Editing Hindu–Islamic relations (section)

====Slavery====
Muslim and Hindus societies have practiced slavery many times in history

The practice of slavery in early and late [[Historical Vedic religion|Vedic era]] of Hinduism is documented. However, some Hindu texts use the term [[dasa]]. Some scholars translate this as slave,<ref name="dasa1" /> while other scholars have translated it as servant and religious devotee.<ref>A Sharma (September 2005), Journal American Acad Religion, 73(3): 843–870</ref><ref>Kangle R.P. (1960), The Kautiliya Arthasastra – a critical edition, Part 3, University of Bombay Studies, {{ISBN|978-81-208-0042-7}}, p. 186</ref> Arthashastra text of Hinduism dedicates a chapter to ''dasa'' where a financially bankrupt individual may become a servant of another. Arthashastra grants a ''dasa'' legal rights, and declares abusing, hurting and raping a ''dasa'' as a crime.<ref name="dasa1">Shamasastry, [https://archive.org/stream/Arthasastra_English_Translation/Arthashastra_of_Chanakya_-_English#page/n259/mode/2up Arthashastra of Chanakya], pp. 260–264</ref><ref>B. Breloer (1934), Kautiliya Studien, Bd. III, Leipzig, pages 10–16, 30–71</ref>

Islam's approach to slavery added the idea that freedom was the natural state of affairs for human beings and in line with this it limited the opportunities to enslave people, commended the freeing of slaves and regulated the way slaves were treated:

* Islam greatly limited those who could be enslaved and under what circumstances (although these restrictions were often evaded)
* Islam treated slaves as human beings as well as property
* Islam banned the mistreatment of slaves – indeed the tradition repeatedly stresses the importance of treating slaves with kindness and compassion
* Islam allowed slaves to achieve their freedom and made freeing slaves a virtuous act
* Islam barred Muslims from enslaving other Muslims

The Quran and the Hadiths strongly discourage the institution of slaves.<ref>
{{cite book | last=Lewis | first=Bernard | title=What went wrong?: Western impact and Middle Eastern response | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=Oxford New York | year=2002 | isbn=0-19-514420-1 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/whatwentwrongwes00lewi/page/82 82–83] | url=https://archive.org/details/whatwentwrongwes00lewi/page/82 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/slavery_1.shtml#h2|title=BBC – Religions – Islam: Slavery in Islam|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref> Islam, in many cases, encouraged [[Manumission|freeing of slave]] act of benevolence, and expiation of sins. Islam only allows slavery through certain means and many Islamic scholars claim Islam blocked many ways through which people used to own slaves.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ali | first=Kecia | title=Marriage and slavery in early Islam | url=https://archive.org/details/marriageslaverye00alik | url-access=limited | publisher=Harvard University Press | location=Cambridge, Mass | year=2010 | isbn=978-0-674-05059-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/marriageslaverye00alik/page/n171 161]–171}}</ref><ref>Abbott, N. (1942). "Women and the state in early Islam". Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1(3), pp. 341–368</ref> Most interpretations of the Quran agree that the Quran envisions an ideal society as one in which slavery no longer exists.<ref>({{qref|2|177|b=y}}, {{qref|24|33}}, {{qref|90|13}})</ref><ref name=liberation>{{cite book|author=[[Bernard Lewis]]|title=[[Race and Slavery in the Middle East]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=6|quote=[The Quran] recommends, without requiring, his liberation by purchase or manumission. The freeing of slaves is recommended both for the expiation of sins (IV:92; V:92; LVIII:3) and as an act of simple benevolence (11: 177; XXIV:33; XC:13).}}</ref><ref>({{qref|4|92|b=y}}, {{qref|5|92}}, {{qref|58|3}})</ref><ref name=iniquity>{{cite book|title=Islam: History, Religion, and Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CS6wCgAAQBAJ&q=quran+free+slaves&pg=PA18|author=[[Tamara Sonn]]|date = 6 October 2015|page=18| publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn = 9781118972311|quote=The Quran clearly recognizes that slavery is a source of inequity in society becaise it frequently recommends freeing slaves, along with feeding and clothing the poor as part of living a moral life (90:12-19)...the Quran does not abolish the institution of slavery...slavery was an integral part of the economic system at the time the Quran was revealed; abolition of slavery would have requires an overhaul of the entire socioeconomic system. Therefore, instead of abolishing slavery outright, virtually all interpreters agree that the Quran established an ideal toward which society should: a society in which no one person would be enslaved to another.}}</ref>