Islam and the Abolition of Slavery
William Gervase Clarence-Smith

New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 293 pages.

This book delves into Islam and its connection with slavery in historical and
etiological terms by presenting the synthesis in an almost axiomatic manner
that “slavery has always been a part and parcel of the basic core and a central
tenet of Islam.” The author relies on various scholarly sources, including the
Qur’an and the hadiths, with the bulk of information coming from non-
Islamic sources. Providing quotes from various scholars (e.g., Lewis, Muir,
Berlioux, Hughes, Garrett, Margoliouth, Roberts, and DeJong) (pp. 16-17),
Clarence-Smith brings out of a set of synergistic syllogisms on the assump-
tive plane that the Qur’an failed to eliminate slavery, that removing this prac-
tice would shake the faith itself, that the Prophet was totally unaware of the
concept of abolition as an idea as well as in practice, and, importantly, that
the whole Islamic social structure with its attendant system was based on a
type of slavery associated with the organization of the harem. 

Hence, from the author’s point of view, Islam in essence kept slavery
within a massive infrastructure and played a negligible role in its demise.
Moreover, the system was abolished mostly due to western effort rather than
any purely religious guidelines or impetus. This organized form of slavery
included singing girls, concubines, common soldiers from the ranks of war
captives as well as non-war captives, cannon fodder, bond maidens, harem
guards, and chattel similar to livestock – collectively often reaching into the
millions. While there were examples of slaves rising to the position of amir,
such instances are exceptions and extremely rare.

The author defends his argument’s basic propositions in eleven highly
condensed chapters. The first chapter, “Introduction,” basically details his
central thesis with supporting arguments, including the intensity of the slave
systems as highlighted above. The concluding segment, “Envoi,” outlines
the current responsibilities of different religious groups for a greater cooper-
ation and unity toward the process of slavery’s final elimination and apolo-
gizing for past misdeeds.

In the second chapter, Clarence-Smith argues that despite some efforts
to stop slavery by Sunni scholars and rulers within the Shari`ah’s frame-
work, the efforts failed due to the fragmented arguments. In the same way,
the author asserts in the third chapter that Sufi traditions, by focusing more
on the inner jihad (struggle) and promoting leniency, did not cause slavery
to disappear either. In the fourth chapter, arguments are made that in the

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processes involving freedom or enslavement, occasionally local ordinances
were more powerful, whereas at other times the Shari`ah played a more vital
role in a similar process. In the fifth chapter, the author argues that some-
times the ulama accepted or rejected locally developed laws, opposing the
religious ones as suited to the situation of functionality. In the sixth chapter,
Clarence-Smith states that the expansion of western imperial power, which
promoted secularism in Muslim lands, did not produce very profound posi-
tive results because all parties benefited from slavery’s continued existence
in one way or another for various economic and political gains. 

The seventh chapter argues that Muslim scholars were divided on slav-
ery, often under western military and political pressure. However, in most
cases, Islamic scholars systematically maneuvered the environment in their
favor. In the eighth chapter, the author, when dealing with the growth of neo-
Sufism and Mahdist movements and the effects of their philosophical activ-
ities in different geographical areas, shows that the approaches to addressing
slavery varied, for they depended on convenience rather than ideological
stance. In the ninth chapter, while addressing the Wahhabi and other move-
ments, for example, in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or India, he states that Islamic
scholars focused more on the literal interpretation of justifying slavery in
varying degrees according to the Hanbali school. The tenth chapter high-
lights the impact of the Mu`tazili tradition, characterized by rationalism in
its opposition of slavery, which produced two groups: radicals seeking
instantaneous abolition, and gradualists seeking a slower pace. In the
eleventh chapter, the author suggests that despite all doubts and condemna-
tions, most religions practiced slavery under various pretexts. 

In conclusion, one could suggest that the book, by some measures, can
be graded as a monumental piece and a landmark study of the Islamic stance
on slavery due to the mass utilization of sources to block every possible
avenue of critique. In the tense climate between the West and the Muslim
world arising within the last few decades, especially with regard to the issues
of women’s rights and terrorism, this book is expected to draw immense
scholarly attention from the Islamic and non-Islamic paradigms involving
the field of Islamic history in particular and history in general, sociology,
justice studies, law, international relations, international human rights issues,
and philosophy, just to mention a few.

In an effort to probe the pivotal propositions, all eleven chapters
remained in general congruency. However, the book falls short of its ulti-
mate goal in terms of appealing to a much larger audience in the realm of
puritanical Islamic scholars who see Islam as a religion of peace within a
systemic context as supported by many non-Muslim scholars. In support of

120 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 24:2



his assertions, the author used a minimal number of Qur’anic verses and
Prophetic hadith and did not demonstrate a proper understanding of Islam in
structural terms. Moreover, the analyses lacked the following elements: a) a
contextual component of Qur’anic verses and specific hadiths related to the
Revelation, b) a portrayal of the interrelationship between various Qur’anic
verses in relation to the hadith literature, c) synthetic links between various
hadiths, and d) highlighting the innumerable hadiths emphasizing the
humane treatment of slaves as well as encouraging their emancipation. Due
to these shortcomings, as well as to not putting Islam in a comparative and
teleological perspective, Islam has been presented as a cult and an evil force.
Although the author did provide some comparative element in conjunction
with other religions in the last chapter, this is far too late for many readers to
view Islam in a neutral light. 

Many people who do not have a deeper understanding of Islam would
find the book very conclusive. However, without proper responses to the
shortcomings highlighted in connection with the primary Islamic sources
and their appropriate analyses following an Islamic methodology of probing,
the book’s conclusive status remains tentative. As a consequence, a new edi-
tion is highly recommended along the lines suggested.

Muhammad M. Haque
Department of Social Sciences

McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana

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