The African slave dealers were mostly Muslims and Christians.
On 1/27/12, Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I had already read these two verses, and a few more, in the Koran, and
> commented that "the religion asks its followers to treat slaves with
> fairness, and considers freeing a slave to be a good deed." Mr. Q. A. Rahman
> said the same thing below, diluting it in a full page of gibberish.
>
> Let me comment here on Mr. Mustafizur Rahman's statement also. He wrote
> "Rewards for freeing a slave are numerous in Hadith." Let me just trust that
> he read the Hadith and knows this for a fact.
>
> Having agreed with both the Rahmans, let me ask them; is it adequate for a
> civilized world to treat the slaves fairly, to consider freeing a slave to
> be good deed, and to provide some rewards for freeing a slave?
>
> To me, there is no such thing as "treating a slave fairly." Once you brand
> someone as a slave, you are already too unfair to him/her. Reward and praise
> for freeing a slave is not enough for a decent world; we needed abolition of
> slavery. Today slavery is prohibited in all the respectable societies and
> countries of the world. As the human civilization progresses, I have no
> doubt, more and more of the unfairness and injustices will be gone from the
> world.
>
> As for religions, the bottom line is, if an honest reading of your religious
> books allows you to respect the religion, please do so. But do not claim it
> to be perfect, as you should be able to see from this particular example.
>
> Sukhamaya Bain
>
>
> From: qar <qrahman@netscape.net>
> To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:23 AM
> Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] How to follow religions correctly
>
>
>
> I think I can add couple of cents to this dialogue.
>
> To start with it is nor right to expect Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to ban
> slavery overnight. Let me offer an example.
>
> All of us can agree that child labor is a horrible thing for countries like
> Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. HOWEVER if you have to cancel it overnight,
> it would cause more pain to those children and their families unless it is a
> slow gradual process.
>
> Islam is a religion of middle path and a practical religion (If you
> understand it properly). So it was clearly against making free people into
> slaves. The Qur'an says...
>
>
> It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience
> to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in
> prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the
> Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite
> of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkin (the
> poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free,
> performs As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and gives the Zakât, and who fulfill
> their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sâbirin (the patient ones,
> etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting
> (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are
> AlMuttaqûn (pious).
>
>
>
> [ Source: The Noble Qur'ân Al-Baqarah 2:177]
>
>
> and Islam motivated it's followers to get out of the system of slavery.
>
>
> Allâh will not punish you for what is uninentional in your oaths, but He
> will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation (a deliberate
> oath) feed ten Masâkin (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that
> with which you feed your own families; or clothe them; or manumit a slave.
> But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should fast for three days. That
> is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn. And protect your oaths
> (i.e. do not swear much). Thus Allâh make clear to you His Ayât (proofs,
> evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) that you may be
> grateful.
>
>
> [ Source: The Noble Qur'ân An-Nur 2:221]
> It also ordered it's followers to treat slaves fairly.
>
>
> I saw Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a
> cloak. We asked him about that (i.e. how both were wearing similar cloaks).
> He replied, "Once I abused a man and he complained of me to the Prophet. The
> Prophet (peace be upon him) asked me, 'Did you abuse him by slighting his
> mother?' He added, 'Your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given
> you authority. So, if one has one's brethren under one's control, one should
> feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of
> what one wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear,
> and if you do so, help them (in their hard job).' "
>
> [ Source: Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 3.721, Narrated Al Marur bin Suwaid ]
>
> I think most of us know thestory of Bilal (RA). By asking him to call people
> to prayer, prophet Muhammad (PBUH) elevated this dark skinned ex-slave in
> front of Arabs. These are revolutionary steps when you understand all these
> were done over 1400 years ago!!
>
> I'll share a little from a German scholar on Islam
>
>
> Annemarie Schimmel in "Islam: An Introduction", p. 67
> Slavery was not abolished by the Koran, but believers are constantly
> admonished to treat their slaves well. In case of illness a slave has to be
> looked after and well cared for. To manumit [free] a slave is highly
> meritorious; the slave can ransom himself by paying some of the money he has
> earned while conducting his own business. Only children of slaves or
> non-Muslim prisoners of war can become slaves, never a freeborn Muslim;
> therefore slavery is theoretically doomed to disappear with the expansion of
> Islam. The entire history of Islam proves that slaves could occupy any
> office, and many former military slaves, usually recruited from among the
> Central Asian Turks, became military leaders and often even rulers as in
> eastern Iran, India (the Slave Dynasty of Delhi), and medieval Egypt (the
> Mamluks). Eunuchs too served in important capacities, not only as the
> guardians of the women's quarters, but also in high administrative and
> military positions.
>
> Hope this will help members to understand Islamic point of view on this
> topic.
>
>
> Shalom!!
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com>
> To: mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wed, Jan 25, 2012 3:40 am
> Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] How to follow religions correctly
>
>
>
> I suppose the position of Islam on slavery was not the best example for
> "following the essence of what is good in a religion"; it was an OK example.
> My reading of the Koran actually tells me that the religion asks its
> followers to treat slaves with fairness, and considers freeing a slave to be
> a good deed. It does not condemn slavery, nor does it provide any clear cut
> reward for freeing a slave.
>
> However, that does not change my concept of how to follow religions properly
> or correctly. I do not think following anything in any religion that is more
> than a thousand years old should be done literally. Even the good things in
> them should be judged for their essence, and adapted to fit the good common
> senses of the civilized human minds.
>
> Sukhamaya Bain
>
> From: subimal chakrabarty <subimal@yahoo.com>
> To: Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com>; Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 11:15 PM
> Subject: Re: Mukto-mona's new policy in effect
>
> Presentation of a relevant fact does not have to be professional or
> scholarly.
>
> From: Kamal Das <kamalctgu@...>
> To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 11:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] How to follow religions correctly
>
>
> Muhammad himself was not rich enough to possess any slave. However, after
> marriage, he owned a few. The most prominent of them was Bilal who became
> the first muezzin in Islam. History also records him punishing another bunch
> of slaves who escaped with death. I wonder if Subimal Chakravarty found
> this article 'scholarly'.
>
> From: Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com>
> To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 8:19 AM
> Subject: [mukto-mona] How to follow religions correctly
>
>
> To me, following any religion "correctly" would be to follow the essence of
> what is good in it, dump what is bad in it, and not waste too much time
> trying to prove something in it to be good when it actually looks pretty
> bad. I do not have the patience to hear the context in which something
> hateful was uttered in a religious book. Hateful words in a religious book
> do necessarily make that religion bad. To me, the context does not matter,
> because a hateful utterance is very likely to make the average follower
> hateful; the average follower is likely to have no time or wisdom to see the
> context. Also because most human beings should not have too much time to
> spend on religions; they need to keep using, developing and improving
> science and technology, without which even the religious fanatics would not
> have the quality of life that they are enjoying.
>
> Here is an example of what I call "following the essence of what is good in
> religions." Mohammad's preaching of Islam had praise and rewards for people
> who freed slaves; he did not abolish slavery through his religion. To me,
> that was great in the 6th century; and I can respect him for that. But now,
> we are not as primitive as the 6th century people, we can do better than
> that. We not only abolish slavery, we treat all innocent humans with respect
> and dignity; we even afford a good deal of dignified treatment to criminals.
>
> Sukhamaya Bain
>
> ****************************************************
>
> "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to
> say it".
> -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190
>
> Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use
> .
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------
****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration:
Call For Articles:
http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68
http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585
****************************************************
VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
****************************************************
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/