Female Prisoners Of War (Examples Of Hazrat Safia & Hazrat Jawairiyah)
The statement that “ Islam legalized sex slavery ” is based on lack of information becasue Islam never leaglized sex slavery, instead sex slavery was already a part of Arab Culture. Islam adopted a gradual approach in creating an environment which would lead to eradication of slavery and other menace associated with slavery. For details on Islam’s approach in eradicating Slavery , please see: Discussion 30330 The examples quoted in question had nothing to do with sex slavery; there is a difference between prisoners of war and slaves . Free men and women made captives during war were kept as prisoners not as slaves; only those men and women who were already slaves, their status was not changed unless they could decide for themselves to stand on their feet and change their status. Any intimate relationship that was made with those prisoners, it was only after their consent, after their freedom and after proper Nikah. The notion that females and other men and kids should have been left alone without making them prisoners first is an impractical solution and is also against the norms/ethics of war. Leaving behind helpless women and kids alone is again not a very sound strategy unless people from their family can come to retrieve them which can ensure their safety and health. Every person’s status can only be decided, whether to retain them as a prisoner or to free them and against what ransom, after rounding up every person of the opposing party and deciding their status accordingly based on the information that can be gathered about them. In the battle of Bani Mustaliq , the prisoners captured were either freed in the battlefield as a favour while some others were freed on ransom . The Prophet (sws) brought the remaining prisoners to Medinah and while waiting for their families to procure them, gave them into the temporary custody of his Companions. Among them was Sayyidah Jawairiyah as well . Her father arrived with some camels as ransom. The Prophet (sws) inquired about the two well-bred camels he had hid behind. This astounded him so much – for he knew that there could be no way that the Prophet (sws) could have had knowledge of them – that he accepted faith. At this, Sayyidah Jawairiyah also accepted faith. The Prophet proposed for her to which her father consented. Upon this, the marriage was solemnised. The result of this marriage was that all the remaining prisoners of war were set free by the Muslim soldiers, since they thought that it was not appropriate to keep the Prophet’s in-laws in captivity. In the battle of Khaibar , after a peace treaty had been concluded with the enemy, the Muslim forces came across Safia binti Huyee – a helpless widow of an aristocratic family . Her father, Huyee bin Akhtab – a prominent leader of the Jews had been killed in the battle of Quraizah. The Prophet (sws) set her free and gave her the option to go to back to her family or to marry him if she wanted . Saffiyah showed her consent to marry the Prophet. The marriage subsequently took place. ______ ( For Further Details , please see: Discussion 1763 AND Discussion 32623 )