The short answer
Yes. Islam did not abolish slavery outright; the Quran and Sunnah regulated an institution that existed throughout the world at the time, including female captives and concubinage. At the same time they made freeing slaves a major act of worship and an expiation for sins such as accidental killing, forbade kidnapping and selling free people, ordered that slaves be fed and clothed like their owners, and opened legal paths to freedom.
It would be dishonest to deny it: the Quran refers to "those your right hands possess" and permits relations with female slaves alongside wives 1. Classical scholars also listed enslavement among the options a Muslim ruler had with prisoners of war, in addition to the options named in the verse, releasing them freely or for ransom 2.
But the direction of the sources is unmistakable. The Quran calls freeing a slave "the difficult pass" that a person of real faith climbs 3, and it makes freeing a believing slave the expiation for accidental killing 4. Slaves who wanted to buy their freedom were to be given a contract, and owners were told to "give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you" 5.
The Prophet ﷺ set firm rules for how slaves were to be treated. "Your slaves are your brothers", he said; "feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears", and do not burden them beyond their capacity 6. He said that the expiation for slapping or beating a slave is to set him free 7. And he warned that Allah Himself will be the opponent of the one who "sells a free person (as a slave)" 8, which scholars took as forbidding the kidnapping and sale of free people. Classical law did, however, allow people captured in war, including women and children, to be enslaved 2.
So the texts regulated slavery and pushed steadily toward freedom, rather than banning it in one step. Slavery has since been abolished across the world, including in every Muslim-majority country, and many scholars see that as serving the goal the sources kept returning to: the freeing of human beings.
Believers guard their chastity except with their wives or those their right hands possess.
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوجِهِمۡ حَٰفِظُونَ ٥ إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُمۡ فَإِنَّهُمۡ غَيۡرُ مَلُومِينَ ٦
5 And they who guard their private parts 6 Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed
Classical options with prisoners - release freely, ransom, execution or enslavement.
When you, O believers, face those disbelievers who wage war against you then strike their necks with your swords, and persist in fighting them until you subdue them and eradicate their power. Once you have subdue them, tie the chains of the captives. When you capture them you have the option, as per the demand of interests, of being graceful to them by releasing them for no ransom, ransoming them for wealth or something else, killing them, or enslaving them. Continue fighting and capturing them until the war ends by the disbelievers’ accepting Islam or by your entering into a treaty with them. The mentioned trial of the believers with the disbelievers, the alternation of fortunes and the victory of one over the other, is Allah’s decision. If Allah willed to defeat the disbelievers without a fight, He would have done so, but He ordained striving in His path to test some of you with others. He tests who of the believers fights and who doesn’t. He tests the disbeliever with the believer: If the believer is killed he enters Paradise and if the believer kills him he enters the fire. Those who are killed in Allah’s path, Allah will never nullify their deeds.
The difficult pass is the freeing of a slave.
فَلَا ٱقۡتَحَمَ ٱلۡعَقَبَةَ ١١ وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡعَقَبَةُ ١٢ فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ١٣
11 But he has not broken through the difficult pass 12 And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass 13 It is the freeing of a slave
Freeing a believing slave is the expiation for accidental killing.
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنٍ أَن يَقۡتُلَ مُؤۡمِنًا إِلَّا خَطَـࣰٔ اۚ وَمَن قَتَلَ مُؤۡمِنًا خَطَـࣰٔ ا فَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةࣲ مُّؤۡمِنَةࣲ وَدِيَةࣱ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَصَّدَّقُواْۚ فَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوۡمٍ عَدُوࣲّ لَّكُمۡ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنࣱ فَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةࣲ مُّؤۡمِنَةࣲۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوۡمِۭ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَبَيۡنَهُم مِّيثَٰقࣱ فَدِيَةࣱ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ وَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةࣲ مُّؤۡمِنَةࣲۖ فَمَن لَّمۡ يَجِدۡ فَصِيَامُ شَهۡرَيۡنِ مُتَتَابِعَيۡنِ تَوۡبَةࣰ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمࣰ ا ٩٢
And never is it for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And whoever kills a believer by mistake - then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to the deceased's family [is required] unless they give [up their right as] charity. But if the deceased was from a people at war with you and he was a believer - then [only] the freeing of a believing slave; and if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty - then a compensation payment presented to his family and the freeing of a believing slave. And whoever does not find [one or cannot afford to buy one] - then [instead], a fast for two months consecutively, [seeking] acceptance of repentance from Allah. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise
Grant slaves who seek it a contract of freedom and give them from Allah's wealth.
وَلۡيَسۡتَعۡفِفِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغۡنِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبۡتَغُونَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُكُمۡ فَكَاتِبُوهُمۡ إِنۡ عَلِمۡتُمۡ فِيهِمۡ خَيۡرࣰ اۖ وَءَاتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِيٓ ءَاتَىٰكُمۡۚ وَلَا تُكۡرِهُواْ فَتَيَٰتِكُمۡ عَلَى ٱلۡبِغَآءِ إِنۡ أَرَدۡنَ تَحَصُّنࣰ ا لِّتَبۡتَغُواْ عَرَضَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ وَمَن يُكۡرِههُّنَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ إِكۡرَٰهِهِنَّ غَفُورࣱ رَّحِيمࣱ ٣٣
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
Slaves are your brothers; feed and clothe them as yourselves and do not overburden them.
Narrated Al-Ma'rur: At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them
حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ وَاصِلٍ الأَحْدَبِ، عَنِ الْمَعْرُورِ، قَالَ لَقِيتُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ بِالرَّبَذَةِ، وَعَلَيْهِ حُلَّةٌ، وَعَلَى غُلاَمِهِ حُلَّةٌ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَابَبْتُ رَجُلاً، فَعَيَّرْتُهُ بِأُمِّهِ، فَقَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ أَعَيَّرْتَهُ بِأُمِّهِ إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ، إِخْوَانُكُمْ خَوَلُكُمْ، جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَحْتَ أَيْدِيكُمْ، فَمَنْ كَانَ أَخُوهُ تَحْتَ يَدِهِ فَلْيُطْعِمْهُ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ، وَلْيُلْبِسْهُ مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ، وَلاَ تُكَلِّفُوهُمْ مَا يَغْلِبُهُمْ، فَإِنْ كَلَّفْتُمُوهُمْ فَأَعِينُوهُمْ ".
The expiation for slapping or beating one's slave is to set him free.
Zadhan Abl Umar reported:I came to Ibn 'Umar as he had granted freedom to a stave. He (the narrator further) said: He took hold of a wood or something like it from the earth and said: It (freedom of a slave) has not the reward evert equal to it, but the fact that I heard Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) say: He who slaps his slave or beats him, the expiation for it is that he should set him free
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كَامِلٍ، فُضَيْلُ بْنُ حُسَيْنٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ فِرَاسٍ، عَنْ ذَكْوَانَ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ زَاذَانَ أَبِي عُمَرَ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ وَقَدْ أَعْتَقَ مَمْلُوكًا - قَالَ - فَأَخَذَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ عُودًا أَوْ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ مَا فِيهِ مِنَ الأَجْرِ مَا يَسْوَى هَذَا إِلاَّ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " مَنْ لَطَمَ مَمْلُوكَهُ أَوْ ضَرَبَهُ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ "
Allah will oppose the one who sells a free person as a slave.
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says, 'I will be against three persons on the Day of Resurrection: -1. One who makes a covenant in My Name, but he proves treacherous. -2. One who sells a free person (as a slave) and eats the price, -3. And one who employs a laborer and gets the full work done by him but does not pay him his wages
حَدَّثَنِي بِشْرُ بْنُ مَرْحُومٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سُلَيْمٍ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " قَالَ اللَّهُ ثَلاَثَةٌ أَنَا خَصْمُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، رَجُلٌ أَعْطَى بِي ثُمَّ غَدَرَ، وَرَجُلٌ بَاعَ حُرًّا فَأَكَلَ ثَمَنَهُ، وَرَجُلٌ اسْتَأْجَرَ أَجِيرًا فَاسْتَوْفَى مِنْهُ، وَلَمْ يُعْطِ أَجْرَهُ ".
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24