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Is a slave obligated to obey his master in everything? And is it permissible for a master to beat a slave? If so, when and how?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The obedience of slaves to their masters is restricted by two conditions:

First: That it not be in disobedience to Allah, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) sayings: "There is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator" and "Obedience is only in what is right."

Second: That it be within the slave's capacity and ability, such that it removes harm from him, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) sayings: "Your brethren are your servants... Do not burden them with what overwhelms them; if you do burden them, then help them," and "The slave has his food and clothing, and he is not burdened with work except what he can bear," and "There shall be no harm nor reciprocating harm."

The permissibility of striking slaves is restricted by two conditions:

First: That there be justifiable reasons for it. Second: Not exceeding the limits of Islamic law in its measure and manner. It should be for discipline, with a light, non-injurious beating, avoiding striking without a sin, or slapping the face. Continuous forgiveness is prioritized over punishment.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy