Does the Qur'an promote the abolition of slavery? If so, why had the slave trade been allowed to operate across the Muslim world for over a millennium? And why had Muslim scholars not attempted to eradicate slavery previously? These were the questions that Islamic abolitionist scholars explored as they sought to challenge the slave trade throughout the nineteenth century.
The abolition of slavery remains a relatively new concept in human history and scholars from all religious traditions have attempted to navigate the religious and ethical questions raised by the historical acceptance of slavery. In this book, Haroon Bashir tells the story of how scholars promoting abolition in the name of Islam transformed the debate around Islam and slavery. The book explores how abolitionism became the hegemonic position within contemporary Islamic thought and highlights the journey behind the current consensus. Abolitionist arguments were not simply accepted, with defenders of the slave trade using the weight of historical tradition to emphasise the legitimacy of slavery. The strongly contested debates that ensued had huge ramifications for understandings of authority, tradition, and modernity within Islamic thought that are as present as they are past.
Through an exploration of these various discourses and contestations, Slavery, Abolition, and Islam highlights how both slavery and abolition were historically challenged within the Islamic context and demonstrates how those debates continue to impact contemporary discussions. In doing so, the book also explores broader themes of religious traditions, continuity, and transformation.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Bashir's scholarship offers one of the first substantial studies of this complex and delicate topic. Showing mastery of its sources, it surveys Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic jurisprudence, and modernist reasoning to explore shifting perspectives on slavery in Islamic thought, and the viability of an "Islamic abolitionism". This is a bold leap forward in the field, written with both precision and ambition. It has acute relevance in a world that has seen the re-imposition of "Islamic" enslavement practices through Islamic State and other groups on the one hand, and an increased recognition of the global legacies of systems of slavery on the other. Moreover, the book has direct bearing for how complex issues arising from classical Islamic jurisprudence might be productively reformulated in contemporary times. * Justin Jones, Associate Professor of the Study of Religion, University of Oxford * A remarkable book on a topic of more contemporary importance than one might think. Haroon Bashir combines the skills of the historian with those of the theologian to great effect. * Mark Sedgwick, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, Aarhus University * A fascinating and perceptive exploration of how Islamic abolitionism became the mainstream, indeed hegemonic, position in contemporary Islamic thought Lucidly written, wide-ranging, and systematically conceptualised, [Haroon Bashir] makes a significant contribution to the critical study of Islam * Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla, Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies, University of Edinburgh * Emancipation for liberation has always been a noble and rewarding act, although at that time slavery as an institution was not considered problematic. The presence of Muslim reformist intellectuals in the 19th century further emphasized the discourse and attitude of 'Islamic abolitionism' which rested on this emancipatory ethic. Muslim reformers believed that the abolition of slavery was in line with the Islamic worldview. * Rosdiansyah, RMOLJATIM *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Produkt-Hinweis
Fadenheftung
Gewebe-Einband
Maße
Höhe: 236 mm
Breite: 167 mm
Dicke: 22 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-19-287474-0 (9780192874740)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Dr Haroon Bashir is Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. Since 2021, Dr Bashir also serves as the Director of the Markfield Centre for Contemporary Islam. His research focuses on Islam's conversation with modernity, contemporary Islamic thought, and Quranic interpretation.
Autor*in
Senior Lecturer in Islamic StudiesSenior Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Markfield Institute of Higher Education
Preface
Acknowledgements
Note on Transliteration and Translation
Introduction
1: Slavery in Classical Exegesis
2: Persons, Property and Liminal Spaces: The Slave in Islamic Law
3: Situating Islamic Reform
4: Sayyid Ahmad Khan and 'Quranic Abolition'
5: Mu?ammad 'Abduh, Rashid Ri?a and 'Quranic Gradualism'
6: What is the Islamic Position on Abolition? Hermeneutical Paradigms and Interpretive Communities
Epilogue: The Future of 'Islamic Abolitionism'
Glossary of Terms
Chronology of Key Figures/Scholars
Bibliography
