakwan, Tahman, Mirwan, Hunayn, Sanad, Fadala Yamamin, Anjasha al-Hadi, Mad'am, Karkara, Abu Rafi', Thawban, Ab Kabsha, Salih, Rabah, Yara Nubyan, Fadila, Waqid, Mabur, Abu Waqid, Kasam, Abu 'Ayb, Abu Muwayhiba, Zayd Ibn Haritha, and also a black slave called Mahran, who was re-named (by Muhammad) Safina ('ship').

The same source identifies Muhammad's women slaves, two of them we know, from other sources, were his concubines (Rayhana and Mary the Copt):

Salma Um Rafi', Maymuna daughter of Abu Asib, Maymuna daughter of Sa'd, Khadra, Radwa, Razina, Um Damira, Rayhana, Mary the Coptic, in addition to two other maid-slaves, one of them given to him as a present by his cousin, Zaynab, and the other one captured in a war.

God bless you,
Andrew.
Mahmood Ahmad
6 months ago
Dear Andrew

'Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged… Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly only because they said, ‘Our Lord is God’ — And if God did not repel some men by means of others, there would surely have been pulled down temples and churches and synagogues and mosques... (22:40-41).
The Holy Qur'an.'
This is the type of warfare that Muhammad peace be upon him engaged in- for religious freedom. He did not take slaves but prisoners of war who would be released once ransom had been paid.
Andrew M Greenwell
6 months ago
@Mahmood: The "cause of Allah" which the alms in part support, is for jihad, which means more slaves for the muhajidun, the warriors. Muhammad attached great importance to alms-giving for the purpose of war.
Mahmood Ahmad
6 months ago
'The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and for those employed in connection therewith, and for those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and for the freeing of slaves, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer — an ordinance from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.' (Surah Al Tauba Verse 9. The Holy Quran). This is a verse of the Holy Qur'an which establishes a goal of Islam and the money that is collected to free slaves.' Did Jesus according to the bible ever establish a goal for Christianity to free slaves.
Greg
6 months ago
Dear Mahmood Ahmad - he does not say that Muhammad did not free any slaves. Please, read the article. You are not an animal to react with emotions taking away your reasoning. You are a human being. A creation of God, and God makes everything good including you. He gave you reason, so please use it. I know - emotions are running high. We are all sinners and these things are controlling us instead of us controlling body. Please try!

BTW. The whole point is that being good does not mean being good to people who are good to us or who do what we want them to do. That everyone can do. Being good is being good to anyone, and that is NOT a human but Divine attribute. We can be good only when we open our hearts and let God bless others through us. In the past there were only two examples of such. Jesus Christ, and His mother Mary. Blessings to you!
Mahmood Ahmad
6 months ago
Muhammad peace be upon
him freed all of the slaves that his wife gave him when he got married. He adopted a slave as a son. This was even before he claimed to be a prophet. This article is untrue and anyone who knows about Muhammad peace he upon him knows its untruth.
Jorge
6 months ago
One os the most important, objective, honest and decisive analysis of islam, muhammad and allah, the unholy trinity of Pure Evil! Kudos for this brilliant piece of work!
pinto
6 months ago
very informative

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