Knowledge Base Section
Islamic Slavery
An analysis of the provisions regarding slavery, concubinage, prisoners of war, the buying and selling of slaves, and manumission within Islamic scriptures, Hadith, Fiqh, and history.
Articles
Sex with Female Slaves in Islam: ‘Ma Malakat Aymanukum’ and the Anatomy of Sexual Slavery
Drawing on the Quran, hadith, classical commentaries, and Islamic jurisprudence, this article examines ‘ma malakat aymanukum’ and the religious authorization of sexual slavery. It analyzes the rules governing…
The Islamic Slave Market: The Commodification and Public Display of Women’s Bodies
Classical Islamic legal texts treated enslaved women as commodities whose bodies could be inspected, touched, sexually used, bought, sold, exchanged, and evaluated according to virginity, physical condition, and…
Under Islamic Law, What Is the Maximum Number of Sex Slaves a Muslim May Keep?
The claim that Islam limits a man to four lawful sexual partners is false. The four-wife limit applies to marriage, not to female slaves owned under milk al-yamin.…
Slave Women as Gifts and Property: Sexual Access, Exchange, and Transfer in Islamic Law
Islamic legal texts document the sale, gifting, exchange, and transfer of enslaved women together with the sexual rights attached to ownership. Reports concerning Umar, Salim ibn Abdullah, Marwan,…
Regarding the Legality of Raping Female Prisoners of War or Concubines in Islam: Is the Concubine’s Consent Necessary?
Drawing on the Quran, hadith, and classical Islamic jurisprudence, this article examines the sexual enslavement of female war captives. It argues that ownership, rather than free and revocable…