Right Hand Possesses: Sexual Slavery in Islam
One of the most troubling aspects of Islamic law is the explicit permission for Muslim men to have sexual relations with female slaves, known euphemistically as "those whom your right hand possesses" (ma malakat aymanukum). This Quranic phrase appears repeatedly and grants Muslim men unrestricted sexual access to enslaved women, even those who are married, without requiring consent or marriage.
Quranic Authorization
The Quran explicitly permits sexual relations with female slaves in multiple passages:
"And [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess." (Quran 4:24)
This verse makes clear that even married women, when enslaved, become sexually lawful for their captors. The marriage bond is dissolved through enslavement, and the woman has no right to refuse her master.
"O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives]." (Quran 33:50)
"And those who guard their private parts except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed." (Quran 23:5-6, also 70:29-30)
These verses establish that sexual relations with enslaved women are not considered fornication or adultery, but rather a legitimate right of ownership. The slave woman cannot refuse her master without sinning.
Hadith Evidence
The hadith literature provides numerous examples of this practice and Muhammad's explicit approval:
"We went out with Allah's Messenger on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing 'azl (coitus interruptus). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him? So we asked Allah's Messenger, and he said: 'It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born.'" (Sahih Muslim 1438a)
This hadith reveals several disturbing facts: the companions captured married women, intended to rape them, and their only concern was whether to practice withdrawal to maintain the women's ransom value. Muhammad's response addressed only the withdrawal method, not the rape itself.
"The Apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the Apostle of Allah were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Quranic verse: 'And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess.'" (Sunan Abu Dawud 2155)
This hadith explicitly states that Quran 4:24 was revealed to permit the rape of married women in front of their captive husbands.
No Consent Required
Islamic law is explicit that a slave woman cannot refuse her master's sexual demands:
"It is not permissible for the slave woman to refuse her master's requests unless she has a valid excuse such as menstruation, postnatal bleeding, or fasting a required fast." (Reliance of the Traveller, o12.4)
The enslaved woman has no bodily autonomy. Her master owns her sexuality completely. This is the legal definition of sexual slavery.
Modern Apologetics
Some Muslim apologists attempt to soften this reality by claiming these relationships were "consensual" or that Islam improved the treatment of slaves. However, by definition, a slave cannot give meaningful consent to someone who owns them and has power of life and death over them. The power differential makes true consent impossible.
Others argue this was merely a practice of the time. However, the Quran presents these verses as eternal moral guidance from Allah, not temporary concessions to 7th-century Arabian culture. If Allah truly opposed slavery, He could have forbidden it explicitly, as He did with alcohol and pork.
Contemporary Relevance
This is not merely historical. When ISIS established its caliphate, it immediately revived the institution of sexual slavery, publishing theological justifications based on these same Quranic verses and hadiths. Their 2014 article "The Revival of Slavery Before the Hour" cited Quran 4:24 and 23:5-6 as justification for enslaving and raping Yazidi women and girls.
Muslim scholars did not deny ISIS's textual basis; they could only argue that proper Islamic authority was lacking to declare these women legitimate slaves. The practice itself, when properly authorized, remains theoretically lawful in Islamic jurisprudence.
Biblical Contrast
While the Old Testament regulated slavery in the ancient world, it also contained the seeds of its abolition. The New Testament transformed this foundation entirely:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
"Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity." (1 Corinthians 7:21)
Paul's letter to Philemon regarding the runaway slave Onesimus demonstrates Christian principles that undermined slavery. Paul sent Onesimus back not as property, but as "a beloved brother" (Philemon 16), revolutionizing the master-slave relationship.
Most importantly, nowhere in the New Testament is sexual access to slaves permitted. The Christian sexual ethic confines sexual relations to marriage between one man and one woman, with no exceptions for enslaved persons.
Christianity provided the moral foundation for the abolitionist movement in the West. William Wilberforce, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and countless other Christians fought slavery precisely because of their Christian convictions that all humans bear God's image.
Questions to Consider
- Can a person who is owned as property give meaningful consent to sexual relations with their owner?
- If the Quran is eternal moral guidance from Allah, why does it authorize sexual slavery rather than forbidding it?
- Why did ISIS scholars confidently cite these Quranic verses and hadiths to justify enslaving and raping women?
- How can apologists claim Islam improved the status of slaves while it explicitly permits their sexual exploitation?
- What does it say about a religion's moral foundation when it grants men unrestricted sexual access to women they capture in war?
- Why has no major Islamic council or scholar body issued a definitive declaration that these verses no longer apply?