The Book of Emancipating Slaves

كتاب العتق

Chapter 6: The virtue of manumitting slaves

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace benpon him) as saying

He who emancipates a slave, Allah will set free from Hell every limb (of his body) for every limb of his (slave's) body, even his private parts.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who emancipates a believing slave. Allah will set free from Fire his every limb for every limb of his (slave's), even his private parts for his.

Chapter 2: A slave working to pay off the other half

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased witli him) reported Allah's Prophet (ﷺ) as saying

If anyone emancipates a share in a slave, he is to be completely emancipated if he has money; but if he has none, the slave will be required to work to pay for his freedom, but must not be over-burhened.

Chapter 3: Al-Wala' (Right of inheritance) belongs to the one who manumits the slave

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported

She wanted to buy Barira with a view to emancipating her. They (the sellers) laid down the condition that the right of inheritance would vest (with them). She (Hadrat 'A'isha) made a mention of that to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), whereupon he said: Buy her and emancipate her for the right of inheritance vests with one who emancipates. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was given meat as gift. They (his Companions) said to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ): This was given as charity to Barira, whereupon he said: That is charity for her but gift for us. And she was given option (to retain her matrimonial alliance or to break it). Abd al-Rahman said: Her husband was a free man. Shu'ba said: I then asked him (one of the narrators) about Barira's husband (whether he had been a free mart or a slave), whereupon he said: I do not know.

'A'isha reported that the husband of Barira was a slave.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her). the wife of Allah's Apostle (may Peace be upon him) said

Three are the Sunan (usages) (that we came to know in case of Bairara). She was given option in regard to her husband when she was emancipated. Sbe was given meat as charity. Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) visited me when an earthen pot with meat in it was placed on the fire. He asked for food and be was given bread with ordinary meat (usually cooked in the) house. Thereupon he (Allah's Messenger) said: Don't I see the earthen pot on fire with meat in it? They said: Yes. Allah's Messenger, there is meat in it which was given as charity to Barira. We did not deem it advisable that we should give you that to eat, whereupon he said: It is charity for her, but it is gift for us. Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) also said: The right of inheritance vests with one who emancipates.

Chapter 5: The prohibition of a manumitted slave taking anyone as a Mawla except the one who manumitted him

Jabir b. Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them) reported that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) made it obligatory for every tribe (the payment) of blood-wit; he then also made it explicit that it is not permissible for a Muslim to make himself the ally (of the slave emancipated by another) Muslim without his permission. He (the narrator further added)

I was informed that he (the Holy Prophet) cursed the one who did that (and it was recorded) in his Sahifa (in a document).

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said

He who takes anyone as his ally without the consent of his previous master, there will be the curse of Allah and that of His angels upon him, and neither, any obligatory act of his nor the supererogatory one will be accepted (by Allah).

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying

He who took the freed slave as his ally without the consent of his previous master, there is upon him the curse of Allah and that of His angels and that of the whole mankind, and there will not be accepted from him his obligatory acts or supercrogatory acts on the Day of Resurrection. This hadith is narrated through the same chain of transmitters, but with a slight change of words.

Chapter 6: The virtue of manumitting slaves

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

A Muslim who emancipates a Muslim (slave). Allah will save from Fire every limb of his for every limb (of the slave). Sa'id b. Marjana said: When I heard this hadith from Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him), I went away and made a mention of it to 'Ali b. Husain and he at once emancipated the slave for which Ibn ja'far was prepared to pay ten thousand dirhams or one thousand dinars.

Chapter 7: The virtue of manumitting one's father

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

A son does not repay what he owes his father unless he buys him (the father) in case he is a slave and then emancipates him. In the narration transmitted by Ibn Abu Shaiba there is a slight change of words.