Ma Malakat Aymanukum - Overview

Overview

The term itself is normally considered to refer to prisoners of war, or more broadly to slaves in general, according to the classic tafsirs. Bernard Lewis proposes the translation "those whom you own," but this is neither a literal nor properly idiomatic translation.

The general term ma malakat aymanukum (literally "what your right hands possess") appears fourteen times in the Qur'an, in the following Arabic variations:

• Note: Masculine plural may also refer to a group of males and females.

The Quran says in Chapter 90:12-13

Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! - It is the freeing of a slave.

Although slavery was not outright condemned, Muslims argue that this is because slavery was a vital part of the world during the time of the revelation and it would be difficult for society to end it immediately. Muslims (apologetics) argue that God sought to incrementally push for the abolishment of slavery through personal humanitarian initiatives. For example, "The Prophet said, "Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom)." Also when an individual erred such as missing a day of fasting they were to free a slave. Slavery was not encouraged, i.e. there was no command to take slaves. On the contrary, there were commands that freeing slaves is a righteous act. Therefore this set the emancipation of slaves in motion. While this emancipation was occurring, the Qur'an and the Prophet established rights for slaves which were not previously enjoyed, as well as limiting the source of slaves to only prisoners of war.

After the Muslims executed the male members of the Banu Qurayza tribe, the women and children were taken as slaves, Muhammad himself took Rayhana as his slave.

During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, the tribe of Tayy that lived to the North East of the city of Madina, engaged in banditry and highway robbery, and came in conflict with the Muslims of Madina, which led to battles in between them that led to Tayy's defeat, and the subsequent captivity of some of their tribes folk.

Abu Hamid al Ghazali narrated in his Ihya Uloom ad deen, that when the daughter of the Hatim at-Tayy was taken as a captive, she came to the Prophet Muhammad asking for her release, and not to be made a subject of humiliation amongst the various Arab quarters, as her father, Hatim at-Tayy, was a person who used to aid the needy, feed the hungry, spread greetings, free slaves, and never refused an assisting request; to which the Prophet Muhammad replied that these described qualities of her father are those of the believers, and if her father was a Muslim then indeed he would have asked for (Divine)mercy on him. He then asked his companions to release her stating that her father loved the noble-character, and God loves the noble-character.