Emancipation

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever emancipates a Muslim slave, God emancipates from the Fire a corresponding limb for every limb of his, even his private part for the slave’s private part.’

Abu Dharr reported: I asked the Prophet, ‘Which deed is best?’ He said, ‘Faith in God and striving in His path.’ I asked, ‘Which person is best to emancipate?’ He said, ‘The one who costs the most and is most valued by their people.’ I asked, ‘What if I cannot do that?’ He said, ‘Help a worker, or do work for someone who is inept.’ I asked, ‘What if I cannot do that?’ He said, ‘Refrain from harming people; that is charity which you give to yourself.’

Al-Bara ibn Azib reported: A Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, ‘Teach me a deed that will admit me to Paradise.’ He said, ‘Though you have asked briefly, you have posed a far-reaching question: emancipate a person and free a captive.’ The man said, ‘Are these not the same?’ He said, ‘No. Emancipating a person is to free them yourself; freeing a captive is to contribute toward their price. And grant a milch animal to someone, and be kind to a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. If you cannot do that, restrain your tongue except for good.’ Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-Iman.

Amr ibn Abasah reported that the Prophet said: ‘Whoever builds a mosque in which God is remembered, a house will be built for him in Paradise. Whoever emancipates a Muslim soul, it will be his ransom from Hell. Whoever grows a gray hair in the path of God, it will be a light for him on the Day of Resurrection.’ It is transmitted in Sharh al-Sunnah.

Al-Ghurayf ibn Ayyash al-Daylami reported: We came to Wathilah ibn al-Asqa and said, ‘Tell us a report without addition or omission.’ He became angry and said, ‘One of you recites while his copy of the Qur’an hangs in his house, yet he adds and omits.’ We said, ‘We only meant a report you heard from the Prophet.’ He said: We came to the Messenger of God regarding a companion of ours who had incurred the Fire by killing. He said, ‘Free a slave on his behalf; for every limb of the slave, God will free a corresponding limb from the Fire.’ Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i transmitted it.

Samurah ibn Jundub reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘The best charity is intercession by which a person is freed.’ Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-Iman.

Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever emancipates his share in a slave, and has enough wealth to cover the slave’s full price, the slave shall be assessed at a fair price, his partners shall be given their shares, and the slave shall thereby be emancipated. Otherwise, only the portion of him corresponding to that share is emancipated.’

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever emancipates a share in a slave, the whole slave is emancipated if the person has property. If not, the slave is required to work, without being overburdened.’

Imran ibn Husayn reported: A man emancipated six slaves at the time of his death, having no property besides them. The Messenger of God summoned them, divided them into three groups, and then drew lots among them. He emancipated two and kept four enslaved, and spoke sternly to the man. Muslim transmitted it. Al-Nasa'i transmitted it from him and mentioned the wording, ‘I considered not praying over him,’ in place of ‘he spoke sternly to him.’ In Abu Dawud’s version, he said, ‘Had I witnessed him before he was buried, he would not have been buried in the Muslims’ cemetery.’

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘No child can repay his father, unless he finds him enslaved, buys him, and emancipates him.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir reported: A man of the Ansar declared that his slave would be emancipated after his death, and he had no other property. When this reached the Prophet, he said, ‘Who will buy him from me?’ Nuaym ibn al-Nahham bought him for eight hundred dirhams. Agreed upon. In a version from Muslim, Nuaym ibn Abdullah al-Adawi bought him for eight hundred dirhams and brought the money to the Prophet, who handed it to the man and then said: ‘Begin with yourself and give charity to yourself. If anything remains, then for your family; if anything remains after your family, then for your relatives; and if anything remains after your relatives, then thus and thus’—indicating what is before you, to your right, and to your left.

Al-Hasan reported from Samurah that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever comes to possess a close relative within the prohibited degrees, that person is free.’ Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Ibn Abbas reported from the Prophet that he said: ‘If a man’s slave woman bears him a child, she is emancipated after his death—or thereafter.’ Al-Darimi transmitted it.

Jabir reported: In the time of the Messenger of God and Abu Bakr, we sold mothers of children. When Umar came to power, he forbade us from doing so, and we stopped. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever emancipates a slave who owns property, that property belongs to him, unless the master stipulates otherwise.’ Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Malih reported from his father: A man emancipated a share in a young slave, and this was mentioned to the Prophet. He said, ‘God has no partner,’ and approved the emancipation. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Safinah reported: I was a slave belonging to Umm Salamah, and she said, ‘I will emancipate you on the condition that you serve the Messenger of God as long as he lives.’ I replied, ‘Even if you did not make that condition, I would not leave the Messenger of God as long as he lives.’ So she emancipated me and made that condition. Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Amr ibn Shuayb reported from his father, from his grandfather, from the Prophet, who said: ‘A contracted slave remains a slave as long as even one dirham of his contract remains unpaid.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Umm Salamah reported that the Messenger of God said: ‘When a contracted slave belonging to one of you women has sufficient means to pay, let her veil herself from him.’ Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Amr ibn Shuayb reported from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever makes a contract with his slave for one hundred uqiyyahs, and the slave pays all but ten uqiyyahs—or, he said, ten dinars—then becomes unable to pay the rest, remains enslaved.’ Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah transmitted it.