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The Wisdom of having Female Slaves

Another islamic fatwa jewel & discussion around it:
source:

Young Muslims Discussion Board
> Life as a Muslim Youth
> Sex with slave girls
http://pub126.ezboard.com/fyoungmuslimsfrm8.showMessage?topicID=87.topic
(Lamka:)
While Islam puts severe restrictions on sex out of wedlock, it permits men to have sexual relationships with their concubines (whom your right hand possesses).

In this day and age, nobody can even think of having concubines except perhaps in a strictly Islamic society like Saudi Arabia or Talibaan Afghanistan.

So what are the options for Muslim men living elsewhere?

(Omer:)
I think you should read this to better understand the issue...

http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=54710

Details of Fatwa

Title of Fatwa Status of Slave Women in Islam

Date of Fatwa 19/ November/ 2001

Date of Reply 19/ November/ 2001

Topic Of Fatwa: Slavery

Question of Fatwa: Is it true that Islam permits Muslim men to own slave women, and permits them to have sex with them without marrying them? And that this was carried out by the Sahaba with Muhammed's approval? Surely this is in contradiction of the Quran's condemnation of Zina. Please clarify this issue...

Name of Mufti: Islam Online Fatwa Committee

Content of Reply: In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for having confidence in us and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah's Sake, meet your expectations.

Given the fact of being a religion that caters for rights of every creature, Islam urges a Muslim to show good and kind treatment to anyone under his/her control; he should neither maltreat him or her nor should he subject him/her to any form of exploitation.

As regards having slave women, it happens to be a practice necessitated by the condition in which early Muslims found themselves vis-a-vis non-Muslims, as both parties engaged in wars. Slave women or Milk Al-yameen are referred to in the Qur'an as 'Those whom your right hand possess' or 'Ma Malakat Aymanukum' they are those taken as captives during conquests and subsequently became slaves, or those who were descendants of slaves.

Thus, it was a war custom in the past to take men and women as captives and then turn them into slaves. Islam did not initiate it, rather, it was something in practice long ago before the advent of Islam. And when Islam came, it tried to eradicate this practice, bit by bit. So it first restricted it to the reciprocal practice of war, in the sense that Muslims took war captives just as the enemies did with Muslims.

But as it aimed at putting an end to such issue, Islam laid down rules which would eventually lead to eradicating the practice. So it allowed Muslims to have intercourse with slave women taken as captives of just and legitimate wars. In so doing, the woman would automatically become free if*she got pregnant. What's more, her child would also become free.

Not only that, Islam also ordered a Muslim to treat the slave woman in every respect as if she were his wife. She should be well fed, clothed and given due protection. In the family environment she had the opportunity to learn about Islam and was free to accept it or reject it. She also had the opportunity to earn her freedom, for she could be ransomed.

In the light of the above-mentioned facts, and the nature of the question posed by people, it's clear that some people misunderstand the wisdom behind the permissibility of having female slaves and think that it is meant to unleash men's desires and give them more enjoyment. Never!That is not the point! It is, rather, means of freeing slaves; and this is clarified above in the fact that if a master got a female slave pregnant, then he could neither sell her nor give her away as a present. And if he died, she would not be considered part of his property. She'd receive her freedom and her baby would also be free.

But we have to stress that this case should not be confused with that of female servants or maid, for they are free and not slaves. Therefore, it is forbidden to engage in sexual relations with them except through an Islamic marriage.

Slavery has been abolished by international conventions, and goes in line with aims and objectives of Islam, as it has called for centuries ago.

As for marrying slaves, it is something permissible under two conditions: first, if one is unable to pay the dowry of a free woman. Second, if there is fear of committing adultery if one doesn't get married. This is clarified by the following verse: 'And whose is not able to afford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the believing maids whom your right hands possess'. This is for him among you who feareth to commit sin. But to have patience would be better for you'(An-Nisa: 25).

This verse shows that Muslim men should abstain from illicit relations and seek enjoyment through marriage to free women or through their female slaves.

In conclusion, Allah has forbidden certain types of behavior and permitted other kinds of behavior as a safeguard to the individual and to the society. Allah, the Best Knower, has forbidden fornication and adultery. However, in the case of captives whom your right hands posses, it's something necessitated by the special circumstances which were created when the Muslims were at war.

Allah Almighty knows best.

(Lamka:)
Great Fatwa. So Islam allows men to have slave girls and also allows them to have sex with them but does NOT allow them to enjoy it.

(Omer:)
did you even read the fatwa?

(Lamka:)
Brother, I have read the (what you call) FATWA. They have added (or tried to add) a lot of sugar to this bitter medicine to make it taste sweet. However, the plain and simple facts are that Islam allows men to: 1) Have slave girls; 2) Create more slaves through JIHAD (!) 3) Have sex with slave women.

(Daffy:)
u r right omer, i think lamka havent even read the whole topic b4 he became to conclusions.
cant u read islam is just for betterment of human beings. what did non muslims did with the muslims slaves. didnt they had sex with them (althought it was not allowed in there religion) or didnt they sell them or presented them as a gift.
read it more carefully as i am putting the conclusions here:
1) it gave security to the slaves once the became pregnant. they were SET FREE and couldnt be sold or gifted.
2) the kids borned from those slaves not only freed there mothers but they were bron free.
3) once involved in a sexual relationship men normally dont give there mistresses away or they care more about them (therefore though humanbeings cant see this point allah can and therefore he allowed a sexual relationship so that these women can go to as less hands as possible)
4) i know no other religion who orders this : Islam also ordered a Muslim to treat the slave woman in every respect as if she were his wife. She should be well fed, clothed and given due protection. doesnt that give enough protection, security and respect to a slave woman. forheaven sake a slave woman is one from ur enemies a prisoner of war.and she is a slave not a master. what do u want to make her a queen ??
huh!!!!

* In the following hadiths Mo's companions tried hard to NOT get the poor girls pregnant, so they wouldn't have to set them 'free' and in stead they could keep on enjoying this islamically approved rape-game: Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 137
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:
We got female captives in the war booty and we used to do coitus interruptus with them. So we asked Allah's Apostle about it and he said, "Do you really do that?" repeating the question thrice, "There is no soul that is destined to exist but will come into existence, till the Day of Resurrection."

Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 11, Number 2166
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:
A man said: Apostle of Allah, I have a slave-girl and I withdraw the penis from her (while having intercourse), and I dislike that she becomes pregnant. I intend (by intercourse) what the men intend by it. The Jews say that withdrawing the penis (azl) is burying the living girls on a small scale. He (the Prophet) said: The Jews told a lie. If Allah intends to create it, you cannot turn it away.

Double standards? ..... naaahhhh...
Disgusting? .... naaaaahhhh...
Perverted? ..... naaaahhh....
Hypocrisy? ..... naaaahhhh...
Wisdom from Allah? ..... yep

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The Wisdom of having Female Slaves

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