The principle of dealing with slaves in Islam is a combination of justice, kindness and compassion.

As has been explained yesterday Islam encourages the freeing of slaves, but if that is not at all possible, then Islam advocates and emphasises the excellent treatment of slaves.

This is a brief summary of some of the principles of dealing with slaves in a just and kind manner:

1. Guaranteeing them food and clothing like that of their masters.

Islam goes to the extent of encouraging the master to feed his slave with the same quality of food that he eats and to clothe his slave with that which he wears.

عَنِ الْمَعْرُورِ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ عَلَيْهِ بُرْدًا وَعَلَى غُلاَمِهِ بُرْدًا فَقُلْتُ لَوْ أَخَذْتَ هَذَا فَلَبِسْتَهُ كَانَتْ حُلَّةً، وَأَعْطَيْتَهُ ثَوْبًا آخَرَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ كَانَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ رَجُلٍ كَلاَمٌ، وَكَانَتْ أُمُّهُ أَعْجَمِيَّةً، فَنِلْتُ مِنْهَا فَذَكَرَنِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لِي ‏”‏ أَسَابَبْتَ فُلاَنًا ‏”‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَفَنِلْتَ مِنْ أُمِّهِ ‏”‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ ‏”‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ عَلَى حِينِ سَاعَتِي هَذِهِ مِنْ كِبَرِ السِّنِّ قَالَ ‏”‏ نَعَمْ، هُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ، جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَحْتَ أَيْدِيكُمْ، فَمَنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ أَخَاهُ تَحْتَ يَدِهِ فَلْيُطْعِمْهُ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ، وَلْيُلْبِسْهُ مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ، وَلاَ يُكَلِّفُهُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ، فَإِنْ كَلَّفَهُ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَلْيُعِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ

Narrated Ma’rur R: I saw Abu Dhar wearing a Burd (garment) and his slave too was wearing a Burd, so I said (to Abu Dhar), “If you take this (Burd of your slave) and wear it (along with yours), you will have a nice suit (costume) and you may give him another garment.” Abu Dhar said, “There was a quarrel between me and another man whose mother was a non-Arab and I called her bad names. The man mentioned (complained about) me to the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Did you abuse so-and-so?” I said, “Yes” He said, “Did you call his mother bad names?” I said, “Yes”. He said, “You still have the traits of (the Pre-lslamic period of) ignorance.” I said. “(Do I still have ignorance) even now in my old age?” He said, “Yes, they (slaves or servants) are your brothers, and Allah has put them under your command. So the one under whose hand Allah has put his brother, should feed him of what he eats, and give him dresses of what he wears, and should not ask him to do a thing beyond his capacity. And if at all he asks him to do a hard task, he should help him therein.” [Bukhari – 6050]

2. Preserving their dignity

Islam highly emphasises that we protect and preserve the dignity of all humans, even the slave under us!

We are not allowed to blame them or accuse them for something which they did not do.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ، صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ مَنْ قَذَفَ مَمْلُوكَهُ وَهْوَ بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا قَالَ، جُلِدَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ كَمَا قَالَ

Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RA said: I heard Abu’l-Qasim ﷺ say: “Whoever accuses his slave when he is innocent of what he says will be flogged on the Day of Resurrection, unless he is as he said.” [Bukhari, 6858]

3. Being fair towards slaves and treating them kindly

‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan RA tweaked the ear of a slave of his when he did something wrong, then he said to him after that: Come and tweak my ear in retaliation. The slave refused but he insisted, so he started to tweak it slightly, and he said to him: Do it strongly, for I cannot bear the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. The slave said: Like that, O my master? The Day that you fear, I fear also.

When ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf RA walked among his slaves, no one could tell him apart from them, because he did not walk ahead of them, and he did not wear anything different from what they wore.

One day Hadhrat Umar ibn al-Khattab RA passed by and saw some slaves standing and not eating with their master. He got angry and said to their master: What is wrong with people who are selfish towards their servants? Then he called the servants and they ate with them.

A man entered upon Hadhrat Salman RA and found him making dough – and he was a governor. He said to him: O Abu ‘Abd-Allah, what is this? He said: We have sent our servant on an errand and we do not want to give him two jobs at once.

4. Giving Slaves precedence in certain matters

There is nothing wrong with slaves having precedence over free men in some matters with regard to any religious or worldly matters in which he excels over him. For example, it is valid for a slave to lead the prayer. Hadhrat Aishah RA, the Mother of the Believers, had a slave who would lead her in prayer. Indeed the Muslims have been commanded to hear and obey even if a slave is appointed in charge of their affairs.

5. A slave may buy himself from his master and be free.

If a person is enslaved for some reason but then it becomes apparent that he has given up his wrongdoing and forgotten his past, and he has become a man who shuns evil and seeks to do good, is it permissible to respond to his request to let him go free? Islam says yes, and there are some fuqaha who say that this is obligatory and some who say that it is mustahabb.

This is what is called a mukatabah or contract of manumission between the slave and his master. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), give them such writing, if you find that there is good and honesty in them. And give them something (yourselves) out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you.” [al-Nur 24:33]

This is how Islam treats slaves justly and kindly.

One of the results of these guidelines is that in many cases, the slave would become a friend of his master; in some cases the master would regard him as a son. Sa’d ibn Hashim al-Khalidi said, describing a slave of his:

“He is not a slave, rather he is a son whom [Allah] has put under my care. He has supported me with his good service; he is my hands and my arms.”

Another result of the Muslims treating slaves in this manner is that the slaves became part of Muslim families as if they were also family members. 

Gustave le Bon says in Hadarat al-‘Arab (Arab Civilization) (p. 459-460): “What I sincerely believe is that slavery among the Muslims is better than slavery among any other people, and that the situation of slaves in the east is better than that of servants in Europe, and that slaves in the east are part of the family. Slaves who wanted to be free could attain freedom by expressing their wish. But despite that, they did not resort to exercising this right.”