Le viol dans la loi islamique: Difference between revisions

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{{Quote|Al Muwatta XXVIII-Le livre du mariage (7) hadith n°18|Al-Kassem Ibn Mouhammad a rapporté qu'on demanda Aicha, femme du Prophète r (salallahou alayhi wa salam) (Sur lui la grâce et la paix d'Allah) au sujet d'un homme qui avait définitivement divorcé sa femme, celle-ci étant remariée avec un autre qui l‟a répudié, sans avoir des relations charnelles avec elle. Est-il permis à son premier mari, de l'avoir de nouveau»? Aicha répondit: «non, '''pas avant qu'il n'ait goûté son petit miel '''(c.à.d le second mari).}}
{{Quote|Al Muwatta XXVIII-Le livre du mariage (7) hadith n°18|Al-Kassem Ibn Mouhammad a rapporté qu'on demanda Aicha, femme du Prophète r (salallahou alayhi wa salam) (Sur lui la grâce et la paix d'Allah) au sujet d'un homme qui avait définitivement divorcé sa femme, celle-ci étant remariée avec un autre qui l‟a répudié, sans avoir des relations charnelles avec elle. Est-il permis à son premier mari, de l'avoir de nouveau»? Aicha répondit: «non, '''pas avant qu'il n'ait goûté son petit miel '''(c.à.d le second mari).}}


Sean Anthony et Catherine Bronson ont noté que "les érudits modernes ont tendance à considérer l'histoire la plus scandaleuse impliquant l'esclave comme la plus ancienne étant donné qu'elle apparaît dans les premières sources, bien que l'histoire du miel a un pedigrée supérieur aux yeux des savants. Ces érudits modernes raisonnent que, si l'histoire de la jalousie de Hafṣah après avoir vu le Prophète avec son esclave est antérieure à l'histoire du miel, alors les exégètes ont probablement inventé le récit du miel à une date ultérieure afin de fournir une alternative à la représentation peu flatteuse du Prophète et de ses épouses dans la première histoire. De plus, alors que l'histoire du miel peut fournir une explication quelque peu plausible pour les versets 66: 1-2, sa force explicative diminue considérablement lorsqu'elle est appliquée aux versets suivants. La gravité des versets 66: 5-6, qui menacent de divorce comme sanction pour avoir comploté contre le Prophète, semble disproportionnée pour une simple histoire de miel et de mauvaise haleine. "<ref>Sean Anthony and Catherine Bronson (2016) "Did Ḥafṣah edit the Qurʾān? A response with notes on the codices of the Prophet's wives" Journal of the Interational Quranic Studies Association 1(2016) pp.93-125 (p.102)</ref>
Sean Anthony et Catherine Bronson ont noté que "les érudits modernes ont tendance à considérer l'histoire la plus scandaleuse impliquant l'esclave comme la plus ancienne étant donné qu'elle apparaît dans les premières sources, bien que l'histoire du miel a un pedigrée supérieur aux yeux des savants. Ces érudits modernes raisonnent que, si l'histoire de la jalousie de Hafṣah après avoir vu le Prophète avec son esclave est antérieure à l'histoire du miel, alors les exégètes ont probablement inventé le récit du miel à une date ultérieure afin de fournir une alternative à la représentation peu flatteuse du Prophète et de ses épouses dans la première histoire. De plus, alors que l'histoire du miel peut fournir une explication quelque peu plausible pour les versets 66: 1-2, sa crédibilité diminue considérablement lorsqu'elle est appliquée aux versets suivants. La gravité des versets 66: 5-6, qui menacent de divorce comme sanction pour avoir comploté contre le Prophète, semble disproportionnée pour une simple histoire de miel et de mauvaise haleine. "<ref>Sean Anthony and Catherine Bronson (2016) "Did Ḥafṣah edit the Qurʾān? A response with notes on the codices of the Prophet's wives" Journal of the Interational Quranic Studies Association 1(2016) pp.93-125 (p.102)</ref>


===Ali rapes an underage ward of the state===
===Ali viole une mineure (faisant partie du cinquième du butin)===


Another relevant hadith is one which concerns an incident which led to the famous event of Ghadir Khumm, which is much disputed between Sunnis and Shias. Both Sunni and Shia sources agree that Muhammad received complaints about 'Ali taking a slave-girl from the ''Khums'' (the fifth of all booty allotted for the state<ref>{{Quran|8|41}}</ref>) to which those complaining felt that no private party was entitled.
Un autre hadith pertinent concerne un incident qui a conduit au célèbre événement de Ghadir Khumm, sur lequel se disputent sunnites et chiites. Les sources sunnites et chiites conviennent que Muhammad a reçu des plaintes concernant 'Ali prenant une esclave des Khums (inculse dans le cinquième du butin réservé à l'État <ref>{{Quran|8|41}}</ref>), les plaignants estimant qu'aucun particulier n'y avait droit.


The Arabic of the Sunni hadith below mentions 'Ali taking a Ghusl bath (which is mandatory after sexual contact or ejaculation), implying sexual activity. Later, at a place called Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad tried to pacify those who were upset with 'Ali by declaring Ali to be his ''Mawla''. ''Mawla'' is an honorific meaning something between "follower", "ally", and "leader", which the Shia interpret to mean "successor of Muhammad". Thus, in some sense, Ali's having raped an underage captive becomes the immediate cause of what the Shi'a insist was the the announcement of Ali's succession. The emergent Sunni polemic here casts some doubt on the historical reliability of the hadith, yet, as a hadith included in Sahih Bukhari, it more than meets the Sunni requirements for authenticity.
Le hadith sunnite (surtout en arabe) ci-dessous mentionne 'Ali faisant le Ghusl (toilette complète  obligatoire après un contact sexuel ou une éjaculation), ce qui implique une activité sexuelle. Plus tard, en un endroit appelé Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad a tenté d'apaiser les mécontents en déclarant qu'Ali était son Mawla. Mawla est un titre honorifique signifiant quelque chose entre "suiveur", "allié" et "chef", que les chiites interprètent comme signifiant "successeur de Mohammed". Ainsi, dans un certain sens, le fait qu'Ali ait violé une captive mineure a pour conséquence immédiate l'annonce de la succession d'Ali sur laquelle insistent les chiites. La polémique sunnite qui émerge ici jette un doute sur la fiabilité historique du hadith, mais, en tant que hadith inclus dans Sahih Bukhari, il prend le pas sur les exigences sunnites d'authenticité.


{{Quote|{{Bukhari|5|59|637}}|Narrated Buraida:
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|5|59|637}}|Selon Bourayda : Le Prophète (ﷺ) envoya 'Alî (Ibn Abî Tâlib) à Khalid Ibn al-Walîd pour rapporter le cinquième du butin, dit Bourayda. En ce temps, je détestais ''' 'Âli,...il avait pris son bain (après avoir eu des relations sexuelles avec une fille esclave faisant partie du butin)''' ! J'ai dit à Khâlid : « tu ne vois pas ce qu'il fait ? » Quand nous sommes revenus vers le Prophète (ﷺ), je le mis au courant ! Il me dit : « Bourayda ! Détestes-tu 'Alî à ce point ? - Oui ! Dis-je. - Ne le déteste pas ! 'Alî a plus de droit que cela du cinquième du butin ! »}}Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 1449), one of the most famous Hadith scholars of all time, points out in his seminal ''Fath al-Bari'' (the still-standard commentary on Sahih Bukhari) what several scholars before him noted: that in accounts of this event, Ali does not observe the required ''iddah'' (waiting) period to determine whether or not the girl was pregnant. Al-Asqalani quotes al-Khattabi who summarizes the possibilities: "she was either a virgin [strongly implying a young age in a culture where women married young], had not yet reached maturity, or Ali's ''[[ijtihad]]'' [independent reasoning] led him to not adhere to the waiting period in her case."<ref>{{Quote||لِاحْتِمَالِ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَذْرَاءَ أَوْ دُونَ الْبُلُوغِ أَوْ أَدَّاهُ اجْتِهَادُهُ أَنْ لَا اسْتِبْرَاءَ فِيهَا}}
 
The Prophet (ﷺ) sent `Ali to Khalid to bring the Khumus (of the booty) and I hated `Ali, and '''`Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual act with a slave-girl from the Khumus)'''. I said to Khalid, "Don't you see this (i.e. `Ali)?" When we reached the Prophet (ﷺ) I mentioned that to him. He said, "O Buraida! Do you hate `Ali?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do you hate him, for he deserves more than that from the Khumus."}}Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 1449), one of the most famous Hadith scholars of all time, points out in his seminal ''Fath al-Bari'' (the still-standard commentary on Sahih Bukhari) what several scholars before him noted: that in accounts of this event, Ali does not observe the required ''iddah'' (waiting) period to determine whether or not the girl was pregnant. Al-Asqalani quotes al-Khattabi who summarizes the possibilities: "she was either a virgin [strongly implying a young age in a culture where women married young], had not yet reached maturity, or Ali's ''[[ijtihad]]'' [independent reasoning] led him to not adhere to the waiting period in her case."<ref>{{Quote||لِاحْتِمَالِ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَذْرَاءَ أَوْ دُونَ الْبُلُوغِ أَوْ أَدَّاهُ اجْتِهَادُهُ أَنْ لَا اسْتِبْرَاءَ فِيهَا}}


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{{Citation|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AD_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A_%D8%AC_9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A/YzZJCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D9%84%D9%90%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D9%85%D9%8E%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%90%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%86%D9%92%20%D8%AA%D9%8E%D9%83%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8E%20%D8%B9%D9%8E%D8%B0%D9%92%D8%B1%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%8E%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%20%D8%AF%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8E%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%92%D8%A8%D9%8F%D9%84%D9%8F%D9%88%D8%BA%D9%90%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D8%AF%D9%91%D9%8E%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%8F%20%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D9%87%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8F%D9%87%D9%8F%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%86%D9%92%20%D9%84%D9%8E%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D8%A8%D9%92%D8%B1%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%8E%20%D9%81%D9%90%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%8E|title=Fath al-Bari|publisher=Dar Taybah|page=487|volume=9|author=Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani}}</ref>

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Le viol, connu dans la loi islamique sous le nom de zina bil-ikrah ou zina bil-jabr (littéralement " fornication de force"), est généralement défini par les juristes musulmans comme un rapport sexuel forcé, perpétré par un homme sur une femme qui n'est ni sa femme ni son esclave. En effet, le consentement d'une esclave au sexe, au coït interrompu (azl) ou à être épousée n'est pas considéré comme nécessaire historiquement.[1] De même, toujours selon la loi islamique, les femmes mariées sont tenues de se plier aux avances sexuelles de leurs maris. Infliger des rapports sexuels non consentis à son esclave ou à sa femme étant permis[2], la notion de « viol » est par conséquant jugée inexistante dans les contextes du mariage comme de l'esclavage.[3][4][1]

Le violeur peut être puni d'une peine de hadd - lapidation (s'il est marié) ou de coups de fouet (s'il n'est pas marié) - tout comme pour la Zina ordinaire (fornication ou rapports illégaux). Il n'y a pas de sanction pour la victime d'un viol si elle est en mesure de prouver qu'elle a été violée. Or, quatre témoins sont nécessaires pour prouver qu'elle a été violée.[5][6] Les juristes ne s'entendent pas sur la question de savoir si le violeur doit également verser une dot en compensation à la victime. Une position controversée de certains juristes modernes veut que la peine de hadd pour les hors-la-loi devrait s'appliquer aux violeurs (hadd Hirabah), décrite dans le Coran 5:33. D'autres disent que le viol peut être traité par le juge comme une infraction passible de la peine de tazir (discrétionnaire) (comme au Pakistan, par exemple). Ces approches évitent l'exigence peu pratique de quatre témoins pour appliquer une peine de zina hadd en l'absence d'aveux d'un violeur. Dans certains autres tribunaux modernes, une femme risque d'être accusée de zina si elle ne peut pas prouver, selon cette norme, qu'elle a été violée et être lapidée à mort[7]  pendant que les violeurs restent impunis.[8]

Kecia Ali, professeure agrégée de religion à l'Université de Boston (musulmane convertie) déclare à propos des relations sexuelles avec des esclaves : "Pour les juristes musulmans prémodernes, ainsi que pour les figures marginales qui croient que l'autorisation [pour l'esclavage] est toujours valable, la qualification de "viol " ne s'applique pas : la propriété rend le sexe licite ; le consentement n'est pas pertinent."[9] Le Dr Jonathan Brown, professeur agrégé et président de la civilisation islamique à l'Université de Georgetown (également un musulman converti) a fait des commentaires similaires.[10][11]

Le viol dans le Coran

On ne trouve aucun verset dans le Coran qui décourage explicitement les rapports sexuels forcés et d’ailleurs, il n'y a pas d'équivalent au terme "viol" dans le Coran. Bien que la chasteté soit encouragée en tant que vertu, elle est fréquemment commandée parallèlement à l'exception récurrente "si ce n'est qu'avec leurs épouses ou celles que leur main droite possède" (voir Coran 23:1-6), encourageant les hommes à poursuivre l'assouvissement de leur appétit sexuel avec celles qui leur sont licites.

La sourate 4 est l'une des sourates qui explique quelles femmes sont licites ou illicites pour les hommes musulmans. Alors que les versets pertinents de cette sourate peuvent passer pour inintelligibles en l'absence de contexte (comme une grande partie des textes substantiels du Coran), les Tafsirs (exégèses du Coran) faisant autorité et les Hadiths (narrations prophétiques) Sahih (authentiques) associés à ces versets permettent de normaliser dans une certaine mesure la tradition interprétative et juridique islamique. Bien que les hadiths et surtout les tafsîrs soient théologiquement considérés comme postérieurs au contenu du Coran, les interprétations indépendantes et surtout innovantes du Coran qui divergent de la tradition de ces derniers ne sont pas acceptées.

Coran 4:24 – viol d'esclaves et de captives précédemment mariées

23- Vous sont interdites vos mères, filles, soeurs, tantes paternelles et tantes maternelles, filles d'un frère et filles d'une soeur, mères qui vous ont allaités, soeurs de lait, mères de vos femmes, belles-filles sous votre tutelle et issues des femmes avec qui vous avez consommé le mariage; si le mariage n'a pas été consommé, ceci n'est pas un péché de votre part; les femmes de vos fils nés de vos reins; de même que deux soeurs réunies - exception faite pour le passé. Car vraiment Allah est Pardonneur et Miséricordieux;


24- et parmi les femmes, les dames (qui ont un mari), sauf si elles sont vos esclaves en toute propriété. Prescription d'Allah sur vous! A part cela, il vous est permis de les rechercher, en vous servant de vos biens et en concluant mariage, non en débauchés. Puis, de même que vous jouissez d'elles, donnez-leur leur mahr, comme une chose due. Il n'y a aucun péché contre vous à ce que vous concluez un accord quelconque entre vous après la fixation du mahr. Car Allah est, certes, Omniscient et Sage.

Ce verset indique que les musulmans sont autorisés à épouser leurs femmes esclaves qui ont déjà un mari tant que la dot est payée. D'autres versets montrent que les propriétaires d'esclaves n'avaient même pas à épouser leurs esclaves pour avoir des relations sexuelles avec elles (voir la section ci-dessous Liberté et mariage comme exigence universelle).

Les hadiths Sahih dans Muslim et Abu Dawud détaillent la nature de l'autorisation accordée par ce verset: certains des combattants de Muhammad étaient réticents à avoir des rapports sexuels avec des captives déjà mariées aux hommes non musulmans du parti vaincu.

