What
IsaMilitarySlave?
15
Unfortunately,
his
argument
is
basedon
very
freeuseof
facts,
so
hisconclusionsmustbe treatedwith
utmostcaution.Shaban
takes
issuewiththe
"astonishing"
mistakeofearlier
historiansin
thinking
thatthesoldiers
calledslaveswerein
anyway
servile.
Hethinks"itis
high
time
[thisidea]wasutterlyrefuted."Ashe
sees
it, thenotionthatslaves
defendedandruledIslamicate
dynasties"isnot
only
a
gross
misunderstanding
ofhumanna-
ture,
butit
also
goesagainst
the
overwhelmingevidencetothe
contrary
inour
sources.
’’20
According
toShaban,thetermsCabd,
ghulgtm,khSdim,mawld,
and
wa.-f
had
allbeenabstractedfromtheir
originalmeanings;
although
slavesin
name,
they
werenomoreslavesin
actuality
thananAmerican
secretary
of
stateisa
secretary
who
takesdic-
tationandservescoffee.Farfrom
relying
on
overwhelming
evi-
denceto
provethis
point,
Shabandoesnot
offerashredof
sup-
port
fromthe
sources.
Contrary
evidencehe
dismissesoutof
hand;anaccountwhichindicates
in
passing
thatsomeofficials
werelatermanumittedhelabels
"almost
certainly
fictitious...
probably
put
forward
by
their
opponents.
’’21
Thisfeeble
expla-
nationmisses
the
pointentirely.
Aslave
background
neednot
have
pejorativeconnotations.Humannaturehasoften
commit-
ted
stranger
folliesthan
placing
slaves
in
highpositions;
andthe
entire
system
of
militaryslavery
makes
moresensewhenoneac-
cepts
wordsand
statementsatfacevalueratherthan
overintero
preting
them.
TheIslamicate
Meaning
of"Slave"
Muchoftheconfusion
surrounding
thenatureof
military
slav-
ery
derivesfromtheMuslim
practice
of
calling
thesemenslaves
regardlessoftheiractual
circumstances.Theslave
may
beunder
his
master’scontrol
(and
thusa
slaveinthestandard
English
sense),
he
mayhavebeenmanumitted,orhe
mayhaveseized
powerwithhisownhands;in
allthesecases,Muslimcontem-
20.Shaban,Islamic
History,2:63-64.
- Ibid.,2:66.