Understanding Islam — Page 168
SLAVERY AND PRISONERS OF WAR 166 Prophet Muhammad sa emphasized the same when he said: He who emancipates a slave, Allah will set free from Hell, limb for limb. 5 In light of these teachings, Muslims played a great role in the emancipation of slaves. According to historical records, Prophet Muhammad sa himself freed 63 slaves during his life-time, Hazrat ‘ Ā ’ishah ra freed 67, Hazrat ‘Abb ā s ra freed 70, Hazrat ‘Abdull ā h bin ‘Umar ra freed 1,000, and Hazrat ‘Abdur Ra ḥ m ā n bin ‘Auf ra freed 30,000. 6 A question may arise here that when Islam came with such a strong message of freedom for the slaves, why did it not give general orders for the emancipation of all slaves at once? The answer to this question is that Islam did not come to make an empty show of greatness by doing something like this. Instead, its objective was to slowly and gradually reform and improve the society at large. It was neither feasible, nor wise, to suddenly abolish the institution of slavery which had become interwoven into the very texture of society since pre-Islamic times.