Abu Sa'id Al Khudri a déclaré: "Le Messager d'Allah (ﷺ) a envoyé une expédition militaire à Awtas à l'occasion de la bataille de Hunain. Ils ont rencontré leur ennemi et se sont battus avec eux. Ils les ont vaincus et les ont faits prisonniers. Certains des Compagnons de l'Apôtre d'Allah (ﷺ) étaient réticents à avoir des relations avec les femmes captives à cause de leurs maris païens. Ainsi, Allah l'Exalté a fait descendre le verset coranique "Et toutes les femmes mariées (vous sont interdites) sauf celles (captives) que votre main droite possède." C'est-à-dire qu'elles leur sont licites lorsqu'elles achèvent leur période d'attente. Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

Le hadith du Sahih Muslim se trouve dans le chapitre intitulé : « De l'autorisation d'avoir des rapports sexuels avec la captive après la période d'attente ; même si elle est mariée, son statut de captive annule son mariage ».[12]

D'après Abû Sa'îd al-Khudrî : Le jour de Hunayn, le Messager d'Allah (ﷺ) envoya une armée à Awtâs. Elle rencontra l'ennemi, le combattit, le défit et emporta des prisonnières. Certains Compagnons du Messager d'Allah (ﷺ) semblaient gênés d'avoir des rapports avec des captives, car elles étaient mariées à des polythéistes. Allah ( سُبْحانَهُ وتَعالىٰ)révéla alors à ce propos : « ...et les femmes déjà mariées, sauf si elles sont vos captives »(Coran 4:24) – (C'est-à-dire : elles vous sont permises lorsque leur délai de viduité est écoulé).

Dans le tafsîr d'Ibn Kathir, le plus éminent de tous les exégètes du Coran, concernant le verset 4:24 :

C’est à dire les femmes mariées de bonne condition sont aussi interdites à moins qu’elles ne soient des captives de guerre, car il est permis d'avoir de rapports avec ces dernières à condition de s’assurer de leur vacuité (c.à.d non enceintes). A ce propos Abou Sa'id Al-Khoudri a rapporté: «Dans une de nos expéditions nous avons eu, parmi le butin, des femmes de Awtas qui avaient des époux. Comme nous répugnions de les cohabiter, nous demandâmes à l’Envoyé de Dieu -qu’Allah le bénisse et le salue- à leur sujet. Dieu alors fit descendre ce verset: «Il vous est interdit d’épouser les femmes déjà engagées dans le mariage, à moins que ce ne soient des captives» Et par la suite nous eûmes de rapports avec elles. (littéralement : 'à la suite de ces versets, leurs épouses (infidèles) nous sont devenues légitimes') C'est la formulation recueillie par At-Tirmidhi An-Nasa'i, Ibn Jarir et Muslim dans son Sahih.)

De même dans Tafsîr al-Jalalayn (interprétation du Coran par deux Jalals à savoir : Jalaluddin Mahalli et Jalaluddin Suyuti, les deux autorités) :

Et il vous est interdit d'épouser les femmes mariées, celles qui ont des conjoints, avant qu'elles aient quitté leurs conjoints, qu'elles soient musulmanes libres ou non ; sauf ce que vos mains droites possèdent, des filles [esclaves] capturées, avec lesquelles vous pouvez avoir des relations sexuelles, même si elles ont des conjoints dans le camp ennemi, mais seulement après qu'elles ont été absous de la possibilité d'une grossesse [après l'achèvement de un cycle menstruel] ; c'est ce que Dieu vous a prescrit.

Certains des premiers érudits musulmans ont soutenu que les mariages d'esclaves, qu'ils soient entre esclaves ou entre une esclave et son maître, sont dissous lorsque la propriété est transférée parce que deux hommes ne peuvent pas avoir un accès licite à la même femme. Plus tard, un consensus a émergé selon lequel le mariage et l'accès sexuel licite restent entre la femme esclave et son mari lors du transfert de propriété à moins qu'il n'y renonce, quel que soit son statut (par exemple, en lui offrant de l'argent pour divorcer).[13]

Coran 23:1-6 & 70:29-30

Plusieurs autres versets du Coran mentionnent les relations sexuelles avec des esclaves comme une catégorie distincte des épouses, indiquant clairement que les relations sexuelles avec des femmes esclaves sont autorisées sans épouser l'esclave au préalable. Par exemple, la sourate 23 fait mention des musulmans qui ont réussi et de leurs caractéristiques :

Bienheureux sont certes les croyants, ceux qui sont humbles dans leur Salat, qui se détournent des futilités, qui s'acquittent de la Zakat, et qui préservent leurs sexes [de tout rapport], si ce n'est qu'avec leurs épouses ou les esclaves qu'ils possèdent , car là vraiment, on ne peut les blâmer;

L'instruction de "préserver leurs sexes" est la manière standard du Coran d'ordonner la chasteté. Ce que "la main droite possède" est également la manière standard du Coran de se référer à ses esclaves. Les croyants qui réussissent sont ceux qui se livrent à des activités sexuelles uniquement avec leurs femmes et leurs esclaves.

La même idée revient dans la sourate 70 :

et qui se maintiennent dans la chasteté et n'ont pas de rapports excepté avec leurs épouses ou les esclaves qu'ils possèdent car dans ce cas, ils ne sont pas blâmables,

Le viol dans les hadiths

Les scènes décrivants des compagnons de Mohammed, mais aussi Mohammed lui-même, se livrant à une activité sexuelle avec des esclaves et des captives sont courantes dans toute la littérature des hadiths. Or, on peut remarquer que la perspective féminine est largement absente, laissant le lecteur se demander si la femme esclave ou captive était réceptive aux avances du Messager et de ses compagnons. On ne peut que supposer que dans au moins certains de ces cas (sinon la plupart voire tous), l'activité sexuelle a eu lieu sans le consentement de la femme. Ceci est particulièrement clair dans les exemples qui suivent où les compagnons du Prophète initient un contact sexuel avec les femmes captives peu de temps après avoir tué leurs fils, maris, pères et frères. Elle étaient à l'origine des non-musulmanes libres qui furent capturées au combat.[14][15]] Toute la population d'un territoire conquis peut être réduite en esclavage car le commandant militaire musulman est autorisé à choisir entre la libération inconditionnelle, la rançon ou l'asservissement des captifs de guerre. Cela ouvre la voie au concubinage.[16][17] Si une personne se convertissait à l'islam après avoir été réduite en esclavage, son émancipation serait considérée comme un acte pieux mais non obligatoire.[18] La loi islamique n'autorise pas l'asservissement des musulmans nés libres.[19]

Les juristes islamiques ont autorisé les raids pour se procurer des esclaves et l'enlèvement de non-musulmans de Dar al Harb (terre de la guerre).[20] Les érudits sud-asiatiques ont statué que le djihad n'est pas nécessaire pour saisir les non-musulmans et qu'il n'est pas non plus nécessaire de les inviter à l'islam avant de les saisir. Les pillards étaient libres de prendre et d'asservir n'importe quel non-musulman.[21] Cependant, les juristes islamiques ont soutenu que les non-musulmans qui vivaient dans des zones ayant conclu des pactes formels avec les musulmans devaient être protégés de l'esclavage.[22]

Les résidents non musulmans d'un État islamique qui ne paient pas la jizya ou rompent leur contrat avec l'État peuvent également être réduits en esclavage.[23][24]

Le Prophète a des relations sexuelles avec son esclave Maria bint Sham'un

Mohammed a eu un enfant avec une de ses esclaves connue sous le nom de Maria la Copte qui lui avait été offerte en cadeau par le gouverneur d'Alexandrie. Dans un hadith de Sahih Muslim, une phrase traduite par "fille esclave" est, dans l'arabe original, umm walad (أُمِّ وَلَدِ) (littéralement : "mère de l'enfant") et est le titre donné à une concubine esclave qui a enfanté un enfant de son maître.

