Manumission of Slaves

كتاب العتق

Chapter 1: The manumission and its superiority

And the Almighty says: {Untie the neck or feed on the day of Dhul-Masghba an orphan who is close}.
Narrated Abu Huraira

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever frees a Muslim slave, Allah will save all the parts of his body from the (Hell) Fire as he has freed the body-parts of the slave." Sa`id bin Marjana said that he narrated that Hadith to `Ali bin Al-Husain and he freed his slave for whom `Abdullah bin Ja`far had offered him ten thousand Dirhams or one-thousand Dinars.

Chapter 2: What is the best kind of manumission (of slaves)?

Narrated Abu Dhar

I asked the Prophet, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and to fight for His Cause." I then asked, "What is the best kind of manumission (of slaves)?" He replied, "The manumission of the most expensive slave and the most beloved by his master." I said, "If I cannot afford to do that?" He said, "Help the weak or do good for a person who cannot work for himself." I said, "If I cannot do that?" He said, "Refrain from harming others for this will be regarded as a charitable deed for your own good."

Chapter 3: Manumitting slaves at the time of eclipses

Narrated Asma' bint Abu Bakr

The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered us to free slaves at the time of solar eclipses.

Narrated Asma' bint Abu Bakr

We were ordered to free slaves at the time of lunar eclipses.

Chapter 4: If one manumits a male slave owned by two persons

Narrated Ibn `Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever manumits a slave owned by two masters, should manumit him completely (not partially) if he is rich after having its price evaluated."

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever frees his share of a common slave and he has sufficient money to free him completely, should let its price be estimated by a just man and give his partners the price of their shares and manumit the slave; otherwise (i.e. if he has not sufficient money) he manumits the slave partially."

Narrated Ibn `Umar

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever manumits his share of a slave, then it is essential for him to get that slave manumitted' completely as long as he has the money to do so. If he has not sufficient money to pay the price of the other shares (after the price of the slave is evaluated justly), the manumitted manumits the slave partially in proportion to his share.

`Ubaidullah narrated as above in brief.

Narrated Ibn `Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who manumits his share of a slave and has money sufficient to free the remaining portion of that slave's price (justly estimated) then he should manumit him (by giving the rest of his price to the other co-owners)." Nafi` added, "Otherwise the slave is partially free." Aiyub is not sure whether the last statement was said by Nafi` or it was a part of the Hadith.

Narrated Ibn `Umar

That he used to give his verdict regarding the male or female slaves owned by more than one master, one of whom may manumit his share of the slave. Ibn `Umar used to say in such a case, "The manumitted should manumit the slave completely if he has sufficient money to pay the rest of the price of that slave (which is to be justly estimated) and the other shareholders are to take the price of their shares and the slave is freed (released from slavery)." Ibn `Umar narrated this verdict from the Prophet.

Chapter 5: Whoever manumits his portion of a common slave

Narrated Abu Huraira

That the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever frees his portion of a (common) slave."

Narrated Abu Huraira

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever frees his portion of a common slave should free the slave completely by paying the rest of his price from his money if he has enough money; otherwise the price of the slave is to be estimated and the slave is to be helped to work without hardship till he pays the rest of his price."

Chapter 6: Manumission and divorce by mistake or forgetfulness

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah Allaah be upon him) said: "Everyone has what he intended" and there is no intention for the forgetful and the wrongdoer.
Narrated Abu Huraira

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has accepted my invocation to forgive what whispers in the hearts of my followers, unless they put it to action or utter it." (See Hadith No. 657 Vol. 8)

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The (reward of) deeds depend on intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he intends. So, whoever migrated for Allah and His Apostle, then his migration will be for Allah and His Apostle, and whoever migrated for worldly benefits or for marrying a woman, then his migration will be for what he migrated for." (See Hadith No. 1, Vol. 1)

Chapter 7: The witness for manumission

Narrated Qais

When Abu Huraira accompanied by his slave set out intending to embrace Islam they lost each other on the way. The slave then came while Abu Huraira was sitting with the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Abu Huraira! Your slave has come back." Abu Huraira said, "Indeed, I would like you to witness that I have manumitted him." That happened at the time when Abu Huraira recited (the following poetic verse):-- 'What a long tedious tiresome night! Nevertheless, it has delivered us From the land of Kufr (disbelief).

Narrated Abu Huraira

On my way to the Prophet (ﷺ) I was reciting:-- 'What a long tedious tiresome night! Nevertheless, it has saved us From the land of Kufr (disbelief).' I had a slave who ran away from me on the way. When I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and gave the pledge of allegiance for embracing Islam, the slave showed up while I was still with the Prophet (ﷺ) who remarked, "O Abu Huraira! Here is your slave!" I said, "I manumit him for Allah's Sake," and so I freed him.

Narrated Qais

When Abu Huraira accompanied by his slave came intending to embrace Islam, they lost each other on the way. (When the slave showed up) Abu Huraira said (to the Prophet), "I make you witness that the slave is free for Allah's Cause."

Chapter 8: Umm Al-Walad

Abu Huraira said of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah Allaah be upon him): "One of the signs of the Hour is for a nation to give birth to its Lord."
Narrated `Aisha

`Utba bin Abi Waqqas authorized his brother Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas to take the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a into his custody, telling him that the boy was his own (illegal) son. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went (to Mecca) at the time of the Conquest, Sa`d took the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and also brought 'Abu bin Zam`a with him and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This is the son of my brother `Utba who authorized me to take him into my custody." 'Abu bin Zam`a said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He is my brother, the son of Zam`a's slave-girl and he was born on his bed." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) looked at the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a and noticed much resemblance (to `Utba). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "It is for you, O 'Abu bin Zam`a as he was born on the bed of your father." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then told Sauda bint Zam`a to observe veil in the presence of the boy as he noticed the boy's resemblance to `Utba and Sauda was the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) .

Chapter 9: The selling of a Mudabbar

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah

A man amongst us declared that his slave would be freed after his death. The Prophet (ﷺ) called for that slave and sold him. The slave died the same year.

Chapter 10: The Wala' of a manumitted slave

Narrated Ibn `Umar

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the selling or donating the Wala' of a freed slave.