Slavery in the Bible, Rome, and Islam: A Fair Comparison

Ancient Israel, Rome, and early Islam all had slavery. None of their scriptures abolished it in a single law. The Law of Moses makes kidnapping a person in order to sell him a capital crime, frees a Hebrew servant in the seventh year, frees a slave whose eye or tooth is destroyed, and forbids handing a runaway back. It also lets Israelites buy foreigners as bondmen for ever, and it keeps alive the Midianite girls who had not known a man. The New Testament lists menstealers among the lawless, calls a slave a brother beloved, and does not command a general emancipation. The Qur’an urges manumission and permits enslaving captives and sexual access to female slaves. Muhammad bought and sold slaves. In the twentieth century, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania ended legal slavery by decree. Christians both condemned the sale of the baptized and, as the Southern Baptist Convention later said of its own forbears, defended the right to own slaves.

Key Points

• Exodus 21:16CloseAnd he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.Exodus 21:16 · King James VersionOpen source says the kidnapper who sells a man shall be put to death. Leviticus 25:44–46Close^25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. ^25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. ^25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.Leviticus 25:44–46 · King James VersionOpen source still says foreign bondmen may be bought and held as a possession for ever.
• Exodus 21:20–21Close^21:20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. ^21:21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.Exodus 21:20–21 · King James VersionOpen source says a master who beats a slave to death with a rod shall be punished, but if the slave survives a day or two, the master shall not be punished, “for he is his money.”
• Deuteronomy 21:10–14Close^21:10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, ^21:11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; ^21:12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; ^21:13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. ^21:14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.Deuteronomy 21:10–14 · King James VersionOpen source lets a man take a beautiful captive as a wife after a month of mourning, and forbids selling her. Numbers 31:18CloseBut all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.Numbers 31:18 · King James VersionOpen source says to keep alive the Midianite girls who had not known a man.
• Luke 4:18CloseThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,Luke 4:18 · King James VersionOpen source has Jesus announce deliverance to the captives. 1 Timothy 1:10CloseFor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;1 Timothy 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source lists menstealers. Philemon 1:16CloseNot now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?Philemon 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source says Onesimus is a brother beloved.
• Walter Scheidel’s estimate for the early Roman Empire is that slaves were about 10 percent, “rather a lower limit than a reasonable average,” on the order of six million, with something like 60,000 manumissions a year.
• Qur’an 4:24CloseAnd [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allāh upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.Qur’an 4:24 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source excepts “those your right hands possess” from the ban on married women. Sahih Muslim 1602CloseThen there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slavesSahih Muslim 1602 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source says Muhammad bought a man for two black slaves.
• The verse-by-verse law is Does the Bible Support Slavery?. The Qur’an and the jurists are What Does the Qur’an Say About War Captives, Spoils, and Slavery?.

The Law of Moses

Exodus 21:20CloseAnd if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.Exodus 21:20 · King James VersionOpen source says that if a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod and the servant dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Exodus 21:21CloseNotwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.Exodus 21:21 · King James VersionOpen source (King James Version):

Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

Exodus 21:21 · King James Version

That is a hard sentence. The slave who dies at once brings punishment. The slave who lingers a day or two does not, and the reason given is that the slave is the master’s money. Exodus 21:26–27Close^21:26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. ^21:27 And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.Exodus 21:26–27 · King James VersionOpen source is the other side of injury: if the eye or the tooth is destroyed, the slave goes free for the eye’s sake or the tooth’s sake.

Exodus 21:16CloseAnd he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.Exodus 21:16 · King James VersionOpen source says that he who steals a man and sells him, or is found with him in his hand, shall surely be put to death. Deuteronomy 24:7CloseIf a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.Deuteronomy 24:7 · King James VersionOpen source says the same about a man who steals one of his Israelite brothers and makes merchandise of him.