Anas ibn Malik a rapporté: « Un homme était accusé d'adultère avec une fille esclave du Messager d'Allah, alors il ordonna à Ali d'aller lui trancher la tête. Ali vint trouver l'homme alors qu'il se rafraîchissait dans un puits. Ali lui dit de sortir et l'attrapa par la main, mais quand il fut sorti, il constata qu'il était castré et qu'il n'avait pas de verge. Ali l'épargna donc. Puis il revint chez le Prophète et dit : « Ô Messager d'Allah ! Il est castré, il n'a pas de verge. » »

Le hadith suivant est classé Sahih par Dar-us-Salam :

Il a été rapporté d'Anas que le Messager d'Allah avait une esclave avec qui il avait des relations sexuelles, mais 'Aishah et Hafsah ne l'ont pas laissé seul jusqu'à ce qu'il ait dit qu'elle lui était interdite. Alors Allah, le Puissant et Sublime, révéla : « Ô Prophète ! Pourquoi t'interdis-tu (pour toi-même) ce qu'Allah t'a permis. jusqu'à la fin du verset. Coran 66:1

Le Tafsir al-Jalalayn dit du verset mentionné dans ce hadith :

Ô Prophète ! Pourquoi interdisez-vous ce que Dieu a rendu licite pour vous en ce qui concerne votre servante copte Māriya (quand il a couché avec elle dans la maison de Hafsa qui était absente mais qui, à son retour en les trouvant, a été bouleversée par le fait que cela avait eu lieu dans sa propre maison et sur son propre lit) en disant : " Elle m'est illicite ! " cherchant, en vous la rendant illicite, à plaire à vos femmes ? Et Dieu est Pardonneur et Miséricordieux vous ayant pardonné cette interdiction.

Une circonstance alternative ou supplémentaire pour ce verset a également été rapportée dans plusieurs hadiths sahih, par exemple dans Sahih Muslim 9: 3497, Mohammed a mangé du miel chez Hafsa au lieu de chez Zainab).

'Aishah a dit que le Messager d'Allah avait l'habitude de rester avec Zainab bint Jahsh et de boire du miel chez elle. Hafsah et moi avons convenu que si le Prophète entrait chez l'une de nous, elle dirait: "Je perçois l'odeur de Maghafir (une gomme à l'odeur désagréable) sur toi ; as-tu mangé du Maghafir?" Il est entré chez l'une d'elles, et elle lui a dit cela. Il a dit: "Non, j'ai plutôt bu du miel chez Zainab bint Jahsh, mais je ne le ferai plus jamais." Alors ce qui suit a été révélé : « Ô Prophète ! Pourquoi vous interdisez-vous (pour vous-même) ce qu'Allah vous a permis.' 'Si vous vous repentez toutes les deux devant Allah, (ce sera mieux pour vous)' à propos de 'Aishah et Hafsah, 'Et (rappelez-vous) quand le Prophète a révélé une affaire confidentielle à l'une de ses femmes' se réfère à lui en disant: " Non, j'ai plutôt bu du miel."

Le mot "Miel" était aussi un euphémisme sexuel et un exemple explicite de son utilisation dans ce sens se trouve dans un hadith d'Abu Dawud :

Rapporté par Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin : Le Messager d'Allah (ﷺ) a été interrogé au sujet d'un homme qui a divorcé de sa femme trois fois, puis elle a contracté un marriage avec un autre qui l'a divorcée avant d'avoir eu des rapports sexuels avec elle, si elle était licite pour l'ancien mari. Elle a dit: « Le Prophète (ﷺ) a répondu: 'Elle n'est pas licite pour le premier (mari) jusqu'à ce qu'elle goûte le miel de l'autre mari et qu'il goûte son miel.' »

Et aussi dans Al Muwatta' de l'imam Mâlik Ibn Anas :

Al-Kassem Ibn Mouhammad a rapporté qu'on demanda Aicha, femme du Prophète r (salallahou alayhi wa salam) (Sur lui la grâce et la paix d'Allah) au sujet d'un homme qui avait définitivement divorcé sa femme, celle-ci étant remariée avec un autre qui l‟a répudié, sans avoir des relations charnelles avec elle. Est-il permis à son premier mari, de l'avoir de nouveau»? Aicha répondit: «non, pas avant qu'il n'ait goûté son petit miel (c.à.d le second mari).
Al Muwatta XXVIII-Le livre du mariage (7) hadith n°18

Sean Anthony et Catherine Bronson ont noté que "les érudits modernes ont tendance à considérer l'histoire la plus scandaleuse impliquant l'esclave comme la plus ancienne étant donné qu'elle apparaît dans les premières sources, bien que l'histoire du miel a un pedigrée supérieur aux yeux des savants. Ces érudits modernes raisonnent que, si l'histoire de la jalousie de Hafṣah après avoir vu le Prophète avec son esclave est antérieure à l'histoire du miel, alors les exégètes ont probablement inventé le récit du miel à une date ultérieure afin de fournir une alternative à la représentation peu flatteuse du Prophète et de ses épouses dans la première histoire. De plus, alors que l'histoire du miel peut fournir une explication quelque peu plausible pour les versets 66: 1-2, sa crédibilité diminue considérablement lorsqu'elle est appliquée aux versets suivants. La gravité des versets 66: 5-6, qui menacent de divorce comme sanction pour avoir comploté contre le Prophète, semble disproportionnée pour une simple histoire de miel et de mauvaise haleine. "[25]

Ali viole une mineure (faisant partie du cinquième du butin)

Un autre hadith pertinent concerne un incident qui a conduit au célèbre événement de Ghadir Khumm, sur lequel se disputent sunnites et chiites. Les sources sunnites et chiites conviennent que Muhammad a reçu des plaintes concernant 'Ali prenant une esclave des Khums (inculse dans le cinquième du butin réservé à l'État [26]), les plaignants estimant qu'aucun particulier n'y avait droit.

Le hadith sunnite (surtout en arabe) ci-dessous mentionne 'Ali faisant le Ghusl (toilette complète  obligatoire après un contact sexuel ou une éjaculation), ce qui implique une activité sexuelle. Plus tard, en un endroit appelé Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad a tenté d'apaiser les mécontents en déclarant qu'Ali était son Mawla. Mawla est un titre honorifique signifiant quelque chose entre "suiveur", "allié" et "chef", que les chiites interprètent comme signifiant "successeur de Mohammed". Ainsi, dans un certain sens, le fait qu'Ali ait violé une captive mineure a pour conséquence immédiate l'annonce de la succession d'Ali sur laquelle insistent les chiites. La polémique sunnite qui émerge ici jette un doute sur la fiabilité historique du hadith, mais, en tant que hadith inclus dans Sahih Bukhari, il prend le pas sur les exigences sunnites d'authenticité.

Selon Bourayda : Le Prophète (ﷺ) envoya 'Alî (Ibn Abî Tâlib) à Khalid Ibn al-Walîd pour rapporter le cinquième du butin, dit Bourayda. En ce temps, je détestais 'Âli,...il avait pris son bain (après avoir eu des relations sexuelles avec une fille esclave faisant partie du butin) ! J'ai dit à Khâlid : « tu ne vois pas ce qu'il fait ? » Quand nous sommes revenus vers le Prophète (ﷺ), je le mis au courant ! Il me dit : « Bourayda ! Détestes-tu 'Alî à ce point ? - Oui ! Dis-je. - Ne le déteste pas ! 'Alî a plus de droit que cela du cinquième du butin ! »

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 1449), one of the most famous Hadith scholars of all time, points out in his seminal Fath al-Bari (the still-standard commentary on Sahih Bukhari) what several scholars before him noted: that in accounts of this event, Ali does not observe the required iddah (waiting) period to determine whether or not the girl was pregnant. Al-Asqalani quotes al-Khattabi who summarizes the possibilities: "she was either a virgin [strongly implying a young age in a culture where women married young], had not yet reached maturity, or Ali's ijtihad [independent reasoning] led him to not adhere to the waiting period in her case."[27]

Muhammad's companions rape captives intended for ransom

On one occasion, presented with newly captured women, Muhammad's companions were only concerned about whether coitus interruptus ('azl) was permissible.

Narrated Ibn Muhairiz: I entered the Mosque and saw Abu Said Al-Khudri and sat beside him and asked him about Al-Azl (i.e. coitus interruptus). Abu Said said, "We went out with Allah's Apostle for the Ghazwa of Banu Al-Mustaliq and we received captives from among the Arab captives and we desired women and celibacy became hard on us and we loved to do coitus interruptus. So when we intended to do coitus interruptus, we said, 'How can we do coitus interruptus before asking Allah's Apostle who is present among us?" We asked (him) about it and he said, 'It is better for you not to do so, for if any soul (till the Day of Resurrection) is predestined to exist, it will exist."

In another version of the same hadith in Sahih Muslim (also found in Malik's Muwatta and Abu Dawud), it is said that the Muslims' goal was to ransom the women back to members of the defeated party for monetary gain. It is explained that as a result of not wanting to get the women pregnant prior to ransoming them, Muhammad's companions inquired as to whether coitus interruptus was permissible.

Abu Sirma said to Abu Sa'id al Khadri (Allah he pleased with him): O Abu Sa'id, did you hear Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) mentioning al-'azl? He said: Yes, and added: We went out with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) 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 (Withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid-conception). 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 (ﷺ), 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.

Yet another version of the same story in Sahih Bukhari is even clearer about Muhammad's companions' sole concern being the potential detriment to the price of the captives if they were impregnated.

Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: that while he was sitting with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) he said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! We get female captives as our share of booty, and we are interested in their prices, what is your opinion about coitus interruptus?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do you really do that? It is better for you not to do it. No soul that which Allah has destined to exist, but will surely come into existence.

Umar tells a man to beat his wife for preventing intercourse with his slave girl

Abdullah ibn Umar (the son of the 2nd Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said that his father ordered a man to have intercourse with a slave girl after his wife had tried to make this haram for him by means of adult suckling.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "A man came to Abdullah ibn Umar when I waswith him at the place where judgments were given and asked him about the suckling of an older person. Abdullah ibn Umar replied, 'A man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and said, 'I have a slave-girl and I used to have intercourse with her. My wife went to her and suckled her. When I went to the girl, my wife told me to watch out, because she had suckled her!' Umar told him to beat his wife and to go to his slave-girl because kinship by suckling was only by the suckling of the young.' "

Ghusl (full body wash) not required between intercourse with slave girls

Imam Malik was asked about intercourse with multiple slave girls.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that the slave girls of Abdullah ibn Umar used to wash his feet and bring him a mat of palm leaves while they were menstruating. Malik was asked whether a man who had women and slavegirlscould have intercourse with all of them before he did ghusl. He said, "There is no harm in a man having intercourse with two of his slave girls before he does ghusl. It is disapproved of, however, to go to a freewoman on another's day. There is no harm in making love first to one slave girl and then to another when one is junub." Malik was asked about a man who was junub and water was put down for him to do ghusl with.Then he forgot and put his finger into it to find out whether it was hot or cold. Malik said, "If no filth has soiled his fingers, I do not consider that that makes the water impure."

Explicit distinction between zina and legal intercourse

Since zina (fornication or adultery) only applies to intercourse with other than one's wives or female slaves, it is only in these contexts that rape is considered possible. The following narration graded hasan (good) by al-Albani in Abu Dawud explicitly makes this distinction by recognizing offspring with one's wives or slaves as legitimate, and included in inheritance, and by labeling the offspring with other women as illegitimate, and removed from inheritance.

'Amr b. Shu'aib on his father's authority said that his grandfather reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) decided regarding one who was treated as a member of a family after the death of his father, to whom he was attributed when the heirs said he was one of them, that if he was the child of a slave-woman whom the father owned when he had intercourse with her, he was included among those who sought his inclusion, but received none of the inheritance which was previously divided; he, however, received his portion of the inheritance which had not already been divided; but if the father to whom he was attributed had disowned him, he was not joined to the heirs.

If he was a child of a slave-woman whom the father did not possess or of a free woman with whom he had illicit intercourse, he was not joined to the heirs and did not inherit even if the one to whom he was attributed is the one who claimed paternity, since he was a child of fornication whether his mother was free or a slave.

Muhammad's other female captives

On at least two occasions, according to accounts in sahih hadiths, Muhammad captured and cohabited with war captives Safiyah and Juwairiyah, presumably against their will (having just led the slaughter of their families and tribes).

Surah 33 twice gives Muhammad explicit and direct permission to have sexual contact with his existing wives (having married more than a dozen times, he is prohibited here from marrying further) and with any slaves he may possess now or may acquire in the future.

O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war, and the daughters of thine uncle on the father's side and the daughters of thine aunts on the father's side, and the daughters of thine uncle on the mother's side and the daughters of thine aunts on the mother's side who emigrated with thee, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage - a privilege for thee only, not for the (rest of) believers - We are Aware of that which We enjoined upon them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess - that thou mayst be free from blame, for Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. Thou canst defer whom thou wilt of them and receive unto thee whom thou wilt, and whomsoever thou desirest of those whom thou hast set aside (temporarily), it is no sin for thee (to receive her again); that is better; that they may be comforted and not grieve, and may all be pleased with what thou givest them. Allah knoweth what is in your hearts (O men), and Allah is ever Forgiving, Clement. 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.

Safiyah bint Huayy

Safiyah the daughter of Huayy was the wife of a Jewish Rabbi named Kinana. when Muhammad conquered the Jewish village of Khaibar, he had the Rabbi tortured and then killed. According to an account in Sahih Bukhari, Muhammad then took captive the Rabbi's wife.

Narrated 'Abdul 'Aziz: Anas said, 'When Allah's Apostle invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer there yearly in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet rode and Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet passed through the lane of Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of the Prophet . He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of the Prophet. When he entered the town, he said, 'Allahu Akbar! Khaibar is ruined. Whenever we approach near a (hostile) nation (to fight) then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned.' He repeated this thrice. The people came out for their jobs and some of them said, 'Muhammad (has come).' (Some of our companions added, "With his army.") We conquered Khaibar, took the captives, and the booty was collected. Dihya came and said, 'O Allah's Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.' The Prophet said, 'Go and take any slave girl.' He took Safiya bint Huyai. A man came to the Prophet and said, 'O Allah's Apostles! You gave Safiya bint Huyai to Dihya and she is the chief mistress of the tribes of Quraiza and An-Nadir and she befits none but you.' So the Prophet said, 'Bring him along with her.' So Dihya came with her and when the Prophet saw her, he said to Dihya, 'Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.' Anas added: The Prophet then manumitted her and married her." Thabit asked Anas, "O Abu Hamza! What did the Prophet pay her (as Mahr)?" He said, "Her self was her Mahr for he manumitted her and then married her." Anas added, "While on the way, Um Sulaim dressed her for marriage (ceremony) and at night she sent her as a bride to the Prophet . So the Prophet was a bridegroom and he said, 'Whoever has anything (food) should bring it.' He spread out a leather sheet (for the food) and some brought dates and others cooking butter. (I think he (Anas) mentioned As-SawTq). So they prepared a dish of Hais (a kind of meal). And that was Walima (the marriage banquet) of Allah's Apostle ."

