Islam and Slavery — Page 36
' 36 with them even the relations between two real brothers of the present times fade into insignificance. When I look, on the one hand, at a Negro slave of America of today (let me call him Tom for the sake of convenience) and at. Bilal, the Negro slave of Arabia of 1,350 years ago, I see a wonderful contrast. Although both are Negroes and both are freed slaves, yet there is a world of difference between the two. For instance it is related that once when Bilal went to see Omar (the second Caliph of Islam who ruled over a vast territory), Omar at once called him in, in preference to the great men and nobles of Arabia who happened to be waiting outside for an interview; and it was only when Bilal's interview was over that they were given an audience. At an-other time when mention was made of Bilal in the presence of Omar, the latter said, "Bilal is our lord and chief. " (1). But what is the plight of Tom, the emancipated slave of America? The world knows that he is segregated as a veritable out-caste, made to occupy the meanest seat at social meetings and subjected to all sorts of insults and humiliations which he has silently and patiently to bear. . Why this difference ?. The reason certainly lies in the fact that the method followed by Islam for the emancipation of slaves was the way to real reform, hence it resulted in true freedom, but the method followed by the western reformers was defective and their procedure was wrong, hence though the slaves under them did indeed attain to a nominal freedom, yet the (1) Isaba, and Usud Al-Ghaba under Bilal, Abu Sufian and Suhail bin Amr. 1