Hebrew debt-servitude is limited. Exodus 21:2CloseIf thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.Exodus 21:2 · King James VersionOpen source says that if you buy a Hebrew servant, he serves six years and goes out free in the seventh for nothing. If he came in married, his wife goes out with him. If the master gave him a wife and she bore children, the wife and the children stay, and he goes out by himself. If he says he loves his master, his wife, and his children and will not go out free, his ear is bored through with an awl and he serves for ever (Exodus 21:3–6Close^21:3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. ^21:4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. ^21:5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: ^21:6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.Exodus 21:3–6 · King James VersionOpen source). Exodus 21:7–8Close^21:7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. ^21:8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.Exodus 21:7–8 · King James VersionOpen source says a daughter sold as a maidservant does not go out as the menservants do. If she does not please the master who betrothed her to himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no power to sell her to a strange nation.

Deuteronomy 15:12–13Close^15:12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. ^15:13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:Deuteronomy 15:12–13 · King James VersionOpen source releases a Hebrew man or woman in the seventh year and says not to let that person go away empty. Leviticus 25:39–42Close^25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: ^25:40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile: ^25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. ^25:42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.Leviticus 25:39–42 · King James VersionOpen source says an Israelite brother sold through poverty is not to be compelled to serve as a bondservant. He is as a hired servant until the year of jubilee. They shall not be sold as bondmen, because they are God’s servants, brought out of Egypt. Leviticus 25:10CloseAnd ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.Leviticus 25:10 · King James VersionOpen source says to proclaim liberty throughout all the land.

Foreigners are a different rule. Leviticus 25:44CloseBoth thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.Leviticus 25:44 · King James VersionOpen source says bondmen and bondmaids shall be of the heathen round about, and of them you shall buy. Leviticus 25:45CloseMoreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.Leviticus 25:45 · King James VersionOpen source adds the children of strangers who sojourn in the land, and the families they beget there: they shall be your possession. Leviticus 25:46CloseAnd ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.Leviticus 25:46 · King James VersionOpen source says you shall take them as an inheritance for your children, and they shall be your bondmen for ever, but over your Israelite brothers you shall not rule with rigor.

Deuteronomy 23:15–16Close^23:15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: ^23:16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.Deuteronomy 23:15–16 · King James VersionOpen source says not to deliver to his master the servant who has escaped to you. He shall dwell where he chooses. You shall not oppress him. Sahih Muslim 1602CloseThen there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slavesSahih Muslim 1602 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source, quoted below, is the other pattern: the master demanded the man back, and the Prophet bought him.

Job 31:13–15Close^31:13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me; ^31:14 What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? ^31:15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?Job 31:13–15 · King James VersionOpen source asks what Job would do if he despised the cause of his manservant or maidservant when they contended with him. “Did not he that made me in the womb make him?” The same appeal to one Maker is Genesis 1:27CloseSo God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.Genesis 1:27 · King James VersionOpen source: God created man in his own image.

A Captive Woman in Deuteronomy and in the Qur’an

Deuteronomy 21:13CloseAnd she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.Deuteronomy 21:13 · King James VersionOpen source (King James Version), after a man has seen a beautiful woman among the captives and desired her as a wife:

And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

Deuteronomy 21:13 · King James Version

Deuteronomy 21:14CloseAnd it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.Deuteronomy 21:14 · King James VersionOpen source says that if he has no delight in her, he shall let her go where she will. He shall not sell her for money or make merchandise of her, because he has humbled her. She becomes a wife. She is not to be sold. The month is for mourning her father and mother. The text does not ask her consent.

Numbers 31:17–18Close^31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. ^31:18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.Numbers 31:17–18 · King James VersionOpen source is harder, and it is not omitted. After the war with Midian, Moses says to kill every male among the little ones, and every woman who has known a man by lying with him. “But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.”

Qur’an 4:24CloseAnd [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allāh upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.Qur’an 4:24 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (Saheeh International) forbids married women except those the right hands possess. The hadith, the waiting period, and the jurists are on What Does the Qur’an Say About War Captives, Spoils, and Slavery?. Qur’an 23:6CloseExcept from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed -Qur’an 23:6 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says they will not be blamed for their wives or for those their right hands possess.

