I saw Abu Dharr wearing clothes, and his slave wearing similar ones. I asked him about it, and he narrated that he had abused a person during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upoe. him) and he reproached him for his mother. That person came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and made mention of that to him. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: You are a person who has (remnants of) Ignorance in him. Your slaves are brothers of yours. Allah has placed them in your hand, and he who has his brother under him, he should feed him with what he eats, and dress him with what he dresses himself, and do not burden them beyond their capacities, and if you burden them, (beyond their capacities), then help them.
The Book of Oaths
Sahih Muslim 1661 c
Hadith Commentary
This narration from Abu Dharr al-Ghifari demonstrates the profound transformation Islam brought to social relations, particularly regarding the treatment of slaves. The Prophet's ﷺ statement "You are a person who has remnants of Ignorance in him" refers to pre-Islamic attitudes where slaves were considered mere property rather than human beings with dignity.
The instruction that slaves are "brothers of yours" establishes their fundamental equality in humanity before Allah. This brotherhood transcends social status and creates moral obligations for the master. The three practical commands—feeding them what you eat, clothing them as you clothe yourself, and not overburdening them—revolutionized slave treatment in 7th century Arabia.
The final instruction to "help them" if assigned difficult work emphasizes shared responsibility and compassion. This hadith forms part of Islam's gradual approach to eliminating slavery by first establishing the slave's human dignity and rights, thereby making the institution increasingly incompatible with Islamic ethics.