MUST READ: DEEM TO BE REVEALED. CHRISTIANITY ON SLAVERY. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 1 Peter 2:18 (NIV) Luke 12:47 Jesus saidAnd that slave who knew his masters will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes. Biblical Underpinning for Slavery For many centuries slavery was perfectly acceptable to Christians. Christians had no doubt that it was divinely sanctioned, and they used a number of Old and New Testament quotations to prove their case. Looking at the relevant passages it is clear that the Bible does indeed endorse slavery. In the Old Testament God approved the practice and laid down rules for buyers and sellers (Exodus 21:1-11, Leviticus 25:44). Men are at liberty to sell their own daughters (Exodus 21:7). Slaves can be inherited (Leviticus 25:45-6). It is acceptable to beat slaves, since they are property — a master who beats his slave to death is not to be punished as long as the slave stays alive for a day or two, as the loss of the masters property is punishment enough: And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money. Exodus 21:20-211 If a slave is gored by a bull, it is the master, not the slave, who is to be compensated (Exodus 21:32). Time and time again the Old Testament confirms that slaves are property and their lives are of little consequence. To prove the strength of Jobs faith, God sends Satan to test him by visiting disasters upon him. Amongst these disasters is the killing of Jobs numerous slaves (Job 1). Neither God, nor Satan, nor the storys narrator finds it at all odd that people should be killed just to prove a point: they are only Jobs property and their destruction is naturally bracketed with the loss of his livestock and vineyards. The New Testament also regards slavery as acceptable. It instructs slaves to accept their position with humility (Ephesians 6:5-8) and to please their masters in everything (Titus 2:9, cf. Colossians 3:22). They are commanded to serve Christian slave owners better than other masters (1 Timothy 6:1-2) so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed. Even oppressive masters are to be obeyed according to 1 Peter 2:18. Jesus himself mentioned slavery more than once according to the New Testament, but never with the slightest hint of criticism of it. He even glorified the master-slave relationship as a model of the relationship between God and humankind (Matthew 18:23ff and 25:14ff). Christians naturally interpreted this as not merely acceptance, but approval. If Jesus had opposed slavery he would, they claimed, surely have said so. . Early Christianity and Slavery In pre-Christian times and in non-Christian countries people expressed doubts about slavery and sought to improve the lot of slaves — the Stoic philosophers provide a notable example. In pagan times slaves who escaped and sought sanctuary at a holy temple would not be returned to their masters if they had a justifiable complaint. When the Empire became Christian, escaped slaves could seek refuge in a church, but they would always be returned to their masters, whether they had a justifiable complaint or not. When Christian slaves in the early Asian Church suggested that community funds might be used to purchase their freedom, they were soon disabused of their hopes, a line supported by one of the greatest Church Fathers (Ignatius of Antioch.). He declared that their ambition should be to become better slaves, and they should not expect the Church to gain their liberty for them2. His orthodox approach followed the words of St Paul: Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Dont let it trouble you — although if you can gain your freedom, do so. (1 Corinthians 7:20-21 NIV). When the Roman Empire became Christian under the Emperor Constantine, the institution of slavery remained unaltered, except for superficial changes. For example, ceremonies of manumission were transferred from temples to Christian Churches, and places of sanctuary were restricted to Christian sites. Church Fathers instructed the faithful not to let slaves get above themselves, and the Church endorsed Saint Augustines view that slavery was ordained by God as a punishment for sin3. Augustine called on the free to give thanks because Christ and his Church did not make slaves free, but rather made bad slaves into good slaves. St. Augustine teaching that the institution of slavery derives from God and is beneficial to both slaves and masters would be cited by many later Popes as evidence, indeed proof, of the acceptability of slavery. It was an integral part of the Christian Tradition one of the main sources of authority in the Church. In 362 AD a Church Council at Gangra in Asia Minor excommunicated anyone encouraging a slave to despise his master or to withdraw from his service. This would in time be incorporated into Church Law, where it would remain from the 13th to the 20th century. Soon the Church would become the largest slave owner in the Roman Empire. Bishops themselves owned slaves and accepted the usual conventions. So did other churchmen. Slave collars dating from around AD 500 have been found in Sardinia, stamped with the sign of the cross. One mentions the name Felix the Archdeacon4. I am a slave of Felix the archdeacon: hold me lest I run away. Some 40 collars (or slave pendants) survive from antiquity, almost all of them from the fourth century, from Rome, Africa and Sardinia. Many of the collars feature Christian symbols such the chi-rho christogram or a Christian cross, showing that the slave owners were Christians. We know of other slave owning Christians in various ways, for example one, Ausonius ,recorded having tattooed his recaptured runaway slave on the forehead 5 (the significance seems to have been guilt about tattooing, because tattooing was banned by the bible) Pagan slaves who wanted to become Christians required permission from their masters. For many centuries, indeed right up to recent times, servile birth was a bar to Christian ordination, and the Church confirmed the acceptability of slavery in many other ways. The Christian Emperor Constantine (or possibly his predecessor Licinius) issued a law requiring slaves caught fleeing into barbarian territories to be sent to the mines, or to have a foot amputated6. This law was not rescinded by the string of Christian Emperors, who headed the Christian Church under the system of caesaropapalism. The Christian Roman Empire actively helped slave owners to recover fugitive slaves, and punished anyone giving them shelter. 