The New Testament

Luke 4:18CloseThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,Luke 4:18 · King James VersionOpen source (King James Version) is Jesus reading in Nazareth. The words are his:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luke 4:18 · King James Version

He is reading Isaiah 61:1CloseThe Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;Isaiah 61:1 · King James VersionOpen source, which proclaims liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. The Gospel applies that reading to him.

1 Timothy 1:10CloseFor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;1 Timothy 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source lists menstealers with the lawless and the things contrary to sound doctrine. The Greek word is andrapodistēs. Thayer’s gloss at Strong’s G405 is “a slave-dealer, kidnapper, man-stealer.” Revelation 18:13CloseAnd cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.Revelation 18:13 · King James VersionOpen source ends Babylon’s cargo with “slaves, and souls of men,” merchandise of a city under judgment.

Galatians 3:28CloseThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.Galatians 3:28 · King James VersionOpen source says there is neither bond nor free, for all are one in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 7:21CloseArt thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.1 Corinthians 7:21 · King James VersionOpen source says if you were called while a servant, do not care for it, but if you may be made free, use it rather. Philemon 1:16CloseNot now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?Philemon 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source tells a Christian master to receive Onesimus “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.” Onesimus is sent back. He is sent back as a brother.

Colossians 3:22CloseServants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:Colossians 3:22 · King James VersionOpen source tells servants to obey masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, fearing God. Colossians 4:1CloseMasters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.Colossians 4:1 · King James VersionOpen source tells masters to give servants what is just and equal, knowing that they also have a Master in heaven. Ephesians 6:9CloseAnd, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.Ephesians 6:9 · King James VersionOpen source tells masters to forbear threatening, because their Master is in heaven and there is no respect of persons with him. These household lines are the texts Christians who defended slavery used. The next section is that admission, in a church’s own words. The verses do not say that kidnapping is lawful. Exodus 21:16CloseAnd he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.Exodus 21:16 · King James VersionOpen source and 1 Timothy 1:10CloseFor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;1 Timothy 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source say the opposite.

Rome and the Early Church

Andrew Maguire’s English of Gregory of Nyssa, on Ecclesiastes 2:7, asks the slaveholder:

For how many obols did you value the image of God?

The same homily says, “God would not make a slave of humankind.” A short line in Stuart George Hall’s English, quoted by Chris L. de Wet, says, “You condemn man to slavery, when his nature is free and he possesses free will, and you legislate in competition with God.” De Wet’s 2013 article also shows the other side of the fourth century. Basil still required slaves to obey. Gregory of Nazianzus’s will disposed of slaves. Gregory of Nyssa’s attack on slaveholding was not the ordinary episcopal practice. The article is on SciELO.

Walter Scheidel, in the Journal of Roman Studies for 1997, writes that “my estimate of 10 per cent for the Empire as a whole seems rather a lower limit than a reasonable average.” He puts manumission at “something like 60,000 manumissions per year for the whole Empire, or about 1 per cent of a slave population of six million.” His 2005 article says “the total number of slaves in Roman Italy did not exceed one-and-a-half million,” and that paper includes an influx of two to four million people in the last two centuries before Christ. The papers are Scheidel 1997 and Scheidel 2005.

Callistus became bishop of Rome. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “Callistus was the slave of Carpophorus, a Christian of the household of Caesar.” The older report is his enemy Hippolytus, in the Refutation of All Heresies IX.7: “Callistus happened to be a domestic of one Carpophorus, a man of the faith belonging to the household of Caesar.”

Patrick says in the Confessio, “I was about sixteen at the time,” of his own captivity in Ireland. In the Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, section 14, he writes to men who had seized the baptized: “You, on the other hand, kill them, and sell them to foreign peoples who have no knowledge of God.” He notes that Gallic Christians send money to buy back the baptized who have been taken prisoner.

Christians Who Defended Slavery

The Southern Baptist Convention’s resolution of 1995 says:

Many of our Southern Baptist forbears defended the right to own slaves, and either participated in, supported, or acquiesced in the particularly inhumane nature of American slavery

The same resolution repudiates slavery. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2414, quoted on Does the Bible Support Slavery?, says the seventh commandment forbids enterprises that lead to the enslavement of human beings. Gregory’s attack, Patrick’s letter, that prohibition, and this denomination’s admission that its forbears defended slaveholding all belong to the Christian record.

