The Quran’s Holistic Message Conclusively Prohibits Sex With Slave Girls or Female Captives And Those (Televangelists) Who Advocate Or Justify This Are Grievously Misguided
By
Muhammad Yuns, New Age Islam
(co-author
(Jointly with Ashfaque Ullah Syed), Essential Message of Islam, Amana
Publications, USA, 2009.)
June 26
2021
Scholars
Quote The Identical Pair Of Verses From The Opening Passage Of The 23rd Sura And
The 70th Sura To Accommodate Sex With Slave Girls, Female Captives Of War Etc.
In The Ambit Of Qur’anic Message
Main
Points:
1. The Qur’an
uses a generic expression ‘Maa Malakat Aeman’ for a category of people who are
under the lawful guardian ship or trust of a person.
2. ‘Those whom
the right hand possesses,’ includes female captives of war, slave girls, bondmaid etc.
3. Verse 24:33
reinforces the requirement of marriage for any sexual relation by abolishing
prostitution of slaves.
4. Qur’an
abolishes the pre-Islamic practice of engaging in sexual relation with slave
girls without first entering into marriage.
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The Qur’an
uses a generic expression ‘Maa Malakat Aeman’ for a category of people
who are under the lawful guardian ship or trust of a person. Literally
translated as ‘those whom the right hand possesses,’ this includes female
captives of war, slave girls, bondmaid
etc. Accordingly the Qur’an uses this expression in the following verses (Sahih
International translation) concerning the handling and treatment of slave
girls.
“And if
you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those
that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that
you will not be just, then [marry only] one or those your right hand possesses.
That is more suitable that you may not incline [to injustice]” (4:3).
“And
whoever among you cannot [find] the means to marry free, believing women, then
[he may marry] from those whom your right hands possess of believing slave
girls. And Allah is most knowing about your faith. You [believers] are of one
another. So marry them with the permission of their people and give them their
due compensation according to what is acceptable. [They should be] chaste,
neither [of] those who commit unlawful intercourse randomly nor those who take
[secret] lovers…And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (4:25)
“And
marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and
female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty,
and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” (24:32)
“But let
them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations]
until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for
eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a
contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from
the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls
to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary
interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed,
Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.” (24:33).
The crux
of these verses are:
4:3 permits
marriage up to four women, but restricts the number to one or the one whom your
right hand possesses ( a slave girl)
4:25 –states: “And whoever among you cannot
[find] the means to marry free, believing women, then [he may marry] from those
whom your right hands possess of believing slave girls…”.
24:32- states:
“And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male
slaves and female slaves.
24:33- states –“ And do not compel your
slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the
temporary interests of worldly in y life.” (24:33).
Collective
Interpretation Of These Verses
The verses
4:3, 4:25 and 24:32 are explicit in their recommendation to marry one whom your
right hands possess (female captive of war, slave girl). This obviously rules
out the option of having sex with one whom your right hands possess without
marrying her – for the obvious reason that if a man can have sex with a slave
woman without marrying her, why should he marry her.
Verse 24:33
reinforces the requirement of marriage for any sexual relation by abolishing
prostitution of slaves.
Through
these simple but compulsive pronouncements, the Qur’an abolishes the
pre-Islamic practice of engaging in sexual relation with slave girls without
first entering into marriage with them with the permission of their people and
paying due compensations or dowry (4:25)
Traditionally
scholars quote the following identical pair of underlined verses from the
opening passage of the 23rd Sura and from the 70th Sura to accommodate sex with
slave girls, female captives of war etc. in the ambit of Qur’anic message.
Rendition
of the passages (Sahih International)
“Certainly will the believers have succeeded (23:1) They who are during their
prayer humbly submissive (23:2) And they who turn away from ill speech
(23:3) And they who are observant of Zakah (23:4) And they who guard
their private parts (23:5) Except
from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not
be blamed” (23:6)
“Indeed, mankind was created anxious (70:19) When evil touches him,
impatient (70:20), And when good touches him, withholding [of it]
(70:21), Except the observers of prayer (70:22) Those who are
constant in their prayer (70:23) And those within whose wealth is a
known right (70:24) For the petitioner and the deprived (70:25) And
those who believe in the Day of Recompense (70:26) And those who are
fearful of the punishment of their Lord (70:27) Indeed, the punishment
of their Lord is not that from which one is safe (70:28) And those who
guard their private parts (70:29) Except from their wives or those their
right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed.” (70:30)
But
these passages:
• are
gender neutral in their commandments,
• date
from Early Meccan period (610-617 or thereabout),
• phrased
in the form of simple piece meal narrations
• devoid
of any legislative tone or compulsive character, and
• touch
on diverse themes (including prayer, ill speech, right of the poor in the
wealth of the rich, Day of Judgment and Zakah):
Conclusion: In light of the above clear
arguments from the Qur’an, citing the generic verses 23:6/70:29 in isolation to
justify unwedded sexual relation with slave girls, female captives etc. will
amount to making halal what the Qur’an has compulsively and conclusively made
haram – a preposterous distortion of Qur’anic message.
To wind up
this article maintaining continuity and consistency of arguments with those made
in previous related articles, the author will invoke the concluding remarks of
those articles as follows:
Article
dated April 2012
Concluding
Remark: The Qur’an
came to bring about all round reform of human society that included, among
other things, phased abolition of slavery and empowerment of women through the
institution of marriage and other family laws. Therefore any suggestion to
accommodate slavery or sex with captives, maids, call girls etc. in the fold of
Islam will stand in stark contradiction to its universal message.
Article
dated Jan 2014
Abolition
of Slavery, Including Sex Slavery in Islam (The Qur’an)
Concluding
Remark: It will be
therefore be a gross mistake to interpret the verses 23:5/6, 70:29/30 in a
gendered manner to sanction unlimited sexual freedom to men-folk with female
captives, slaves and their like. Moreover, the Qur’an fully clarifies itself
with the progress of the revelation. Thus, as Muhammad Asad observes, quoting
al-Razi and al-Tabari, the Qur’an prohibits sexual relation with any woman
other than one’ lawful wife.
----
Muhammad
Yuns, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, and
a retired corporate executive has been engaged in an in-depth study of the
Qur’an since early 90’s, focusing on its core message. He has co-authored the
referred exegetic work, which received the approval of al-Aznar al-Sharif,
Cairo in 2002, and following restructuring and refinement was endorsed and
authenticated by Dr. Khalid about El Fad of UCLA, and published by Amana
Publications, Maryland, USA, 2009.
URL: https://newageislam.com/debating-islam/quran-holistic-message-slave-captive/d/125024
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