The secret behind why Islam abolished slavery

The abolition of slavery stands as proof that Islam protects workers. In the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), slavery was commonplace, yet Islam succeeded in abolishing it. Slaves were once owned by families and subjected to their masters' whims—even being bought and sold in slave markets. Their human dignity was severely diminished, and their fundamental rights were disregarded.

One method of emancipation was purchasing a slave's freedom; the Companion Abu Bakr famously did this when he freed Bilal ibn Rabah from his master. Large-scale abolition of slavery began during the Medinan era. However, modern forms of "slavery" persist—such as the plight of undocumented workers in the United States arriving from neighboring countries.

Similarly, many Indonesian migrant workers employed abroad fall into the category of human trafficking victims. Specifically regarding farmworkers, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UN-DROP) on December 17, 2018. Consistent with various international human rights instruments, this declaration reaffirms and reinforces the mandate to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of farmworkers.

From an Islamic perspective, this shift represents not merely a change in legal status but a fundamental change in how human beings are viewed. The Qur’an and Sunnah regard human beings as possessing inherent dignity; consequently, economic power must never serve as a justification for demeaning or exploiting the vulnerable. Ideally, the relationship between employer and worker should not be founded on the domination of one person by another, but rather on mutual agreement, justice, responsibility, and the fulfillment of rights. This principle is crucial because economic inequality can easily give rise to new forms of dependency—situations that, while not formally slavery, can substantively curtail a worker's freedom and choices.

Islamic tradition also places strong emphasis on ensuring that workers' rights are neither delayed nor diminished. A well-known Hadith instructs that a worker’s wages be paid before their sweat has dried. This message embodies a principle far broader than the mere obligation to pay wages: workers must receive fair, timely compensation commensurate with the work they have performed. In the agricultural sector, this principle is particularly relevant for farmhands, seasonal laborers, harvesters, and workers across the food supply chain, who often find themselves in a weaker bargaining position. Thus, worker protection is not merely a matter of modern industrial relations; it is deeply rooted in the normative framework of Islamic economic ethics.

The challenge, however, is that the legal abolition of slavery does not automatically eliminate all forms of labor exploitation. Poverty, unequal land ownership, indebtedness, dependency on employers, human trafficking, forced labor, inadequate wages, and unsafe working conditions can all create situations that effectively mirror a lack of freedom. Therefore, the contemporary struggle to protect workers must be understood as a continuation of the long process of upholding human dignity—moving from liberating individuals from the status of being another person's property toward ensuring that everyone who works enjoys freedom, security, fair income, and opportunities to improve their lives. In this context, the protection of agricultural workers, as affirmed in UN-DROP, is a crucial part of a broader agenda to ensure that agricultural development not only boosts production but also enhances the dignity of the people working within the sector.

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