Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition
The Curse of Ham narrative claims that Ham (the son of Noah) and his progeny were cursed by God with “blackness and slavery.” While the story can be located within Islamic literature, the tradition was refuted by numerous scholars for various reasons. Firstly, the story is not found within the Quran...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pluto Journals
2019-09-01
|
| Series: | ReOrient |
| Online Access: | https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.5.1.0092 |
| _version_ | 1797834045745266688 |
|---|---|
| author | Haroon Bashir |
| author_facet | Haroon Bashir |
| author_sort | Haroon Bashir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Curse of Ham narrative claims that Ham (the son of Noah) and his progeny were cursed by God with “blackness and slavery.” While the story can be located within Islamic literature, the tradition was refuted by numerous scholars for various reasons. Firstly, the story is not found within the Quranic text. Secondly, it was generally accepted that slavery was not linked to color but was a substitute for execution following defeat in warfare. Most importantly, scholars refuted the idea that blackness could be considered a curse due to a number of early Muslim heroes being described as black. This paper explores the debates and discourses surrounding blackness and the story of Ham. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:33:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f37d48527e44666a209ad8c55f1a8e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-5601 2055-561X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:33:25Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | Pluto Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ReOrient |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f37d48527e44666a209ad8c55f1a8e82023-05-03T14:17:34ZengPluto JournalsReOrient2055-56012055-561X2019-09-01519211610.13169/reorient.5.1.0092Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic TraditionHaroon BashirThe Curse of Ham narrative claims that Ham (the son of Noah) and his progeny were cursed by God with “blackness and slavery.” While the story can be located within Islamic literature, the tradition was refuted by numerous scholars for various reasons. Firstly, the story is not found within the Quranic text. Secondly, it was generally accepted that slavery was not linked to color but was a substitute for execution following defeat in warfare. Most importantly, scholars refuted the idea that blackness could be considered a curse due to a number of early Muslim heroes being described as black. This paper explores the debates and discourses surrounding blackness and the story of Ham.https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.5.1.0092 |
| spellingShingle | Haroon Bashir Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition ReOrient |
| title | Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition |
| title_full | Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition |
| title_fullStr | Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition |
| title_short | Black Excellence and the Curse of Ham: Debating Race and Slavery in the Islamic Tradition |
| title_sort | black excellence and the curse of ham debating race and slavery in the islamic tradition |
| url | https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/reorient.5.1.0092 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT haroonbashir blackexcellenceandthecurseofhamdebatingraceandslaveryintheislamictradition |