WhatIsa
MilitarySlave? 13
atall.Canslaveswho
enjoy
such
power,
whoeven
rule,remain
slaves?Before
attempting
toanswerthis
question,
a
general
dis-
cussionaboutthenatureof
slaverymayhelp
to
clarify
theissues.
MuslimandOrientalistViews
Let
us
begin
withareviewofwhatothershavewritteninthis
regard.
No
one,
Muslimor
orientalist,has
paid
muchattention
to the
position
of
military
slaves,so materialonthe
topic
is
scanty.
PremodernMuslimsnever
recognized
themasa
distinct
type
ofslavesandmodernscholarshave
barely
consideredthe
question.
TheShan-a
shapes
theMuslims’view.Itdiscussesat
length
the
many
statusesofslavesbut
ignores
theirfunctions.Whether
the
slaveworksina
saltpeter
mineordirectsan
empire,
thelaw
looks
only
athis
legalstatus,
andit
containsanimmense
body
of
regulationsspecifying
theexactdutiesand
rights
of each
type
of
slave(e.g.,ma’dhn,makdtib,ummwalad).
13
Itdidnotconsiderthe
possibility
that
thefunctionofaslave
might
overshadowhis
legal
status.
Military
slavesdonothavea
separate legalstatus,
so
they
were
practically
absentfromtheMuslims’consciousnessin
pre-
moderntimes.Muslimsdidnot
recognize
their
extraordinary
functionsand
roles.Premodern
writings--legal
works,belles
lettres,historical
writings,
mirrors
for
princes--allignore
them;
indeed,the
subject
ofthis
inquiry
went
largelyunnoticedinIs-
lamicatecivilization.Thishasresultedina
paucity
of
bothpri-
mary
sourcematerialsand
scholarly
interest.
The fewmodernscholars
whohaveconcernedthemselves
withthis
questionusuallyhedge
their
answers.
SeveralOttoman
13.Thereisnodetailed
exposition
oftheMuslimslave’s
legalpositionina
Europeanlanguage.
R.
Brunschvig,
"CAbd"inEl
gives
anexcellentoverview.
Also,the
followingtopics
havebeen covered:
(a)Qur’nicinjunctions:
R.
Roberts,
The
SocialLaws
of
the
Qorn
(London,
1925),pp.
53-60;
(b)
Mftlildlaw:
D.
Santillana,Istituzionididirittomusulmanomalichita, 2 vols.(Rome,1926-38),
1:111-26; (c)Shficlaw:T.W.
Juynboll,
Handbuchdesisldmischen Gesetzes
(Leiden, 1910),
pp.
202-08,and E.Sachau,MuhammedanischesRechtnach
Schafiitischer
Lehre, pp.125-79,covermanumission;(d)Ottomanlaw:K.E.
Weckwarth,DerSklaveimMuhammedanischenRecht(Berlin,1909).Despiteitstitle,
thisdissertationdeals
exclusively
withtheOttoman
legalsystem.