20. Manumission of Slaves
Sunan Ibn Majah 2512Sahih
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ذﷺ بَاعَ الْمُدَبَّرَ
the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sold a Mudabbar.
Sunan Ibn Majah 2513Sahih
دَبَّرَ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا غُلاَمًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ فَبَاعَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَاشْتَرَاهُ ابْنُ النَّحَّامِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي عَدِيٍّ
“A man among us promised freedom to a slave after his death, and he did not have any property other than him (this slave). So the Prophet ﷺ sold him, and Ibn (Nahham), a man from Banu 'Adi, bought him.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2514Fabricated
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ الْمُدَبَّرُ مِنَ الثُّلُثِ قَالَ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ يَقُولُ هَذَا خَطَأٌ يَعْنِي حَدِيثَ الْمُدَبَّرُ مِنَ الثُّلُثِ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَصْلٌ
“The Mudabbar is part of the one third of the estate.”
أَيُّمَا رَجُلٍ وَلَدَتْ أَمَتُهُ مِنْهُ فَهِيَ مُعْتَقَةٌ عَنْ دُبُرٍ مِنْهُ
“Any man whose slave won an bears him a child, she will be free after he dies.”
ذُكِرَتْ أُمُّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَعْتَقَهَا وَلَدُهَا
“Mention was made of the mother of Ibrahim in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: 'Her son set her free.'”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2517Sahih
كُنَّا نَبِيعُ سَرَارِينَا وَأُمَّهَاتِ أَوْلاَدِنَا وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِينَا حَىٌّ لاَ نَرَى بِذَلِكَ بَأْسًا
“We used to sell our slave women and the mothers of our children (Umahat Awaldina) when the Prophet ﷺ was still living among us, and we did not see anything wrong with that.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2518Hasan or sahih
ثَلاَثَةٌ كُلُّهُمْ حَقٌّ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَوْنُهُ الْغَازِي فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُكَاتَبُ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ الأَدَاءَ وَالنَّاكِحُ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ التَّعَفُّفَ
the warrior in the path of Allah, the mukatab seeking to fulfill (his manumission debt), and the one getting married seeking chastity."
Sunan Ibn Majah 2519Hasan
أَيُّمَا عَبْدٍ كُوتِبَ عَلَى مِائَةِ أُوقِيَّةٍ فَأَدَّاهَا إِلاَّ عَشْرَ أُوقِيَّاتٍ فَهُوَ رَقِيقٌ
“Any slave who has made a contract to buy his freedom for one hundread Uqiyyah and pays it all except ten Uqiyyah; he is still a slave.” (One Uqiyyah is equal to 40 Dirham.)
Sunan Ibn Majah 2520Graders disagree
إِذَا كَانَ لإِحْدَاكُنَّ مُكَاتَبٌ وَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ مَا يُؤَدِّي فَلْتَحْتَجِبْ مِنْهُ
“If anyone of you (women) has a Mukatab, and he has enough (wealth) to pay off (his contact of manumission), she must veil herself from him.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2521Sahih
أَنَّ بَرِيرَةَ أَتَتْهَا وَهِيَ مُكَاتَبَةٌ قَدْ كَاتَبَهَا أَهْلُهَا عَلَى تِسْعِ أَوَاقٍ فَقَالَتْ لَهَا إِنْ شَاءَ أَهْلُكِ عَدَدْتُ لَهُمْ عَدَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَكَانَ الْوَلاَءُ لِي قَالَ فَأَتَتْ أَهْلَهَا فَذَكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ لَهُمْ فَأَبَوْا إِلاَّ أَنْ تَشْتَرِطَ الْوَلاَءَ لَهُمْ فَذَكَرَتْ عَائِشَةُ ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ افْعَلِي قَالَتْ فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا بَالُ رِجَالٍ يَشْتَرِطُونَ شُرُوطًا لَيْسَتْ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ كُلُّ شَرْطٍ لَيْسَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِائَةَ شَرْطٍ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ أَحَقُّ وَشَرْطُ اللَّهِ أَوْثَقُ وَالْوَلاَءُ لِمَنْ أَعْتَقَ
that Barirah came to her when she was came to her when she was Muktabah, and her masters had written a contract of manumission for nine Uqiyyah. She (ʿAishah) said: “If your masters wish I will pay them that in one sum, and the right of inheritance will belong to me.” He said: “So she went to her masters and told them about that, but they insisted that the right of inheritance should belong to them. ʿAishah mentioned that to the Prophet ﷺ and he said: 'Do it.' Then the Prophet ﷺ stood up and addressed the people. He praised and glorified Allah (SWT), then he said: 'What is the matter with some people who stipulated conditions that are not in the Book of Allah (SWT)? Every conditions that is not in the Book of Allah (SWT) is invalid, even if there are one hundred conditions. The Book of Allah(SWT) is more deserving of being followed and the conditions of Allah (SWT) are more binding. And the Wala belongs to the one who manumits (the slave).”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2522Graders disagree
حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَاحْذَرْ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَعْتَقَ امْرَأً مُسْلِمًا كَانَ فِكَاكَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ يُجْزِئُ بِكُلِّ عَظْمٍ مِنْهُ عَظْمٌ مِنْهُ وَمَنْ أَعْتَقَ امْرَأَتَيْنِ مُسْلِمَتَيْنِ كَانَتَا فِكَاكَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ يُجْزِئُ بِكُلِّ عَظْمَيْنِ مِنْهُمَا عَظْمٌ مِنْهُ
I said to Ka'b bin Murrah, tell us a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but be careful. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever frees a Muslim man, he will be his ransom from the Fire; each of his bones will suffice (as a ransom) for each of his bones. Whoever frees two Muslim women, they will be his ransom from the Fire; each of their two bones will suffice (as a ransom) for each of his bones.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2523Sahih
قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الرِّقَابِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ أَنْفَسُهَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِهَا وَأَغْلاَهَا ثَمَنًا
“I said: 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which slave is best?' He said: ‘The one who is most precious to his master and most valuable in price.' ”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2524Hasan or sahih
مَنْ مَلَكَ ذَا رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ فَهُوَ حُرٌّ
“Whoever becomes the master of a Mahram relative (with whom marriage is not lawful), he becomes free.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2525Hasan or sahih
مَنْ مَلَكَ ذَا رَحِمٍ مَحْرَمٍ فَهُوَ حُرٌّ
“Whoever becomes the master of a Mahram relative, he becomes free.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2526Hasan
أَعْتَقَتْنِي أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ وَاشْتَرَطَتْ عَلَىَّ أَنْ أَخْدُمَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ مَا عَاشَ
“Umm Salamah freed me but stipulated that I should serve the Prophet ﷺ as long he lived.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2527Sahih
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ نَصِيبًا لَهُ فِي مَمْلُوكٍ أَوْ شِقْصًا فَعَلَيْهِ خَلاَصُهُ مِنْ مَالِهِ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ اسْتُسْعِيَ الْعَبْدُ فِي قِيمَتِهِ غَيْرَ مَشْقُوقٍ عَلَيْهِ
“Whoever frees his share of a slave or part of his share, must pay from his wealth if he has any wealth if he has any wealth (in order to buy the rest of the slave's freedom). If he does not have wealth, then the slave should be asked to work for the price (of his freedom), without that causing him too much hardship.”
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ شِرْكًا لَهُ فِي عَبْدٍ أُقِيمَ عَلَيْهِ بِقِيمَةِ عَدْلٍ فَأَعْطَى شُرَكَاءَهُ حِصَصَهُمْ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَالِ مَا يَبْلُغُ ثَمَنَهُ وَعَتَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ وَإِلاَّ فَقَدْ عَتَقَ مِنْهُ مَا عَتَقَ
“Whoever frees his share of a slave, the price of the slave should be fairly evaluated, and he (the partner who initiated this process) should free him (in full, by giving the rest of his price to the other co-owners), if he has enough wealth to do so. Otherwise, he will have freed whatever he freed.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2529Sahih
مَنْ أَعْتَقَ عَبْدًا وَلَهُ مَالٌ فَمَالُ الْعَبْدِ لَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَشْتَرِطَ السَّيِّدُ مَالَهُ فَيَكُونَ لَهُ
“Whoever frees a slave who has some wealth, the slave's wealth belongs to him, unless the master stipulates that it will belong to him.”
يَا عُمَيْرُ إِنِّي أُعْتِقُكَ عِتْقًا هَنِيئًا إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ أَيُّمَا رَجُلٍ أَعْتَقَ غُلاَمًا وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ مَالَهُ فَالْمَالُ لَهُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي مَا مَالُكَ
“O Umair, I have set you free in a good way. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: 'Any man who frees a slave and does not say anything about his (the slave's) wealth, it belongs to him (the slave).' So tell me, how much wealth do you have?” Another chain reports a similar hadith.
عَنْ مَيْمُونَةَ بِنْتِ سَعْدٍ مَوْلاَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُئِلَ عَنْ وَلَدِ الزِّنَا فَقَالَ نَعْلاَنِ أُجَاهِدُ فِيهِمَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ أُعْتِقَ وَلَدَ الزِّنَا
the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about illegitimate children. He said: “Two sandals in which I wage Jihad are better than freeing an illegitimate child.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 2532Graders disagree
أَنَّهَا كَانَ لَهَا غُلاَمٌ وَجَارِيَةٌ زَوْجٌ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُعْتِقَهُمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنْ أَعْتَقْتِهِمَا فَابْدَئِي بِالرَّجُلِ قَبْلَ الْمَرْأَةِ
ʿAishah had a male slave and a female slave who were married. She said: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I want to free them both.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If you free them, then start with the man before the woman.”