Muhammad The Liberator of Mankind — Page 19
Muhammadas the Liberator of Mankind notion of slavery or the infringement of rights under any circumstance. It is essential to note that these directives are not exclusive to believers; rather, the term "believer" is utilised because they are the ones who adhere to the teachings of the Holy Quran. In principle, all nations can abide by these injunctions and benefit from them. The Third Form The third form of slavery, distinct from prevail- ing worldly norms, involves individuals either sell- ing themselves or their spouses and children. Islam strongly opposes this form of slavery and unequiv- ocally prohibits the enslavement of free individuals, whether with or without their consent. However, as I have mentioned earlier, there are circumstances where slavery may be preferable to freedom. A free individual who falls ill, becomes unemployed or en- counters a similar situation that hinders him from earning a livelihood may suffer less as a slave than as a free person. Similarly, the suffering of their depend- ants, such as their children, may be alleviated under the circumstances of slavery. Therefore, the prohibi- tion against selling oneself or one's family cannot be deemed advantageous or worthy of implementation unless solutions to the difficulties arising from such circumstances are provided. While this prohibition 19