Islamic views on concubinage

For the history of this practice, see History of concubinage in the Muslim world

In classical Islamic law, a concubine was a slave-woman with whom her master engaged in sexual relations. Concubinage was widely accepted by Muslim scholars in pre-modern times. Most modern Muslims, both scholars and laypersons, believe that Islam no longer accepts concubinage and that sexual relations are religiously permissible only within marriage.

Quotes by Muslims

Quran

• If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.
  • 4:3 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

• Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: Thus hath Allah ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property,—desiring chastity, not lust, seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise."
  • 4:24 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

• And those who preserve their chastity. Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
  • 70:29-30 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

• Who abstain from sex, And who guard their modesty, And who guard their private parts, Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess,—for (in their case) they are free from blame.
  • 23:5-6 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

• O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;—this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;—in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
  • 33:50 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

• It is not allowed thee to take (other) women henceforth, nor that thou shouldst change them for other wives even though their beauty pleased thee, save those whom thy right hand possesseth. And Allah is ever Watcher over all things.
  • 33:52 (tr. Yusuf Ali)

Islamic law

• It was unnecessary to invite infidels in the abode of war to embrace Islam before seizing their persons, because they were ‘something which is the property of no particular person and may by law become the property of a Mooslim. ... They are classed with inanimate things ... thus liable to be reduced to state of property, like things which were originally common by nature’. For a raider, this entailed that ‘such of the inhabitants, as have fallen into his hands, are at his absolute disposal, and may be lawfully reduced to slavery’ .
  • Baillie, N. B. E. (1957) A digest of Moohummudan law, Lahore: n. pub., reprint of 1869-75 edn. As quoted in — William Gervase Clarence-Smith; W. G. Clarence-Smith (2006). Islam and the Abolition of Slavery. Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0.

• If Zoroastrian and idolatrous women are taken prisoner, they are coerced into Islam; if they embrace it, sexual relations with them are permissible and they can (also) be used as maidservants. If they do not embrace Islam, they are used as maidservants but not for sexual relations.
  • Ibn Hanbal, cited in Jāmi‘ of al-Khallāl (d. 311 A.H. / 923 A.D.). Quoted in Yohanan Friedmann, "Tolerance and Coercion in Islam: Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 107-108

• A man may gratify his passion with his female slave in whatever way he pleases. It is lawful for a man to perform the act of Azil (i.e. coitus interruptus) with his female slave without her consent, whereas he cannot lawfully do so by his wife unless with her permission. The reason of this is that the Prophet has forbidden the act of Azil with a free woman without her consent but has permitted it to a master in the case of his female slave.
  • The Hidayah , Volume IV, Book XLIV, pp. 600-601

• Besides, carnal connexion is the right of a free woman for the gratifying of her passion, and the propagation of children (whence it is that a wife is at liberty to reject a husband who is an eunuch or impotent); whereas a slave possesses no such right.—A man, therefore, is not at liberty to injure the right of his wife, whereas a master is absolute with respect to his slave. If, also, a man should marry the female slave of another, he must not perform the act of Azil with her without the consent of her master.
  • The Hidayah , Volume IV, Book XLIV, pp. 600-601

• The object, in the purchase of a female slave, is cohabitation and generation of children.
  • The Hidayah (an important Muslim law book), translated by C. Hamilton, Vol. II, p. 409. (Also quoted in Lal, K. S. (1994). Muslim slave system in medieval India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. Ch. 11)

• They (i.e., the Prophet’s companions) did not make sexual relations with Arab captives contingent on their conversion; rather they had sexual relations with them after one menstrual period. God allowed them to do this and did not make it conditional on conversion.
  • Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, quoted from Yohanan Friedmann, Tolerance and Coercion in Islam : Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition, Cambridge University Press, 2003.— pp. 176-178

• There is nothing wrong in a man having sexual relations with his Zoroastrian slave-girl.
  • Said ibn al-Musayyib. Safiıd b. al-Musayyab, quoted from Yohanan Friedmann, Tolerance and Coercion in Islam : Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition, Cambridge University Press, 2003.— pp. 176-178

Quotes by others

• 'Tis true, our law forbids to wed a Christian;
  But it forbids you not to ravish her.
  You have a conqueror's right upon your slave;
  And then the more despite you do a Christian,
  You serve the prophet more, who loathes that sect.
  • John Dryden, Don Sebastian (1698), III, i (Mufti)

• The Muhammadan religion appears to give almost unlimited license to concubinage, provided the woman be a slave and not a free Muslim woman.
  • Hughes, T.P., Dictionary of Islam, W.H. Allen & Co., London, 1885

See also

• History of concubinage in the Muslim world
• Islamic views on slavery

External links

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Islamic views on concubinage