Sunan Ibn Majah
The Chapters on Manumission (of Slaves)
كتاب العتق
Chapter 1
الْمُدَبَّرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr and Ali ibn Muhammad both narrated to us: Waki narrated to us: Ismail ibn Abi Khalid narrated to us, from Salamah ibn Kuhayl, from Ata, from Jabir, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sold a mudabbar.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Mudabbar is a slave whose emancipation is pledged to take effect upon the owners death. The source text contains an apparent stray Arabic character in the honorific after the Prophets name; it does not affect the readable report.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: One of our men pledged to emancipate a slave upon his death, and he had no property other than that slave. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sold him, and Ibn al-Nahham, a man from Banu Adi, bought him.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says the man had no wealth other than the slave. It identifies the buyer as Ibn al-Nahham, a man from Banu Adi.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Ali ibn Zabyan narrated to us, from Ubaydullah, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The mudabbar is from the one third. Ibn Majah said: I heard Uthman—I mean Ibn Abi Shaybah—say: This is an error, meaning the hadith The mudabbar is from the one third. Abu Abdullah said: It has no basis.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic includes two explicit critical notes after the report: Ibn Abi Shaybah calls the hadith erroneous, and Abu Abdullah says it has no basis. The short statement about the one third is therefore presented with the source compiler transmission and criticism intact. Mudabbar denotes a slave whose emancipation is deferred until the owners death.
Chapter 2
أُمَّهَاتِ الأَوْلاَدِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Ismail both narrated to us: Waki narrated to us: Sharik narrated to us, from Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If a man fathers a child by his slave woman, she is emancipated from him upon his death.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic states that the slave woman bears a child from her owner and that her emancipation takes effect upon his death. The English witness has an apparent typographical error in the corresponding clause.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Abu Asim narrated to us: Abu Bakr, meaning al-Nahshali, narrated to us, from al-Husayn ibn Abdullah, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The mother of Ibrahim was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Her child emancipated her.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase her child emancipated her appears without further explanation in the Arabic. The translation preserves that wording and does not expand it into a legal ruling.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya and Ishaq ibn Mansur both narrated to us: Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj: Abu al-Zubayr informed me that he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah say: We used to sell our slave women and the mothers of our children while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was alive among us, and we saw no harm in doing so.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic uses two categories: slave women and mothers of their owners children. The report states that the Companions saw no harm in selling them while the Prophet was alive among them; the translation preserves that historical claim without adding an interpretation.
Chapter 3
الْمُكَاتَبِ
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Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Abdullah ibn Said both narrated to us: Abu Khalid al-Ahmar narrated to us, from Ibn Ajlan, from Said ibn Abi Said, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There are three whom Allah is bound to help: the fighter in the path of Allah, the mukatab who intends to pay what is due, and the one who marries seeking chastity.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Mukatab refers to a slave who has entered into a contract of manumission in return for payment. The Arabic says that Allah has made their aid incumbent upon Himself; the rendering retains that emphatic assurance.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Numayr and Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us, from Hajjaj, from Amr ibn Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Any slave who enters into a contract for one hundred uqiyyahs and pays all but ten uqiyyahs remains a slave.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic specifies a manumission contract for one hundred uqiyyahs and that the slave remains a slave if ten uqiyyahs remain unpaid. The English witness adds that one uqiyyah equals forty dirhams; that conversion is not present in the Arabic source and is not included in the translation.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Nabhan, the freedman of Umm Salamah, from Umm Salamah, who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If any of you has a mukatab who possesses enough to pay what he owes, let her veil herself from him.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Mukatab refers to a slave under a contract of manumission. The condition is that he has the means to make the payment due; the address is to the women, instructing her to veil herself from him.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Ali ibn Muhammad both narrated to us: Waki narrated to us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Barirah came to her while under a manumission contract that her owners had made with her for nine uqiyyahs. Aishah said to her, If your owners wish, I will pay them in a single payment, and the right of wala will belong to me. She went to her owners and told them, but they refused unless they stipulated that the wala belong to them. Aishah told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said, Do so. The Prophet then stood and addressed the people. He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said: What is the matter with men who stipulate conditions that are not in the Book of Allah? Any condition that is not in the Book of Allah is invalid, even if there are a hundred conditions. The Book of Allah has the greater right, and the condition of Allah is more binding. The wala belongs to the one who emancipates.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic chain is Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Ali ibn Muhammad, then Waki, Hisham ibn Urwah, his father, and Aishah. The report says Barirah had a nine-uqiyyah contract; Aishah offered one payment and claimed the wala, while her owners insisted on retaining it. Wala is the bond or right of clientage associated here with emancipation. The English witness is duplicated and malformed at the start; the Arabic is complete.
