<<A master had the right to have sexual relations with his slave woman with no rights due to her. Such a relation was not socially frowned upon because it was normal in that society, but what was REALLY AWFUL (stress VE) is that the slave woman had no rights, making her simply a sex object.
Since Islam came to liberate people from the chains of being socially neglected or humiliated, Islam said that such a relationship must have certain rights. It must mark a change in the life of that slave woman and the outcome of the relation, namely the child. The child was considered free …
As for the slave woman, such a relationship meant an end to her life as a slave, for she would not be the slave of anyone after her master, the father of her child. That is, she could not be sold to anyone else, and she would be manumitted at her master's death. This is a unique solution Islam offered to such a miserable life, and imagine what a great change it brought and HOW MANY SMILES(stress VE) it drew on the faces of many of these agonized slaves.
When Islam came, slavery existed, no doubt about it. And when Islam wanted to ban it, it brought logical and practical solutions for that problem. Many people had their businesses based on trading in slaves and many people were already in the bondage of slavery under their masters at that time.
Let us suppose that Islam had said, overnight, "no more slavery," what would have happened? Many people would have lost their businesses and gone bankrupt, and the economic stability of the society would have been jeopardized. Worse still, many slaves would have found themselves in the street with no shelter or ability to establish a new life...
Therefore, ISLAM WANTED TO BRING SLAVERY TO AN END (stress VE) and drain its sources but in a way that would end happily without causing disruption in the society. Islam started by limiting the sources of acquiring slaves. It prohibited raiding caravans and settled people, and kidnapping and enslaving their women and children. It highly valued the manumission of slaves, and made the freeing of slaves one way of coming nearer to Allah>>
I’m used to arguments of this type, Keyplus, but usually from Christian apologists. In fact, being a person of rather conservative instinct with a suspicion of radical change I would actually respect this argument if it were stated more modestly and honestly. I can understand the claim (which I’m sure moderate Muslims make) that neither Mohammed nor his followers were perfect, but his teaching and the Koran made life better for both women and slaves than it had been before; and that the precepts of the Koran were good for that time, but not necessarily a perfect moral prescription binding on all future generations. This is a perfectly respectable line of reasoning, used also by (what I would call sensible) Jews and Christians that God’s will is revealed imperfectly and gradually. This might suggest problems of consistency for them, but that’s their issue not mine.
But you, Keyplus, as a fundamentalist believe that the Koran is the final revelation of Allah and ,as such, must be inerrant.
In that case, based on the link you posted, might I not expect to find the following:
1. Verses in the Koran which state Allah’s will to end slavery (at some future time) as stated in the above article;
2. Verses in the Koran asserting a slave’s right to avoid the humiliation (which Islam came to liberate her from) of forced sexual congress with her master;
3. If not the manumission of existing slaves, at least the cessation by Mohammed and his followers of the enslavement and humiliation of more women.
I don’t think you’re going to satisfy me on any of these points, are you. Why not, I wonder?
Ah, the “how many smiles” statement! Well, that won’t bother you, Keyplus, will it?