What the Qur’an and the Hadith Say

Qur’an 23:6CloseExcept from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed -Qur’an 23:6 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (Saheeh International), after the line about guarding the private parts:

Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed -

Qur’an 23:6 · Saheeh International

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

Qur’an 4:24CloseAnd [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allāh upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.Qur’an 4:24 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, Qur’an 33:50CloseO Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allāh has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her; [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers. We certainly know what We have made obligatory upon them concerning their wives and those their right hands possess, [but this is for you] in order that there will be upon you no discomfort [i.e., difficulty]. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.Qur’an 33:50 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, Qur’an 47:4CloseSo when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure [their] bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allāh - never will He waste their deeds.Qur’an 47:4 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source, and Qur’an 90:13CloseIt is the freeing of a slaveQur’an 90:13 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source are the captive, the Prophet’s captives, ransom or favor, and the freeing of a slave. The hadith of Awtas, the waiting period, and the Hanafi, Shafi’i, and Maliki rules are on What Does the Qur’an Say About War Captives, Spoils, and Slavery?. Fighting verses stay on What Does Jihad Mean in the Qur’an and Hadith?.

Muhammad owned and traded slaves in the Sunni reports. Sahih Muslim 1602CloseThen there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slavesSahih Muslim 1602 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source says the master demanded a man back, and the Prophet said to sell him, and bought him for two black slaves. Sahih al-Bukhari 2141Closethe Prophet (ﷺ) took the slave and said, "Who will buy this slave from me?"Sahih al-Bukhari 2141 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source says he asked who would buy a slave from him. Sahih al-Bukhari 6716CloseNu'aim bin An-Nahham bought him for eight hundred Dirhams.Sahih al-Bukhari 6716 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source says the buyer paid eight hundred dirhams. Sahih al-Bukhari 4913Closea black slave of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was (sitting) on the first stepSahih al-Bukhari 4913 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source mentions a black slave of God’s Messenger on the first step. Sahih al-Bukhari 2541Closethe Prophet (ﷺ) had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet (ﷺ) got Juwairiya on that day.Sahih al-Bukhari 2541 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source says he got Juwairiya on the day Banu al-Mustaliq’s women and children were taken. What Do Christians Believe About Muhammad? is the Christian reading of his life. What Is the Difference Between Islam and Christianity? is the wider contrast.

Legal slavery ended by decree in some states in the twentieth century. The King Saud Library dates Saudi emancipation to 6 November 1962, under Faisal as acting head of government, with compensation to owners. Mauritania’s Order 81-234 is dated 9 November 1981, after a statement in 1980. Amnesty International in 2002 says that decree did not criminalize slavery. A criminal law is dated 3 September 2007.

Dar al-Ifta says Islam did not abolish slavery at a stroke and also says Islam allowed the enslavement of those who fought Muslims, including women and children. A 2014 letter of more than 120 scholars says reintroducing slavery is forbidden. Freamon writes that neither the Qur’an nor the Sunnah explicitly suggests abolition. Those sentences are quoted on the captives page.

A Fair Comparison

The Christian Claim

Job 31:15CloseDid not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?Job 31:15 · King James VersionOpen source (King James Version):

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

Job 31:15 · King James Version

The Law of Moses regulates slavery, including permanent foreign slaves, a beating that does not free the slave if he lingers, and girls kept alive after Midian. It also kills the kidnapper and refuses to return the runaway. The New Testament names the slave-dealer, calls the slave a brother, and has Jesus announce liberty to the captives. It does not enact abolition. The Qur’an and the Sunni hadith praise freeing a slave and also treat the captive woman as sexually available to the man who holds her. Jesus is God. That is the deity of Christ. Matthew 26:52CloseThen said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.Matthew 26:52 · King James VersionOpen source is his word on the sword. The Islamic Dilemma asks how the Qur’an can confirm the earlier books and contradict them. What Is the History of Islam? is the political span in which these laws were lived.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Slavery Allowed in the Bible?

