The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 214
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 214 equal treatment of existing slaves and their freedom, and an outline of which has been presented above, is sufficient evidence to substantiate that Islām could not possibly support the cruel practice of slavery. On the one hand it has been mandated that slaves should be considered as brothers, kept as members of the household and their education and moral training should be especially facilitated. Then, as their state begins to improve and they become capable of living a free life, they should continue to be set free. Therefore, common sense cannot accept that in the presence of this doctrine, Islām could also teach that it is lawful to completely deprive a free person of his legal right to freedom and take him as a real slave. These two teachings are poles apart and can never coexist as part of a single person’s teaching. Hence, if one contemplates, in actuality, the teaching that has been outlined in the exposition above, is sufficient to substantiate that Islām has not endorsed real slavery. The second argument which proves that Islām has not considered real slavery as being lawful, is that no order is present anywhere in Islāmic literature which states that it is lawful to deprive a free person of his legal right to freedom and make him a real slave, or if someone desires to turn another free person into a slave, he should do so in the following manner. On the other hand, however, very detailed injunctions pertinent to other issues such as the treatment of slaves, the safeguarding of their rights, and manumitting them are present. Therefore, although many other precepts relevant to slavery exist, not a single legalizing injunction can be found regarding the issue of enslavement. This very fact leaves no room for doubt at all, that in actuality, Islām does not consider real slavery to be permissible in the first place. I have searched extensively, but have not been able to find a single commandment of God or His Messenger in any Qur’ānic verse or narration, which states that it is lawful to make a free person into a real slave, or that if someone desires to turn another free person into a slave, he should do so in the following manner. Although, if it was permissible to turn a free person into a real slave, among all the precepts on slavery, the most significant, most widespread in its influence and most delicate issue, which was worthy of clarity and elaboration, and which required a most clear and explicit injunction, was this very issue of enslavement. However, far from elaboration and clarity, there is not even the slightest indication of this in the Qur’ān or Aḥādīth , which is a conclusive argument of the fact that it is not permissible to make a free person into a real slave.