The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 197
V - Conduct of the Holy Prophet sa with Slaves and His Teachings on the Issue of Slavery 197 Meaning, “The Holy Prophet sa would say that where the Holy Qur’ān states, ‘It is your obligation not to refuse a proposal of Mukātabat, if you find good in your slaves,” the ‘good’ which has been referred to here is the ability of a trade skill. In other words, it becomes obligatory to settle Mukātabat with such slaves who are knowledgeable in a trade or skill, or who possess the ability to quickly learn one, so that they do not become a burden on society in any way after their acquisition of freedom. ” 1 As mentioned above, the decision of whether a slave possesses this capability or not was in the hands of the government and did not depend on the desire of the master. This Ḥadīth also expounds that in actuality, the true desire of the Islāmic teaching was to make the circumstances of existing slaves better and then instill within them the capability of manumission. Hence, as slaves continued to grow capable, so too, they continued to acquire their freedom. Since the method of Mukātabat was the foundation stone of the manumission of slaves, it has been highly preferred in Islām. As such, it has been related in a Ḥadīth : ْ عَن ْ اَبِی ْ ھُرَیْرَة َ اَن َّ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ قَال َ ثَلَاثَة ٌ حَق ٌّ عَلَی اللّٰه ِ عَوْنُهُم ِ اَلْمُكَاتَب ُ الَّذِی ْ یُرِیْد ُ الْاَدَاء َ وَالنَّاكِح ُ الَّذِی ْ یُرِیْد ُ الْعَفَاف َ وَالْمُجَاھِد ُ فِی ْ سَبِیْل ِ اللّٰه Meaning, “Abū Hurairah ra relates that the Holy Prophet sa would state, ‘There are three kinds of people for whom Allāh the Exalted has declared that He would grant them succour as their right: firstly, a slave who has settled an agreement of Mukātabat, and is worried about paying the sum owed by him; secondly, a person who married with the intention of guarding his chastity; thirdly, a person who strives in the cause of Allāh. ’” 2 The liberation movement of slaves was not only limited to individuals. Rather, it was also an obligation of the Islāmic state to spend an adequate sum on the manumission of slaves from the National Baitul-Māl. Hence, Allāh the 1 Tafsīrul-Qur’ānil-‘Aẓīm (Tafsīru Ibni Kathīr), By ‘Imāduddīn Abul-Fidā’ Ismā‘īl bin ‘Umar Ibni Kathīr, Volume 6, p. 49, Tafsīru Sūratin-Nūr, Under Verse 33 “Wal-Yasta‘fifilladhīna. . . . . Fakātibūhum In ‘Alimtum. . . . . ” , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (1998) 2 Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, Kitābun-Nikāḥ, Al-Faṣluth-Thānī, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi