Continuing my responses to the disingenuous Islamic apologetics of Ahmadiyya leader Rizwan Khan in reply to Hugh Fitzgerald, which I began here.
7. Why did Muhammad attack the Jewish date farmers at the Khaybar Oasis?
What narration says that date farmers were attacked? Sahih Bukhari narrates that the farmers took refuge in the fort before battle began: “The Prophet (ﷺ) reached Khaibar in the morning, while the people were coming out carrying their spades over their shoulders. When they saw him they said, “This is Muhammad and his army! Muhammad and his army!” So, they took refuge in the fort. The Prophet (ﷺ) raised both his hands and said, “Allahu Akbar, Khaibar is ruined, for when we approach a nation (i.e. enemy to fight) then miserable is the morning of the warned ones.”” (https://sunnah.com/bukhari/56/200)
Only after the people of Khaibar were given opportunity to prepare did battle between 1,600 Muslims and 10,000 Jews begin. Sahih Bukhari narrates: “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) reached Khaibar at night and it was his habit that, whenever he reached the enemy at night, he will not attack them till it was morning.” (https://sunnah.com/bukhari/64/237)
Look closely at the quotations Khan provides, and you will see that they contradict his narrative. He claims that “Only after the people of Khaibar were given opportunity to prepare did battle between 1,600 Muslims and 10,000 Jews begin,” and offers as evidence of this a hadith that says that Muhammad reached Khaybar at night but didn’t attack until morning. But when Muhammad arrived that night, did he actually give the Jews of Khaybar “opportunity to prepare” for battle? No. The next morning the Jews of Khaybar did not come out for battle, but “were coming out carrying their spades over their shoulders,” and were completely surprised by the Muslims’ appearance. Obviously, no “opportunity to prepare” was given.
Moreover, Khan doesn’t actually answer Hugh Fitzgerald’s question, which was “Why did Muhammad attack the Jewish date farmers at the Khaybar Oasis?” All Khan does is try to fool us into thinking that Muhammad attacked in a humane manner. He leaves unaddressed the uncomfortable question of why Muhammad attacked a group of inoffensive farmers, because the answer is even more uncomfortable: he attacked them because they did not convert to Islam. They were “warned,” and did not heed the warning.
8. How many wives did Muhammad have, and why was he allowed more than anyone else?
All of his wives mentioned in authentic Ahadith were widows except for one wife who was divorced and one wife who was a virgin. He was allowed to marry more than anyone else to set an example for his people on how to fulfill the responsibilities of supporting older widows and their orphan children.
Well, that’s convenient. Funny how the master of the universe and creator and sustainer of all things couldn’t think of any way to illustrate the importance of fulfilling the responsibilities of supporting older widows and their orphan children except by allowing his favored prophet to live a life of unremitting debauchery.
9. Did Muhammad own slaves?
It is forbidden to make any free person into a slave. Sahih Bukhari narrates: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah says, ‘I will be against three persons on the Day of Resurrection: -1. One who makes a covenant in My Name, but he proves treacherous. -2. One who sells a free person (as a slave) and eats the price, -3. And one who employs a laborer and gets the full work done by him but does not pay him his wages.’”” (https://sunnah.com/bukhari/34/174)
Islam teaches that those who are already slaves are to be integrated and then gradually emancipated. Islam does not teach that slaves all slaves should be emancipated all at once. To emancipate without first integrating those who have been institutionalized into slavery is a meaningless emancipation.
Those captured as prisoners of war are not slaves, they can at the most only be held until the end of the war: “And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them, bind fast the fetters — then afterwards either release them as a favour or by taking ransom — until the war lays down its burdens. That is the ordinance.” (47:5) The Quran places the further restriction that enemy soldiers can only be captured on the battlefield: “It does not behove a Prophet that he should have captives until he engages in regular fighting in the land.” (8:68)”
There is no need to go into the many commandments on slavery found in the Bible.
Notice that Rizwan Khan doesn’t actually answer the question. Nowhere in his answer does he quote anything to the effect that Muhammad did not own slaves. The closest he gets is Qur’an 8:68 (8:67 in most numerations), which has Allah telling Muhammad not to take captives “until he engages in regular fighting in the land,” or, as it is more commonly translated, “until he inflicts a massacre in the land.” That is a call to kill some before he enslaves others. How moderate!
The Qur’an has Allah telling Muhammad that he has given him girls as sex slaves: “Prophet, We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave girls whom God has given you as booty.” (Qur’an 33:50)
Muhammad bought slaves: “Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: There came a slave and pledged allegiance to Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slaves, and he did not afterwards take allegiance from anyone until he had asked him whether he was a slave (or a free man).” (Muslim 3901)
Muhammad took female Infidel captives as slaves: “Narrated Anas: The Prophet offered the Fajr Prayer near Khaibar when it was still dark and then said, ‘Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is destroyed, for whenever we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning for those who have been warned.’ Then the inhabitants of Khaibar came out running on the roads. The Prophet had their warriors killed, their offspring and woman taken as captives. Safiya was amongst the captives. She first came in the share of Dahya Alkali but later on she belonged to the Prophet. The Prophet made her manumission as her ‘Mahr.’” (Bukhari 5.59.512) Mahr is bride price: Muhammad freed her and married her. But he didn’t do this to all his slaves:
Muhammad owned slaves: “Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah’s Apostle was on a journey and he had a black slave called Anjasha, and he was driving the camels (very fast, and there were women riding on those camels). Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Waihaka (May Allah be merciful to you), O Anjasha! Drive slowly (the camels) with the glass vessels (women)!’” (Bukhari 8.73.182) There is no mention of Muhammad’s freeing Anjasha.
And as for slavery in the Bible, yes, it is there. So is the idea of the dignity of all human beings before God that led to the abolitionist movement, which was spearheaded by Christian clerics. There was no abolitionist movement in Islam. Islamic countries only discarded slavery under Western pressure, and it is still widely practiced in North Africa.
10. Did Muhammad approve of slavery?
It is forbidden to make any free person into a slave. Sahih Bukhari narrates: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah says, ‘I will be against three persons on the Day of Resurrection: -1. One who makes a covenant in My Name, but he proves treacherous. -2. One who sells a free person (as a slave) and eats the price, -3. And one who employs a laborer and gets the full work done by him but does not pay him his wages.’”” (https://sunnah.com/bukhari/34/174)
Islam teaches that those who are already slaves are to be integrated and then gradually emancipated. Islam does not teach that slaves all slaves should be emancipated all at once. To emancipate without first integrating those who have been institutionalized into slavery is a meaningless emancipation.
Those captured as prisoners of war are not slaves, they can at the most only be held until the end of the war: “And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them, bind fast the fetters — then afterwards either release them as a favour or by taking ransom — until the war lays down its burdens. That is the ordinance.” (47:5) The Quran places the further restriction that enemy soldiers can only be captured on the battlefield: “It does not behove a Prophet that he should have captives until he engages in regular fighting in the land.” (8:68)”
There is no need to go into the many commandments on slavery found in the Bible.
Khan here simply repeats his answer for #9, again without answering the question. It is clear from my answer to #9 that Muhammad, the supreme model for emulation for Muslims (cf. Qur’an 33:21), approved of slavery.