The general term maa malakat aymanukum (ما ملكت أيمانهن literally "what your right hands possess" or "anything owned blessed to you") appears fourteen times in the Qur'an.
Sexual Intercourse with female slave:
In Islamic Divine Law (Sharia), Ma malakat aymanukum is the term for captives of war. A male master may have legally have sexual intercourse with his female slave, making a Ma malakat aymanukum and spouses the only category of people one may have sexual intercourse with.
According to Quran:
al-Muminun 6 and al-Maarij 30 both, in identical wording, draw a distinction between spouses and "those whom one's right hands possess", saying " أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ" (literally, "their spouses or what their right hands possess"), while clarifying that sexual intercourse with either is permissible. Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi explains that "two categories of women have been excluded from the general command of guarding the private parts: (a) wives, (b) women who are legally in one's possession".
The verse can be broken into three parts:
The Qur'an, chapter 4 (An-Nisa), verse 24:
1- And (also forbidden are) all married women except those whom your right hands possess (this is) Allah's ordinance to you,
2-and lawful for you are (all women) besides those, provided that you seek (them) with your property, taking (them) in marriage not committing fornication. 3-Then as to those whom you profit by, give them their dowries as appointed; and there is no blame on you about what you mutually agree after what is appointed; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise.
Verse 24:33 also states, "But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is Allah, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them)".
Rules:
Regarding rules for having sexual intercourse with Ma malakat aymanukum, a man may not co-habit with a female slave belonging to his wife. Neither may he have relations with a female slave if she is co-owned, or already married. If the female slave has a child by her master, she then receives the title of "Umm Walad" (lit. Mother of a child), which is an improvement in her status as she can no longer be sold and is legally freed upon the death of her master. The child, by default, is born free due to the father (i.e. the master) being a free man. Although there is no limit on the number of concubines a master may possess, the general marital laws are to be observed, such as not having sexual relations with the sister of a female slave.
People are told that if they do not have the means to marry free-women, they can marry, with the permission of their masters, slave-women who are Muslims and are also kept chaste. In such marriages, they must pay their dowers so that this could bring them gradually equal in status to free-women.
Fornication (sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who are not married to each other) is regarded as an offence. Muhammad gave exemplary punishment to owners of brothels that were operated using their slave-women. Muhammad also told people that they are all slaves/servants of Allah and so instead of using the words عَبْد (slave-man) and اَمَة (slave-woman), the words used should be فَتَى (boy/man) and فَتَاة (girl/woman) so that the psyche about them should change and a change is brought about in these age-old concepts.
Other points according to Islam>>
Dress codes:
An-Nur 30–33, in the course of laying down the familiar dress code of Islam, explains that women "should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty" except to various familiar people, including those "whom their right hands possess". Al-Ahzab 55 makes it explicit that the same liberty is given to the Prophet's wives.
An-Nur 58 says that "those whom your right hands possess" and underage children should ask a believer's permission (before they come to their presence) at the three times of day when one is likely to be undressed.
They should not be forced into prostitution if they desire chastity:
An-Nur 24:44 states, "But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is Allah, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them),"
Being good to them:
An-Nisa 36 reminds us that a believer should do good to a variety of people, including "what your right hands possess".
an-Nahl 71 and ar-Rum 28 both use the same metaphor: just as the fortunate among people do not share their wealth with "those whom their right hands possess" to the point of making them equals, nor fear them as they fear each other, so does God with people, bestowing more on some than others, but never making them equals, let alone fearing them. |
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