伊斯兰教降临之时，奴隶制在世界各地普遍存在，它是当时世界各地、各民族共有的一种制度。人们所知的世界任何地区，都有奴隶被买卖、自由人被奴役的情况，从未有关于哪一片土地不存在奴隶制的记载。伊斯兰教看待这一问题时，认为它与两个方面有关。

Islam came while slaves existed in all areas of the world, and slavery was a system common in all areas of the world with all people and nations. It is not known of the existence of any area of the earth except that slaves were traded and free persons were enslaved. It is not related about the existence of any land without slavery. Islam viewed that this problem was related to two aspects.

首先,这涉及那些实际上已沦为奴隶的人,以及那些地位从与其他自由人平等的正当尊重中跌落下来、被视为货物的人。他们像其他货物一样被买卖和讨价还价。因此,必须采取一种能够释放这些奴隶、使他们成为自由人的措施。至于第二方面,它涉及奴役制度本身。必须采取一种能够限制奴役的措施。于是,经文和圣训针对这两个方面作出了处理,这种处理基于人类的实际状况以及人与人、国与国之间现存关系的实际情况,对人类有益。

Firstly, it was related to the slaves who had been enslaved in practice and those whose consideration had fallen from the upright consideration of others who were free and were considered as goods like other goods sold and bought and bargained over. So it was necessary to treat with a treatment resulting in freeing these slaves and making them free persons. As for the second aspect, it related to slavery. It is necessary to treat it with a treatment placing a limit on slavery. Hence there came ayaat and ahadith treating these two aspects with a beneficial treatment for mankind based upon the reality of mankind and the reality of the relationships existing between its individuals and nations.