Page 128 - Seekers Guide Book

Islam and the Quran
God. One of them is a man who takes into
slavery a free person.’ (Sunan ibn Majah,
hadith no. 970)

There was great wisdom in not instantaneously abolishing
slavery. Islam made the removal of slavery from society
a gradual process, so that on the one hand, the society
could be made free of this practice and on the other hand,
in the process, the poor and would not suffer.

Let me cite an example to put this into perspective. I
once met an activist in Delhi who told me how he had
freed some youth and allowed them to be set free. He
was accompanied by one such youth who later told me
that while they had become free, there was nothing for
them to earn their livelihood from. It was this social
atmosphere that made slavery thrive.

When the world changed, people got employment and
there was no reason for slavery to continue.

The Quran and Islam have always advocated for the
freeing of slaves. This is evident from the verses below:

What will explain to you what the ascent
is? It is the freeing of a slave; or the feeding
in times of famine of an orphaned relative
or some needy person in distress, and to
be one of those who believe and urge one
another to steadfastness and compassion.
(Quran 90:12-17)

Quran has stated the freeing of slaves as one of the
definitions of charity:

127