7. Priests and bishops were required by Cannon Law to return to their masters any Christians seeking sanctuary in churches8. Even slaves who sought refuge in monasteries were to be returned.9. Ecclesiastical networks were employed in the identification and recovery of fugitive slaves.10. Saint Jerome was one who shopped a fugitive slave of one of his friends11 Around 600, Pope Gregory the Great approved of forcing Jewish slaves to convert by lashes and tortures12. When he needed Anglian slaves he wrote to a Church official to procure them for him13. On another occasion he had slaves procured from Sardinia.14. In 650 Pope Martin I condemned anyone teaching slaves about freedom or encouraging them to escape their bonds. ..................................................................................... ISLAM ON SLAVERY... RusulAllahs [pbuh] teaching about slavery Zadhan reported that Ibn Umar called his slave and he found the marks (of beating) upon his back. He said to him: I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he (Ibn Umar) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said; There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him, then expiation for it is that he should set him free Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths, Book 015, Number 4079 How Islam moderated slavery Islams approach to slavery added the idea that freedom was the natural state of affairs for human beings and in line with this it limited the opportunities to enslave people, commended the freeing of slaves and regulated the way slaves were treated: Islam greatly limited those who could be enslaved and under what circumstances (although these restrictions were often evaded) Islam treated slaves as human beings as well as property Islam banned the mistreatment of slaves - indeed the tradition repeatedly stresses the importance of treating slaves with kindness and compassion Islam allowed slaves to achieve their freedom and made freeing slaves a virtuous act Islam barred Muslims from enslaving other Muslims Slaves could be assimilated into Muslim society Muhammads teaching that slaves were to be regarded as human beings with dignity and rights and not just as property, and that freeing slaves was a virtuous thing to do, may have helped to create a culture in which slaves became much more assimilated into the community than they were in the West. Muslim slaves could achieve status Slaves in the Islamic world were not always at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Slaves in Muslim societies had a greater range of work, and took on a wider range of responsibilities, than those enslaved in the Atlantic trade. Some slaves earned respectable incomes and achieved considerable power The fact that slavery is a major concern in Islamic law no doubt stems from the prevalence of slavery at the time when Islam was instituted combined with the fact that the Quran clearly presents universal freedom and human dignity as its ideal society. Its recommendation that slaves be freed is on the same plane as its recommendation that the poor be clothed and the hungry be fed. Jacob Neusner, Tamara Sonn, Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam, 1999 Slave rights Islamic law gives slaves certain rights: Slaves must not be mistreated or overworked, but should be treated well Slaves must be properly maintained Slaves may take legal action for a breach of these rules, and may be freed as a result Slaves may own property Slaves may own slaves Slaves can get married if their owner consents Slaves may undertake business on the owners behalf Slaves guilty of crimes can only be given half the punishment that would be given to a non-slave A female slave cannot be separated from her child while it is under 7 years old Female slaves cannot be forced into prostitution Slave rights to freedom Islamic law allows slaves to get their freedom under certain circumstances. It divides slaves with the right to freedom into various classes: The mukatab: a slave who has the contractual right to buy their freedom over time The mudabbar: a slave who will be freed when their owner dies In his lifetime the Prophet introduced the following rules about slavery: Stated that freeing slaves was the act that God found most acceptable Zakat (charity - the third Pillar of Islam) was often used by the state to free slaves Stated that freeing a slave was the appropriate way to gain forgiveness for certain wrongs Ordered that those who committed certain wrongs should be penalised by having to free their slaves Stated that slaves should be allowed to buy their freedom, and if necessary should be given the opportunity to earn money, or be lent money by the state, in order to do so Allowed slaves to be freed in certain circumstances Stated that slaves contracts should be interpreted in favour of the slaves Stated that the duty of kindness towards slaves was the same of that towards family, neighbours and others Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ashari: The Prophet said, Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity(slaves) (by paying his/her ransom). (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Food, Meals, Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286) Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam himself freed 63 slaves, Hazrat Abu Bakr Radhiallahu Anhu freed 63, Hazrat Abdur-Rahman bin Auf Radhiallahu Anhu 30,000; Hazrat Hakim bin Huzam Radhiallahu Anhu 100; Hazrat Abbas Radhiallahu Anhu 70; k Hazrat Ayesha Radhiallahu Anha 69; Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar Radhiallahu Anhu 100; Hazrat Uthman Radhiallahu Anhu used to free one slave every Friday and he would say that he would free any slave who performed his prayers-with humility. k Hazrat Zul-Kilah Radhiallahu Anhu freed 8,000 slaves in a single day. Hazrat Umar Radhiallahu Anhu passed certain laws during his Khilafat which led to the emancipation of thousands of slaves, and to the prevention of certain specific forms of slavery. Some of the edicts that he issued: 1. All the apostate tribes that were enslaved during the Khilaafat of Hazrat Abu Bakr Radhiallahu Anhu were to be freed. 2. A Zimmi (protected non-Muslim subject of an Islamic state) should not be enslaved. 3. Arabs will not be enslaved. 4. Those who had been enslaved during the days of ignorance (prior to the advent of Islam) and had lived to witness the Islamic era, should redeem themselves from slavery by paying their costs (their value) to their owners whether they were willing or not.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:00:52 +0000
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