Islam and Slavery — Page 24
HOW THE MUSLIMS ACTED ON THE PROPHET'S. TEACHINGS ABOUT THE EMANCIPATION OF. SLAVES?. THE question now arises how the slaves were actually emancipated as a result of the commendatory and compulsory teachings about slavery and the system of Mukatabat introduced by Islam for their emancipation. . The answer to this question is that, as already stated, slaves were to be found in very large numbers in those days, so much so that, they sometimes outnumbered even the free inhabitants of a country (1) and it was no easy task to exhaust this endless stock. Moreover, they were not confined to the limited territory under the Muslims, nor were they to be found only under Muslim masters. It was, therefore, inevitable that the movement should have made but slow progress. Yet, history conclusively proves that the companions of the Holy Prophet and their successors devoted themselves whole-heartedly to the accomplishment of this noble task, and spared no pains not only to set free the slaves in their own possession but also to secure the freedom of those owned by others. In fact, in this respect they set an example which stands unrivalled in the history of the world. It is on record that besides liberating in very large numbers the slaves of whom they themselvse were the masters, they purchased slaves from others with the pious intention that they might set them free after (1) Encyclopaedia Britannica, under Slavery.