Mohammed Ennaji holds a doctorate in economics and is professor at Mohammed V University in Morocco. A historian, writer and journalist, he is an active proponent of culture in Morocco, where he organizes various cultural events, including international conferences and festivals. He is the author of several studies and books, including Serving the Master: Slavery and Society in Nineteenth-Century Morocco (1999).

'Slavery, the State, and Islam is an important study of the history of slavery in Islam. Its highlight is the laborious linguistic work of excavating the Arabic lexicon of slavery and servitude. Readers will also have an opportunity to discover how several aspects of contemporary human relations of proximity (e.g., marriage and greetings) are deeply rooted in the culture of servitude.' Mourad Laabdi, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences

• Foreword Paul E. Lovejoy; Introduction: the sources and structures of the bond of authority; 1. The deadly lie, or the death announcement; 2. The battleground of servitude: an illusory freedom; 3. Open-air servitude; 4. The master of heaven and the master of earth; 5. The king and his subjects; 6. The king and his entourage; 7. The threshold of the king, or the weapon of forced servitude; Conclusion: between heaven and earth.