Yes, in stated forms. Leviticus 25:44–46Close^25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. ^25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. ^25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.Leviticus 25:44–46 · King James VersionOpen source allows buying foreigners as bondmen for ever. Exodus 21:2CloseIf thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.Exodus 21:2 · King James VersionOpen source frees a Hebrew servant in the seventh year. Exodus 21:16CloseAnd he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.Exodus 21:16 · King James VersionOpen source requires the death of the kidnapper. Exodus 21:20–21Close^21:20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. ^21:21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.Exodus 21:20–21 · King James VersionOpen source both punishes a fatal beating and withholds punishment if the slave survives a day or two, because he is the master’s money.

What Did Jesus Think of Slavery?

Luke 4:18CloseThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,Luke 4:18 · King James VersionOpen source is his reading of Isaiah: he was sent to preach deliverance to the captives and to set at liberty those who are bruised. The Gospels do not add a statute that dissolves every household. Philemon 1:16CloseNot now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?Philemon 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source is Paul’s application: the slave is a brother beloved.

Does Christianity Go Against Slavery?

1 Timothy 1:10CloseFor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;1 Timothy 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source lists the slave-dealer with sins contrary to sound doctrine. Revelation 18:13CloseAnd cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.Revelation 18:13 · King James VersionOpen source puts slaves in the cargo of a judged city. Gregory of Nyssa asked how many obols the image of God was worth. Patrick condemned soldiers who sold the baptized. The same churches also produced defenders. The Southern Baptist Convention said in 1995 that its forbears defended the right to own slaves, and the resolution repudiates that history.

What Does Colossians 3:22 Say?

Colossians 3:22CloseServants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:Colossians 3:22 · King James VersionOpen source tells servants to obey masters according to the flesh, in singleness of heart, fearing God. Colossians 4:1CloseMasters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.Colossians 4:1 · King James VersionOpen source tells masters to give what is just and equal, because they have a Master in heaven. Christians who defended slavery appealed to the command to obey. The verse does not repeal Exodus 21:16CloseAnd he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.Exodus 21:16 · King James VersionOpen source.

What Does Exodus 21:7 Say?

Exodus 21:7CloseAnd if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.Exodus 21:7 · King James VersionOpen source says that if a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. Exodus 21:8CloseIf she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.Exodus 21:8 · King James VersionOpen source says that if she does not please the master who betrothed her, he shall let her be redeemed, and he has no power to sell her to a strange nation.

Why Didn’t Jesus Say Slavery Was Wrong?

He did not leave a sentence in those words. He did announce deliverance to the captives (Luke 4:18CloseThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,Luke 4:18 · King James VersionOpen source). Paul lists menstealers (1 Timothy 1:10CloseFor whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;1 Timothy 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source) and tells a master that the slave is a brother (Philemon 1:16CloseNot now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?Philemon 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source). The household codes still tell slaves to obey. The Qur’an, by contrast, states sexual access to those the right hand possesses in the law itself (Qur’an 23:6CloseExcept from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed -Qur’an 23:6 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source).

Did Muhammad Own Slaves?

The Sunni hadith say he did. Sahih Muslim 1602CloseThen there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slavesSahih Muslim 1602 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source says he bought a man for two black slaves. Sahih al-Bukhari 6716CloseNu'aim bin An-Nahham bought him for eight hundred Dirhams.Sahih al-Bukhari 6716 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source says a slave was sold for eight hundred dirhams. Sahih al-Bukhari 2541Closethe Prophet (ﷺ) had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet (ﷺ) got Juwairiya on that day.Sahih al-Bukhari 2541 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen source says he got Juwairiya among the captives. The reports do not give a total.

When Did Saudi Arabia Abolish Slavery?

The King Saud Library dates the decree of emancipation to 6 November 1962, 9 Jumada II 1382, under Faisal as acting head of government, with compensation paid to owners.