Chapter 4
الْعِتْقِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Amr ibn Murrah, from Salim ibn Abi al-Jad, from Shurahbil ibn al-Simt, who said: I said to Kab ibn Murrah, O Kab ibn Murrah, narrate to us from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and take care. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever emancipates a Muslim man, he will be his ransom from the Fire; for each bone of the man, one of his bones will suffice. Whoever emancipates two Muslim women, they will be his ransom from the Fire; for every two bones of theirs, one of his bones will suffice.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Shurahbil explicitly asks Kab to take care while narrating. The report repeats the image of emancipation as ransom from the Fire and uses a correspondence between the freed persons bones and the emancipators; the wording has been kept close rather than smoothing away this image.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Sinan narrated to us: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us: Hisham ibn Urwah narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Murawih, from Abu Dharr, who said: I said: Messenger of Allah, which of the slaves is best? He said: The one most precious to his people and highest in price.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic wording says the best is the one held most precious by his people and highest in price; it does not explicitly explain this as treatment or character. The translation stays close to the source phrasing.
Chapter 5
مَنْ مَلَكَ ذَا رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ فَهُوَ حُرٌّ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Uqbah ibn Mukram and Ishaq ibn Mansur both narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Bakr al-Bursani narrated to us, from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Qatadah and Asim, from al-Hasan, from Samurah ibn Jundub, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: Whoever comes to own a close unmarriageable relative, that person is free.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic states the ruling in general terms for one who owns a close relative with whom marriage is forbidden; the relative is thereby free. The source witness provides the same basic meaning.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Rashid ibn Said al-Ramli and Ubaydullah ibn al-Jahm al-Anmati both narrated to us: Damrah ibn Rabiah narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Abdullah ibn Dinar, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever comes to own a close unmarriageable relative, that person is free.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
This is another chain for the same ruling found in the preceding report. The Arabic states that a close relative whom one is forbidden to marry becomes free if owned.
Chapter 6
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ عَبْدًا وَاشْتَرَطَ خِدْمَتَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abdullah ibn Muawiyah al-Jumahi narrated to us: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Said ibn Jumhan, from Safinah, Abu Abd al-Rahman, who said: Umm Salamah emancipated me and stipulated that I serve the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for as long as he lived.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The speaker is Safinah, also identified here as Abu Abd al-Rahman. The Arabic states that Umm Salamah emancipated him on condition that he serve the Prophet for the duration of the Prophets life.
Chapter 7
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ شِرْكًا لَهُ فِي عَبْدٍ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Ali ibn Mushir and Muhammad ibn Bishr narrated to us, from Said ibn Abi Arubah, from Qatadah, from al-Nadr ibn Anas, from Bashir ibn Nahik, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever emancipates a share he owns in a slave, or a portion of one, must secure the slaves full freedom from his own wealth if he has wealth. If he has no wealth, the slave is to be made to work for his value, without being overburdened.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic states that the person who emancipates his share is responsible for completing the slaves freedom if he has wealth. If he does not, the slave is to be made to earn his value, without undue hardship. The English witness parenthetically spells out buying the remaining freedom; that explanatory gloss is not explicit in the Arabic wording.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Yahya ibn Hakim narrated to us: Uthman ibn Umar narrated to us: Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever emancipates a share he owns in a slave, the slave is to be assessed at a fair valuation, and the emancipator is to pay his co-owners their shares if he has enough wealth to cover the price; then the slave is fully emancipated. Otherwise, only the portion he emancipated is free.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic specifies fair valuation and payment of the partners shares if the emancipator has enough wealth to cover the price. If he does not, only the portion he emancipated is free.
Chapter 8
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ عَبْدًا وَلَهُ مَالٌ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Harmalah ibn Yahya narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Wahb narrated to us: Ibn Lahi ah informed me. (Another chain:) Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us: Said ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us: al-Layth ibn Sad informed us. Both chains lead from Ubaydullah ibn Abi Jafar, from Bukayr ibn al-Ashajj, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever emancipates a slave who has property, the slaves property belongs to him, unless the master stipulates that the property belong to him; then it belongs to the master. Ibn Lahi ah said: Unless the master excludes it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic preserves two transmission routes that converge at Ubaydullah ibn Abi Jafar. Ibn Lahi ah then supplies an alternate wording: unless the master excludes the property. The slaves property belongs to the freed slave by default, subject to the masters stipulation or exception.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; Sa'id ibn Muhammad al-Jarmi narrated to us; al-Muttalib ibn Ziyad narrated to us, from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, from his grandfather 'Umayr—who was Ibn Mas'ud's freedman—that 'Abdullah said to him: 'Umayr, I am freeing you with a good, generous emancipation. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: If any man frees a slave and does not specify the slave's property, then the property belongs to him. So tell me what property you have.'
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us; al-Muttalib ibn Ziyad narrated to us, from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, who said: 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said to my grandfather...' Then he mentioned something similar.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic supplies a second full chain through Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr and explicitly says the report is similar; the witness reduces this to “Another chain reports a similar hadith.” The possessive in “it belongs to him” is rendered in context as the freed person, as in the witness.
Chapter 9
عِتْقِ وَلَدِ الزِّنَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; al-Fadl ibn Dukayn narrated to us; Isra'il narrated to us, from Zayd ibn Jubayr, from Abu Yazid al-Dinni, from Maymunah bint Sa'd—the Prophet's freedwoman—that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about children born of zina. He said: 'Two sandals with which I strive in jihad are better than my freeing a child born of zina.'
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says two sandals (naalan), which the English witness expands as sandals in which he wages jihad. The unusual comparison has been kept close to the source wording.