Refuting common arguments made against islam 1/1

Theres only 4-5 things that missionaries come up with against islam and ill be dismantling them one by one, There will be references and citations and,

This is going to be a long post with references and quotations, i dare the !slamophobe keyboard warriors to read the whole thing.

What Slavery Meant in History? In the West, a slave meant someone owned as property, forced to work without pay, without freedom. Historically, slaves were treated as less than human: bought and sold, beaten, raped, starved, and stripped of dignity.

Reasons for Enslavement: Captured in war Sold by one’s own tribe or family Kidnapped or raided Debt bondage Criminal punishment Exploitation for profit

Reasons for that:- Economic Drive: Entire empires profited heavily. At one point, the global slave trade generated 300% profit for nations. Without slaves, an empire would collapse economically and militarily compared to its rivals.

Islam’s Unique Approach Islam did not endorse this cruel model. Instead, it transformed and redefined it under the principle of “Mā malakat aymānukum” (those whom your right hands possess).

Key Differences

1. Source of Captivity: Only prisoners of war could be taken. Not through raids, kidnapping, debt, or buying and selling humans. Even if Muslims conquered a land, its civilians could not be enslaved.

2. No Imprisonment Option: At the time, prisons with secure walls, constant guards, and food supplies were not possible. The choice was either: Execution Ransom exchange Release Temporary captivity under guardianship (milk al-yameen)

3. Purpose: Never economic exploitation. It was a transitional system to absorb captives into Muslim society with dignity and eventually set them free.

How Islam Humanized Captives A Brotherly Relationship The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Your servants are your brothers. Allah has placed them under your care. So feed them from what you eat, clothe them from what you wear. Do not burden them with what overpowers them. If you burden them, then help them.” (Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)

They ate the same food. Wore the same clothes. Could not be beaten or humiliated. If overworked, the master had to help personally.

Another hadith:

“None of you should say, ‘my slave’ or ‘my slave girl’. You are all slaves of Allah, and your women are all slaves of Allah. Instead, say ‘my boy’, ‘my girl’, ‘my lad’.” (Sahih Muslim)

Another hadith:

“He who slaps his servant or beats him, his atonement is to set him free.” (Sahih Muslim)

Legal Rights of Captives

Right to Buy Freedom (Mukātaba): Allah says:

“And those who seek a contract (of emancipation) from among those whom your right hands possess, then make a contract with them if you know there is good in them, and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you.” (Qur’an 24:33)

Freeing Captives Encouraged: Expiration for breaking an oath is freeing a slave (Qur’an 5:89). Zakat funds could be used to purchase freedom for captives (Qur’an 9:60). Freeing them was counted among the greatest good deeds.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever frees a slave, Allah will free from the Fire every limb of his body for every limb of the slave.” (Sahih Muslim)

Female Captives and Justice, concubinage Clarifying Misconceptions Islam allowed men to marry or be intimate with female captives only within strict rules. It was never rape, nor abuse. Owners were obliged to: Clothe and feed them equally Not overwork or strike them If they harmed them, the captive was automatically freed

Hadith example:

“We were seven brothers and we had only one servant girl. The youngest among us slapped her. The Prophet ﷺ commanded us to set her free.” (Sahih Muslim)

If Forced The Prophet ﷺ judged: If a man forced a female captive, she was freed immediately. The oppressor had to pay compensation to her previous owner. This shows Islam protected their dignity even when the world around them treated them as objects.

Wisdom Behind Gradual Reform Why didn’t Islam ban slavery overnight? It was the backbone of the global economy. Sudden abolition could have created chaos and left millions destitute.

Instead, Islam choked off its sources, restricted it only to war captives, raised their status as brothers and sisters, and encouraged constant emancipation until the system naturally disappeared.

A Human Story of Mercy It is narrated that a companion of the Prophet ﷺ once offered freedom to his servant, but the servant declined. He preferred to remain with his master, saying he was treated with such kindness and honor that he felt like family and did not want to leave. This demonstrates how Islam turned what was once a system of cruelty into one of mutual love and brotherhood.

Islam took a dehumanizing institution and reshaped it into one of mercy, dignity, and eventual freedom. While the West commodified humans for profit, Islam turned captives into family, gave them rights, protected them from abuse, and elevated freeing them as a gateway to Paradise.

The Prophet ﷺ summarized it best:

“Worship Allah, associate nothing with Him, and do good to your parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and those whom your right hands possess.” (Qur’an 4:36)

This is not slavery. It is a divine system of compassion that ended slavery as the world knew it, step by step, with wisdom and mercy.

Does any of this sound like slavery AT ALL to you?