Islam and Slavery — Page 58
58 kind treatment that they willingly joined the fold of. Islam. (1) In short, even this so-called “slavery” which. Islam permitted offered such a spectacle of kindness and benevolent treatment, that even the blessings of the socalled liberty and freedom of the present day fade into insignificance when compared with it. . Yet, as the system practised was merely a retributive step, it must be regarded only as a special measure meant to meet the conditions then existing. In the present times, therefore, when those conditions have ceased to exist, and the old system has been replaced by that of State prisons, and the enemies of Islam do not make slaves of the. Muslims, the permission for the retributive measure no longer holds good. The law of Islam does not permit that the prisoners of war should, even under the altered conditions of the present age, be distributed among Muslim individuals, thus bringing into existence a state of things analogous to slavery. In connection with this, the Holy founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, who claimed to be a messenger of God raised for the regeneration of mankind and who was the greatest authority on Islam in these days, says :"It is a matter for gratification that in the present times non-Muslim nations have abandoned the aggressive practice of making slaves of Muslim captives, therefore, now the. Muslims are also not allowed to enslave their prisoners, for, the Holy Quran says that the punishment inflicted on the enemy should be proportionate to the wrong the enemy (1) Muir, Prisoners taken at Badr.