Anas reported the Prophet as saying, “The freedman* of a people is one of them.” * Maula. This word may mean either the one who emancipates or the one who has been emancipated, and therefore the tradition has received two different interpretations according to the meaning of maula.Bukhari transmitted it.
Inheritance and Wills - Mishkat al-Masabih 3044
The noble hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik states: "The freedman (maula) of a people is one of them." This tradition, transmitted by Imam al-Bukhari, carries profound implications for inheritance law and social relations within the Islamic community.
Lexical Analysis of "Maula"
The term "maula" possesses dual meanings in classical Arabic: it may refer to the emancipator (al-mu'tiq) or the emancipated slave (al-mu'taq). This linguistic richness necessitates careful scholarly interpretation, as both readings are textually valid and carry distinct legal consequences.
Inheritance Implications
If understood as the emancipated slave, this hadith establishes that freed persons inherit from their former masters through the principle of wala' (clientage), forming a legal bond equivalent to blood relation in matters of inheritance when no other heirs exist.
Conversely, if interpreted as the emancipator, it affirms the right of the former master to inherit from the freed slave who dies without direct heirs, thereby completing the reciprocal relationship established through emancipation.
Scholarly Consensus
The majority of jurists, including Imam al-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad, have reconciled both interpretations by applying each to different contexts. The emancipated slave inherits through wala' al-'itq, while the emancipator inherits through wala' al-muwalat, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of Islamic inheritance law.
Social Dimensions
Beyond legal technicalities, this Prophetic statement dismantles social hierarchies, affirming the complete integration of freed persons into the Muslim community with full rights and responsibilities, including inheritance - a revolutionary concept in seventh-century Arabia.