Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 280
280 It is thus the duty of the State to see that a la- bourer is paid his full wages. There exists considerable misunderstanding about the teachings of Islam concerning slavery. Islam does not permit slavery in the sense in which other religions permit it. According to Islam it is permitted to take slaves from a people, only when, first, the latter make war for the purpose of forcibly converting people to their own faith, secondly, those persons who are made slaves actually participate in such a cruel and inhuman war, and thirdly, the persons who are made slaves fail to pay their share of the war indemnity to the people against whom they had fought to force them to renounce their faith. In the absence of these three conditions Islam emphatically prohibit the making of slaves, which it treats as a great sin. It can easily be appreciated that if a man joins others in drawing his sword to force people to renounce their faith, knowing that the latter not only put their faith above all worldly things and considerations but also look upon it as the sole means of limitless progress in this as well as in the next world, and if, when such a man is captured, he or his people fail to pay their share of the war indemnity, he certainly de- serves to be deprived of his freedom. As a matter of fact Islam regards all those persons, who wish to propagate their religion at the point of the sword and, relying on their power, interfere with the faith of others, as outside the pale of humanity; and regards them as a danger for mankind. That is why it lays down that until such a person shows signs of real repentance and shows sincere readiness to live peacefully with his neighbours he