Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3223
أَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ بَكَّارِ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ أَبَا حُذَيْفَةَ بْنَ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ، - وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم - تَبَنَّى سَالِمًا وَأَنْكَحَهُ ابْنَةَ أَخِيهِ هِنْدَ بِنْتَ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ وَهُوَ مَوْلًى لاِمْرَأَةٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَمَا تَبَنَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَيْدًا وَكَانَ مَنْ تَبَنَّى رَجُلاً فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ دَعَاهُ النَّاسُ ابْنَهُ فَوَرِثَ مِنْ مِيرَاثِهِ حَتَّى أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذَلِكَ { ادْعُوهُمْ لآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا آبَاءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ } فَمَنْ لَمْ يُعْلَمْ لَهُ أَبٌ كَانَ مَوْلًى وَأَخًا فِي الدِّينِ . مُخْتَصَرٌ .
Imran ibn Bakr ibn Rashid reported to us; he said: Abu al-Yaman narrated to us; he said: Shuayb informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: Urwah ibn al-Zubayr informed me, from Aishah, that Abu Hudhayfah ibn Utbah ibn Rabi'ah ibn Abd Shams—one of those who had fought at Badr with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—adopted Salim and married him to his niece, Hind bint al-Walid ibn Utbah ibn Rabi'ah ibn Abd Shams. Salim was a freedman of an Ansari woman. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had likewise adopted Zayd. In pre-Islamic times, when someone adopted a man, people called him their son, and he inherited from them. This continued until Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed concerning this: ‘Call them by their fathers; that is more just in the sight of Allah. If you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in religion and your allies.’ Anyone whose father was unknown was then a freedman and a brother in religion. This is an abridged report.
Translation notes
The report describes pre-Islamic adoption as establishing a filial name and inheritance, then quotes Quran 33:5 directing people to call adopted children by their biological fathers when known.
- وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم - تَبَنَّى سَالِمًا وَأَنْكَحَهُ ابْنَةَ أَخِيهِ هِنْدَ بِنْتَ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ وَهُوَ مَوْلًى لاِمْرَأَةٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَمَا تَبَنَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَيْدًا وَكَانَ مَنْ تَبَنَّى رَجُلاً فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ دَعَاهُ النَّاسُ ابْنَهُ فَوَرِثَ مِنْ مِيرَاثِهِ حَتَّى أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذَلِكَ { ادْعُوهُمْ لآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا آبَاءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ } فَمَنْ لَمْ يُعْلَمْ لَهُ أَبٌ كَانَ مَوْلًى وَأَخًا فِي الدِّينِ .
The final terms مَوْلًى and مَوَالِيكُمْ can denote a patron, client, or allied freed person; “freedman” is a context-specific rendering.
Does “freedman and brother in religion” best express the status of a person whose father was unknown in this passage?