al-Riqq fi al-Jahiliyya wal-Islam
- Author died
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- Editions
- Majallat al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
al-Riqq fi al-Jahiliyya wal-Islam (Slavery in the Pre-Islamic Era and Islam) is a treatise by Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad Hasan al-Jamal, examining the origins, laws, and treatment of slavery across ancient civilizations and pre-Islamic Arabia in contrast to its legal regulations and avenues of emancipation in Islamic jurisprudence .
Author and Publication
The treatise was composed by Shaykh Ibrahim Muhammad Hasan al-Jamal during his tenure as an instructor at the Secondary Institute of the Islamic University of Madinah (al-Ma‘had al-Thanawi bil-Jami‘a al-Islamiyya) . It was published in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami‘a al-Islamiyya bil-Madinah al-Munawwara) across consecutive issues, including issues 50–51 and issue 52 .
Scope and Contents
The work opens with a linguistic and conceptual definition of servitude (al-riqq) and surveys its emergence as an ancient social institution sustained through war, forced labor, and social stratification . It reviews philosophical perspectives and legal practices regarding slaves in antiquity:
- Ancient Philosophy and Civilizations: The author addresses philosophical justifications of servitude by Plato and Aristotle, as well as practices among the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Indians under Brahmanical law, and Chinese traditions .
- Western and Biblical Traditions: The treatise examines slavery in biblical texts, early Christianity, Roman law, Spartan customs, medieval European codes (including Gaulish, Visigothic, Ostrogothic, and Anglo-Saxon legislation), and modern slavery in Europe and the Americas prior to its abolition .
- Pre-Islamic Arabia (al-Jahiliyya): It outlines the sources of enslavement in the Arabian Peninsula, including tribal raiding, commercial trafficking in Mecca under merchants like Abdullah ibn Jud'an, and kidnappings, citing the childhood abduction of Zayd ibn Harithah before he came into the possession of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and was given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
The Islamic Approach
The study details the systemic changes introduced by Islam to dismantle traditional avenues of bondage:
- Eradication of Arbitrary Enslavement: Islam abolished all customary methods of enslavement—such as kidnapping, debt default, gambling, and the sale of freeborn dependents—and strictly forbade Muslims from enslaving other freeborn Muslims, peaceful non-Muslim subjects (Ahl al-Kitab), or non-belligerents .
- Limitation to Legitimate Warfare: Captivity was restricted exclusively to wartime adversaries captured during state-sanctioned defensive warfare waged to protect the community and religious freedom .
- Human Dignity and Social Elevation: The work highlights Islamic teachings asserting universal human brotherhood and racial equality regardless of color or lineage . It illustrates this through early historical examples, such as the purchase and manumission of Bilal ibn Rabah by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq after Bilal was tortured by Umayya ibn Khalaf, and the appointment of Usama ibn Zayd to command an army comprising senior Companions .
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