More than 1,400 years of Islamic history carry a stain so profound it wounds the heart: the degrading display of half-naked slave women and girls standing exposed in crowded slave markets. These women were stripped of all dignity—their breasts bared, leered at by crowds of men, and even allowed to be touched and groped as if they were livestock like goats or sheep. This was not an occasional act of cruelty but a widespread, sanctioned practice deeply rooted in Islamic traditions, reducing human beings to mere commodities for trade and lust.
The terrifying reality is laid bare in the writings of Islam’s most respected scholars.
Imam al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan al-Kubra records: From Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar: “When he purchased a slave girl, he would uncover her leg, place his hand between her breasts, and on her buttocks.”
Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaq: Shu‘bi said: “When a man buys a slave girl, he may inspect her entire body except for her private parts.”
Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (Vol. 4, p. 289): From Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar: “When intending to buy a slave girl, he would place his hand on her buttocks, between her thighs, and sometimes even uncover her leg.”
Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaq (Vol. 7, p. 286): From Mujahid: “Ibn ‘Umar placed his hand between her breasts and shook them.”
Imam al-Shaybani in al-Mabsut: “It is not permissible for a man to look at the body of another’s mature or desirable female slave except as he may look at a mahram (close relative). However, there is no harm in looking at her hair, chest, breasts, shoulders, arms, feet, and legs. He should not look at her stomach, back, or the area between the navel and knee.”
The female slaves of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab served men with uncovered hair and shaking breasts. Sunan al-Kubra (from Anas ibn Malik): “The female slaves of ‘Umar used to serve us with their hair uncovered and their breasts shaking.” Shaykh al-Albani also graded this as sahih.
Ibn Muflih (Hanbali jurist) in al-Mubdi‘: “Inspection is necessary because she is desired for enjoyment and trade; her attractiveness increases her price.” He quotes Hanbal ibn Ishaq and al-Qadi Abu Ya‘la: “There is no harm in touching her over the garment when buying her, because she is not inviolable.”
These women must have lived in constant terror and humiliation—hands on their bodies, eyes on their breasts, dignity completely disregarded—all justified in the name of divine law.
Is this the “modesty” (haya) that Islam claims to champion? Is this the “perfection” declared in the Quran (5:3): “This day I have perfected for you your religion”?