Juwairiyah bint al-Harith

A hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud explains how, following a surprise attack on the Banu Mustaliq, Muhammad took captive the "very beautiful" Juwairiyah, making Aisha jealous.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith ibn al-Mustaliq, fell to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, or to her cousin. She entered into an agreement to purchase her freedom. She was a very beautiful woman, most attractive to the eye. Aisha said: She then came to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) asking him for the purchase of her freedom. When she was standing at the door, I looked at her with disapproval. I realised that the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) would look at her in the same way that I had looked. She said: Apostle of Allah, I am Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith, and something has happened to me, which is not hidden from you. I have fallen to the lot of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, and I have entered into an agreement to purchase of my freedom. I have come to you to seek assistance for the purchase of my freedom. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Are you inclined to that which is better? She asked: What is that, Apostle of Allah? He replied: I shall pay the price of your freedom on your behalf, and I shall marry you. She said: I shall do this. She (Aisha) said: The people then heard that the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) had married Juwayriyyah. They released the captives in their possession and set them free, and said: They are the relatives of the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) by marriage. We did not see any woman greater than Juwayriyyah who brought blessings to her people. One hundred families of Banu al-Mustaliq were set free on account of her.

A hadith in Sahih Bukhari confirms the same narrative.

Narrated Ibn Aun: I wrote a letter to Nafi and Nafi wrote in reply to my letter that the Prophet had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiya on that day. Nafi said that Ibn 'Umar had told him the above narration and that Ibn 'Umar was in that army.

Punishments for rape

Rape of a free woman

Muhammad ordered the stoning of a confessed rapist who attacked a free woman to whom he was not married.

Narrated 'Alqamah bin Wa'il Al-Kindi: From his father: "A women went out during the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) to go to Salat, but she was caught by a man and he had relations with her, so she screamed and he left. Then a man came across her and she said: 'That man has done this and that to me', then she came across a group of Emigrants (Muhajirin) and she said: 'That man did this and that to me.' They went to get the man she thought had relations with her, and they brought him to her. She said: 'Yes, that's him.' So they brought him to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and when he ordered that he be stoned, the man who had relations with her, said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I am the one who had relations with her.' So he said to her: 'Go, for Allah has forgiven you.' Then he said some nice words to the man (who was brought). And he said to the man who had relations with her: 'Stone him (to death).' Then he said: 'He has repented a repentance that, if the inhabitants of Al-Madinah had repented with, it would have been accepted from them.'"

Rape of another's slave

If the individual raped is a slave owned by other than the rapist, reparations are due to the owner of the slave in the form of a replacement slave or the amount by which the raped slave's value has been depreciated as a result of the rape. Hina Azam writes that "sexual ursupation of a slave woman was a form of property damage that required financial compensation to her owner for a depreciation of the property's value....usually equal to the amount by which she was depreciated by the act (this being of particular relevance if she was previously a virgin)".[28]

Malik in his Muwatta confirms this punishment.

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan gave a judgment that the rapist had to pay the raped woman her bride- price. Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about the man who rapes a woman, virgin or non-virgin, if she is free, is that he must pay the bride-price of the like of her. If she is a slave, he must pay what he has diminished of her worth. The hadd-punishment in such cases is applied to the rapist, and there is no punishment applied to the raped woman. If the rapist is a slave, that is against his master unless he wishes to surrender him.

The authenticity of hadiths concerning the following incident in which Muhammad commands punishment by stoning for a man who has intercourse with his wife's slave are graded da'if (weak) by al-Albani, while Dar-us-Salam grade them hasan (good).

It was narrated that Salamah bin Al-Muhabbaq said: "The Prophet passed judgment concerning a man who had intercourse with his wife's slave woman: 'If he forced her, then she is free, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement; if she obeyed him in that, then she belongs to him, and he has to give her mistress a similar slave as a replacement.'"

In another, similar incident, the rapist of his wife's slave is to be punished by stoning.

It was narrated from An-Nu'man bin Bashir that the Prophet said, concerning a man who had intercourse with his wife's slave woman: "If she let him do that, I will flog him with one hundred stripes , and if she did not let him, I will stone him (to death)."

Limitations on rape

Avoiding severe physical injury

Beyond the temporary requirement of waiting past the Iddah period or conversion of a slave, the only restriction on raping one's slaves or wives is that the victims not incur severe physical injury in the process. However, this derives from a generic prohibition against incurring severe physical injury upon anyone at any time, and men are authorized to beat their wives and slaves as a form of physical discipline if they deny him sexual access or fail to obey him in some other mandatory capacity.

In practical terms, the relevance of the "do-no-harm" principle in this case is that a man should not penetrate his wives or slaves against their will if they are physically too small to withstand penetration (i.e. in the case of very young girls) or if they are seriously ill or injured to the point where penetration would inhibit their healing or magnify their injury. There is no consideration here for harm in the form of "mental anguish", and men are permitted to sexually utilize very young, ill, and/or injured wives and slaves against their will through means other than penetration (the example of "thighing" being one discussed explicitly by Islamic jurists) if such less egregious means will help avoid severe physical injury.

Waiting until the completion of the Iddah or childbirth

A hadith graded sahih by Dar-us-Salam in Abu Dawud describes the Iddah waiting period as the "one menstrual period" after acquisition of the slave wherein the new owner must abstain from sexual contact in order to ascertain whether or not the slave is pregnant, so as not to confuse paternity.

Abu Sa’id Al Khudri traced to Prophet (ﷺ) the following statement regarding the captives taken at Atwas. There must be no intercourse with pregnant woman till she gives birth to her child or with the one who is not pregnant till she has had one menstrual period.

Another hadith graded sahih by Dar-us-Salam in Tirmidhi explains that if the slave is pregnant

Narrated Umm Habibah bint 'Irbad bin Sariyah: From her father who told her that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited intercourse with female prisoners, until they deliver what is in their wombs."

Waiting until adult polytheist slaves convert, by force if necessary

Although Muhammad's men seem to have had intercourse with captive polytheist women whom they had captured during the expedition to Awtas/Autas, most jurists later ruled that this was later forbidden by Quran 2:221 (the verse only forbids marriage to polytheist women, but scholars inferred that this also applied to intercourse with slaves). Intercourse with Muslim, Christian, or Jewish slaves was not affected by this restriction.[29]

Early scholars of fiqh devised a workaround for this restriction, including the allowance of raping younger captives who were polytheist:

According to a report included in the Jāmi‘ of al-Khallāl (d. 311 A.H. / 923 A.D.), Ibn Hanbal maintained that
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 (wa idhā subhīna (sic) al-majūsiyyāt wa ‘abadat al awthān ujbirna 'alā al-Islām fa-in asl ama wutiʼna ma 'stukhdimna wa in lam yuslimna 'stukhdimna wa lam yūtaʼna).

The contradiction inherent in this passage is evident: despite the unspecified coercive measures, some of the women in question refused conversion and, consequently, the masters could not take full advantage of their services. If the only way to embrace Islam is pronouncing the declaration of faith, the conversion of a defiant woman may not be possible: it is not always feasible to force someone to utter the shahāda. According to a tradition transmitted on the authority of Hasan al-Basri, the Muslims used various devices to attain their objective: they turned the Zorastrian slave-girl toward the Ka‘ba, ordered her to pronounce the shahāda and to perform ablution. Her master then engaged in sexual relations after she had one menstruating period while in his house. Others hold that the master must teach the slave-girl to pray, to purify herself and to shave her private parts before any intercourse. The participation of the girl in this procedure is minimal, and this wording may be interpreted us a considerable lowering of the conversion requirements so that the girl becomes eligible for sexual intercourse as expeditiously as possible. Among the early traditionists, only a few were willing to go beyond this and allow sexual relations with a Zoroastrian slave-girl without insisting on at least a semblance of conversion.

Shafi‘i's treatment of the issue is slightly different. Speaking of grown-up Zoroastrian or polytheist women taken into captivity, he maintains that no sexual relations with them are allowed before they embrace Islam without bringing up the question of converting them forcibly. If the female captives are minor but were taken captive with at least one of their parents, the ruling is the same. If, however, the girl was captured without her parents, or one of her parents embraced Islam, she is considered a Muslim and is coerced into embracing it (nahkumu lahā bihukm al-Islām wa nujbiruhā ‘alayhi). Once this happens, sexual relations with her are lawful.

Modern perspectives

While most Islamic scholars today are comfortable with at least the temporary abolition of slavery in light of the fact that Islamic scriptures universally praise the freeing of slaves as a meritorious act, few are comfortable with the idea of permanently and irreversibly amending divine law. As a result, the legal rulings relating to slaves and the technical permissibility of owning slaves under the proper circumstances (e.g. under the rule of a "legitimate khilafah", or caliphate) persist, as exemplified in the following fatwa from the most popular Islamic fatwa in the world.

With regard to your question about it being permissible for a master to be intimate with his slave woman, the answer is that that is because Allaah has permitted it.
Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, ed, (March 18, 2004), "Fatwa No. 13737: What is the ruling on intimacy with slave women?", Islam Q&A, March 18, 2004 (archived from the original), https://archive.fo/16upP 

Likewise, as with all rulings of the shariah, the basic rulings governing family relations are unchanging. It would be difficult even today to find a trusted Islamic authority that does not still, at some level, permit marital rape and give general license for wife beating as a potential means by which to compel one's able but unwilling spouse into sexual activity, among other things.

The wife is obliged to obey her husband if he calls her to his bed, and if she refuses then she is sinning, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (3237) and Muslim (1436) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man calls his wife to his bed and she does not come to him, and he goes to sleep angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning.”

Modern revisionary perspectives and criticisms thereof

Violations of the spoils-distribution system as rape

Quote from al-Shafi'i

A quote from al-Umm of Imam al Shafi'i, the founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, is sometimes misrepresented[30] as forbidding slave owners from raping their female slaves.

"If a man acquires by force a slave-girl, then has sexual intercourse with her after he acquires her by force, and if he is not excused by ignorance, then the slave-girl will be taken from him, he is required to pay the fine, and he will receive the punishment for illegal sexual intercourse."
al-Shafi'i, al-Umm, 3, p. 253 

It is clear, however, that "acquires by force" here refers to the manner in which the man gained possession of the slave girl, not a description of the later sexual act. Indeed, this quote comes from the section entitled ghasb (property usurpation). According to Islamic law, a fifth of all war and raid spoils (referred to as the Khum - literally "fifth"), including captives who may be sold for funds, is to be allotted for public spending. Taking and raping a captive from this public allotment, as Ali is reported to have in one instance, amounts to theft and zina (illegal intercourse). This, as well as taking and raping someone else's slave, is of course prohibited and punishable. Indeed, in the remainder of his many-volume legal work al-Umm, al-Shafi'i painstakingly outlines the laws regarding the sexual obligations of one's wives and slaves, in no place suggesting that rape of the female is punishable in these contexts.

Quote from Malik

A quote from the Muwatta of Imam Malik, founder of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, is also sometimes misrepresented in this vein.[30] As with the quote taken from al-Umm, this quote from the Muwatta is likewise only referring to stolen slaves and has no bearing on one's own slaves and wives. Fines for raping slave girls were always paid to the master.[31] And, just like Imam Shafi'i, Malik details the legal practices of slavery in several other places throughout the same text.

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan gave a judgment that the rapist had to pay the raped woman her bride- price. Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about the man who rapes a woman, virgin or non-virgin, if she is free, is that he must pay the bride-price of the like of her. If she is a slave, he must pay what he has diminished of her worth. The hadd-punishment in such cases is applied to the rapist, and there is no punishment applied to the raped woman. If the rapist is a slave, that is against his master unless he wishes to surrender him."

Hadith regarding the caliph Umar

A hadith in the Sunan of al-Bayhaqi describes the Caliph Umar punishing Dhiraar for raping a captive woman and is sometimes presented as evidence that one is not permitted to have sexual intercourse with slaves.[30]

Abu al-Hussain bin al-Fadhl al-Qatan narrated from Abdullah bin Jaffar bin Darestweh from Yaqub bin Sufyan from al-Hassab bin Rabee from Abdullah bin al-Mubarak from Kahmas from Harun bin Al-Asam who said: Umar bin al-Khatab may Allah be pleased with him sent Khalid bin al-Walid in an army, hence Khalid sent Dhiraar bin al-Azwar in a squadron and they invaded a district belonging to the tribe of Bani Asad. They then captured a pretty bride, Dhiraar liked her hence he asked his companions to grant her to him and they did so. He then had sexual intercourse with her, when he completed his mission he felt guilty, and went to Khalid and told him about what he did. Khalid said: 'I permit you and made it lawful to you.' He said: 'No not until you write a message to Umar'. (Then they sent a message to Umar) and Umar answered that he (Dhiraar) should be stoned. By the time Umar's message was delivered, Dhiraar was dead. (Khalid) said: 'Allah didn't want to disgrace Dhiraar'
al-Bayhaqi, "Hadith 18685", Sunan al-Bayhaqi, 2, p. 263 

As with the quote taken from Imam Shafi'i, this almost certainly refers to a violation of the system for distributing war spoils. Dhiraar's intercourse with the captive girl was illegal and merited stoning not because of her captive status or lack of consent, but because he had intercourse with the girl without that girl having been allotted to him at the behest of the caliph (Umar in this case), who has the responsibility of distributing spoils. Neither captivity nor consent are mentioned as a factor in the punishment. Indeed, in a another hadith discussed above, Umar tells a man to have intercourse with his slave girl after his wife tried to prevent it.

Freedom and marriage as a universal requirement

Verses 4:23-24 (Quran 4:23-24) are sometimes presented as evidence for the idea that a man must first manumit and marry a slave in order to have sex with her. The verse lists the types of women a Muslim man is permitted to marry, one given option being his slave women, of whom he may free and marry. While 4:23-24 do not mention slaves outside of a marital context, several other verses (e.g. Quran 23:1-6 and Quran 70:29-30) make clear reference to sexual activity with slaves with whom the owner is not married by explicitly distinguishing between his sexual access to his wives and his sexual access to his slaves. The further example of Muhammad's companions raping captives from Banu al-Mustaliq prior to ransoming them (a scenario which effectively necessitates their non-marriage) confirms this idea.[32]

In addition, there is the universally attested legal category of the Umm Walad (literally "mother of child") that is used by Islamic jurists to refer to those slaves who have given birth to one of their master's children. An Umm Walad is legally distinct from a free mother because she is still a slave. Indeed, the concept of Umm Walad is apparently attested even in the prophet's time according to a hadith in Sahih Muslim - further clarifying the matter is the fact that in this very hadith, Muhammad approves of the companion's sexual relations with his unmarried slave girl.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that mention was made of 'azl in the presence of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) whereupon he said: Why do you practise it? They said: There is a man whose wife has to suckle the child, and if that person has a sexual intercourse with her (she may conceive) which he does not like, and there is another person who has a slave-girl and he has a sexual intercourse with her, but he does not like her to have conception so that she may not become Umm Walad, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: There is no harm if you do not do that, for that (the birth of the child) is something pre- ordained. Ibn 'Aun said: I made a mention of this hadith to Hasan, and he said: By Allah, (it seems) as if there is upbraiding in it (for 'azl).

Encouragement to chastity as a prohibition on rape

Verse 24:33 (Quran 24:33), which instructs unmarried men to keep chaste and instructs slaveowners to "force not [their] maids to prostitution", is sometimes presented as evidence for the idea that sexual activity is only permitted in a marital context and that slaveowners may not compel their slave girls to sexual activity of any sort.

Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum), give them such a deed if ye know any good in them: yea, give them something yourselves out of the means which Allah has given to you. 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),

Chastity is instructed throughout the Qur'an and is repeatedly defined as the habit of one who "guards their private parts" from all except "their wives [of whom they may have up to four] and what their right hand possesses [i.e. female slaves, of whom they may have an unlimited number]" (e.g. Quran 23:6, Quran 33:50, Quran 33:52, and Quran 70:30). It is clear that, in the view of the Qur'an's author, an unmarried male may be considered chaste even if he engages in sexual activity with a technically unlimited number of women, so long as they are his slaves.

The portion of the verse which instructs slaveowners to "force not [their] maids to prostitution" has traditionally been understood in its simplest sense, which prohibits slaveowners from playing the role of a pimp and trafficking their slave women - such a business built on illegal intercourse is of course prohibited and, understood this way, the verse says nothing of novel import. Another accepted sense of this verse is that if a female slave desires her (or, say, her child's) freedom, her master ought to give her some legal means by which to pursue it, the alternative being her feeling compelled to prostitute herself to earn the funds necessary to purchase that freedom (traditional tafsirs also mention the also undesirable possibility of a master forcing a slave to prostitution as a condition for her freedom). Since such a temptation on the part of the slave girl is all the more plausible given the likelihood that she was captured in a war or raid where her people were both slaughtered and enslaved (leaving her with no means), and so the verse concludes by saying that if a slave girl is driven to such behavior, then Allah will be forgiving. And in the simpler sense, if her master forces her to prostitution, then Allah will forgive her for what was not in her control.[33]

See Also

  • Rape - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Rape

External Links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ali, Kecia, "Concubinage and Consent", Cambridge University Press, January 20, 2017, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/article/concubinage-and-consent/F8E807073C33F403A91C1ACA0CFA47FD. 
  2. Susila, Muh Endriyo (2013). "Islamic Perspective on Marital Rape" 20 (2). Jurnal Media Hukum, p.328. 
  3. Quraishi-Landesi, Asifa. Feminism, Law, and Religion. Routledge. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-317-13579-1, 15 April 2016. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=QfkFDAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y. 
  4. Azam, Hina. Sexual Violation in Islamic Law: Substance, Evidence, and Procedure. Cambridge University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-107-09424-6, 26 June 2015. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=fhy_CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA69&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  5. Peters, R.. "Zinā or Zināʾ". in P. Bearman. Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill, 2012. 
  6. Quran 24:4
  7. Dr Azman Mohd Noor, Punishment for rape in Islamic Law, Malayan Law Journal Articles [2009] 5 MLJ cxiv
  8. Murtaza Haider, "A license to rape", Dawn, June 5, 2003, https://www.dawn.com/news/1016271/a-license-to-rape 
  9. Kecia Ali, "The Truth About Islam and Sex Slavery History Is More Complicated Than You Think", Huffington Post, August 19th, 2016 (archived from the original), http://www.webcitation.org/6yjfMCtwF 
  10. "In the case of a slave-concubine, consent was irrelevant because of the master's ownership of the woman in question" Brown, J.A.C. "Slavery & Islam", Chapter 7, London: Oneworld Publications, 2019
  11. "'slave rape' is a tough term to decipher from a Shariah perspective. A male owner of a female slave has the right to sexual access to her. Though he could not physically harm her without potentially being held legally accountable if she complained, her 'consent' would be meaningless since she is his slave." Comment by Dr. Jonathan AC Brown on his Reddit AMA session, 2016 Archive
  12. "(9) Chapter: It is permissible to have intercourse with a female captive after it is established that she is not pregnant, and if she has a husband, then her marriage is annulled when she is captured", Sahih Muslim (Book of Suckling), https://sunnah.com/muslim/17  See the three hadiths it contains: Sahih Muslim 8:3432, Sahih Muslim 8:3433, and Sahih Muslim 8:3434
  13. Kecia Ali, "Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam", Massachussets: Harvard University Press, 2010, pp. 154-160
  14. Salma Saad, The legal and social status of women in the Hadith literature (PDF), p. 242, 1990, http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/508/1/uk_bl_ethos_443314.pdf 
  15. Nesrine Badawi (1 October 2019). p.17. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-41062-6, Islamic Jurisprudence on the Regulation of Armed Conflict: Text and Context, https://books.google.com/books?id=6MC0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 
  16. William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, p. 27. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0, 2006, https://archive.org/details/islamabolitionof0000clar 
  17. Malik Mufti (1 October 2019), The Art of Jihad: Realism in Islamic Political Thought, SUNY Press. p.5. ISBN 978-1-4384-7638-4, https://books.google.com/books?id=l0SyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 
  18. William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, p. 22. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0, 2006, https://archive.org/details/islamabolitionof0000clar 
  19. Robert Gleave (14 April 2015), Violence in Islamic Thought from the Qur'an to the Mongols, p.142. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-9424-2 
  20. William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, p=27–28. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0, 2006, https://archive.org/details/islamabolitionof0000clar 
  21. William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, p=28. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0, 2006, https://archive.org/details/islamabolitionof0000clar 
  22. William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Islam and the Abolition of Slavery, p=27-28. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522151-0, 2006, https://archive.org/details/islamabolitionof0000clar 
  23. Y. Erdem (20 November 1996), Slavery in the Ottoman Empire and its Demise 1800-1909, p=26. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-0-230-37297-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=dyZ-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 
  24. Jarbel Rodriguez (2015), Muslim and Christian Contact in the Middle Ages: A Reader, p=2. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-0066-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=z3VoBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA2 
  25. Sean Anthony and Catherine Bronson (2016) "Did Ḥafṣah edit the Qurʾān? A response with notes on the codices of the Prophet's wives" Journal of the Interational Quranic Studies Association 1(2016) pp.93-125 (p.102)
  26. Quran 8:41
  27. لِاحْتِمَالِ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَذْرَاءَ أَوْ دُونَ الْبُلُوغِ أَوْ أَدَّاهُ اجْتِهَادُهُ أَنْ لَا اسْتِبْرَاءَ فِيهَا

    Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, 9, Dar Taybah, p. 487, https://www.google.com/books/edition/%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AD_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A_%D8%AC_9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A/YzZJCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D9%84%D9%90%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D9%85%D9%8E%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%90%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%86%D9%92%20%D8%AA%D9%8E%D9%83%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8E%20%D8%B9%D9%8E%D8%B0%D9%92%D8%B1%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%8E%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%20%D8%AF%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8E%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%92%D8%A8%D9%8F%D9%84%D9%8F%D9%88%D8%BA%D9%90%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D8%AF%D9%91%D9%8E%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%8F%20%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D9%87%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8F%D9%87%D9%8F%20%D8%A3%D9%8E%D9%86%D9%92%20%D9%84%D9%8E%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%92%D8%AA%D9%90%D8%A8%D9%92%D8%B1%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%8E%20%D9%81%D9%90%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%8E 

  28. Azam, Hina, "Rape", http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com, http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t349/e0075. 
  29. Ruling on sexual intercourse with one's polytheistic slave-woman, Islamweb.net, November 14, 2014 (archived from the original), https://web.archive.org/web/20201227215257/https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/272452/ 
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 Bassam Zawadi, "Does Islam Permit Muslim Men to Rape Their Slave Girls?", Call to Monotheism (archived from the original), https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021758/https://www.call-to-monotheism.com/does_islam_permit_muslim_men_to_rape_their_slave_girls_ 
  31. Hina Azam, "Sexual Violation in Islamic Law: Substance, Evidence, and Procedure" New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015, p. 104
  32. Sahih Bukhari 5:59:459, Sahih Muslim 8:3371, Al-Muwatta 29:95, Sunan Abu Dawud :2167, and Sahih Bukhari 3:34:432
  33. See Tafsir Qurtubi 24:33 in particular; see also Tafsir al-Tabari 24:33, Tafsir Ibn Kathir 24:33, and Tafsirs 24:33 in general