13. ✧ Manumission

1. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1829No grade recorded

   أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ أَعْطَاهَا جَارِيَةً، وَأَنَّ تِلْكَ الْجَارِيَةَ وَلَدَتْ مِنْ زِنَا، وَأَنَّهَا أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَعْتِقَ وَلَدَهَا، فَاسْتَأْمَرَتْ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ: لَأَنْ تَصَدَّقِي بِصَدَقَةٍ خَيْرٌ لَكِ مِنْ أَنْ تُعْتِقِيهَا، وَلَكِنِ اسْتَخْدِمِيهَا

   ✧ Indeed the Messenger of God ﷺ gave her a slave-girl, and that slave-girl gave birth as a result of fornication, and she wanted to manumit her child, so she consulted the Messenger of God ﷺ about that. Then the Messenger of God ﷺ said: "To give charity with some charity is better for you than to manumit her, but you may employ her."

2. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1813No grade recorded

   لَا عِتْقَ قَبْلَ مِلْكٍ

   ✧ There is no manumission before ownership.

3. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1814No grade recorded

   إِنَّ امْرَأَةً أَعْتَقَتْ عَبْدًا لَهَا، فَقَالَتْ لَهَا عَائِشَةُ ؓ: أَمَّا إِذَا عَتَقْتِيهِ وَلَمْ تَشْتَرِطِي مَالَهُ فَمَالُهُ لَهُ

   ✧ A woman freed a slave of hers, and 'A'ishah ؓ said to her: Now, if you have freed him and did not stipulate his property, then his property belongs to him.

4. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1815No grade recorded

   إِنَّ عَبْدًا كَانَ بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ، فَأَعْتَقَ أَحَدُهُمَا نَصِيبَهُ، فَحَبَسَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ حَتَّى بَاعَ غُنَيْمَةً

   ✧ A slave was jointly owned by two men, and one of them freed his share, so the Prophet ﷺ detained him until he sold some sheep.

5. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1816No grade recorded

   كَانَ عَبْدٌ بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ، فَأَعْتَقَ أَحَدُهُمَا نِصْفَهُ، فَرَكِبَ شَرِيكُهُ إِلَى عُمَرَ ؓ فَكَتَبَ أَنْ يُقَوَّمَ بِأَغْلَى الْقِيمَةِ

   ✧ A slave was jointly owned by two men, and one of them freed his half, so his partner went to 'Umar ؓ, and he wrote that he should be valued at the highest price.

6. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1817No grade recorded

   فِي الْعَبْدِ يَكُونُ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ، فَيُعْتِقُ أَحَدُهُمَا نَصِيبَهُ ؟ قَالَ: يَضْمَنُ ثُلُثَ ثَمَنِهِ لِصَاحِبِهِ بِقِيمَةِ عَدْلٍ يَوْمَ أَعْتَقَهُ

   ✧ Regarding a slave owned by two men when one of them frees his share, he said: He guarantees a third of its value to his companion at a fair valuation on the day he freed him.

7. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1818No grade recorded

   إِنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ قَالَ لِغُلَامٍ لَهُ: يَا فُلَانُ، لَوْلَا أَنَّكَ وَلَدُ زِنْيَةٍ لَأَعْتَقْتُكَ

   ✧ Indeed Abu Hurayrah ؓ said to a servant of his: "O so-and-so, were it not that you are a child of fornication, I would have freed you."

8. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1819No grade recorded

   مِنْ شَرِّ رَقِيقِكُمُ السُّودَانُ، إِنْ جَاعُوا سَرَقُوا، وَإِنْ شَبِعُوا زَنَوْا

   ✧ Among the worst of your slaves are the black people: if they are hungry, they steal; and if they are full, they commit fornication.

9. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1820No grade recorded

   أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ؓ سُئِلَتْ، فَقِيلَ لَهَا: إِنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ -: لَأَنْ أَتَصَدَّقَ بِشِسْعِ نَعْلِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُعْتِقَ وَلَدَ زِنًى، فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ: أَسَاءَ سَمْعًا فَأَسَاءَ إِجَابَةً؛ إِنَّمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ -: لَأَنْ أَتَصَدَّقُ بِشِسْعِ نَعْلِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ آمُرَ جَارِيَتِي تَزْنِي وَأُعْتِقَ وَلَدَهَا

   ✧ Indeed ʿĀʾishah ؓ was asked, and it was said to her: "Abu Hurayrah ؓ says: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: 'To give in charity a shoe-lace of my sandal is more beloved to me than to manumit a child of fornication.'" Then ʿĀʾishah ؓ said: "He misheard, and thus he erred in his response. The Messenger of God ﷺ only said: 'To give in charity a shoe-lace of my sandal is more beloved to me than to command my slave-girl to fornicate and then manumit her child.'"

10. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1821No grade recorded

    رَأَيْتُ الْمُدَبَّرَ الَّذِي بَاعَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ

    ✧ I saw the slave who was to be freed after his master's death whom the Messenger of God sold.

11. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1822No grade recorded

    مَا أَعْتَقَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ رَقِيقَةِ مَرَضِهِ فَهُوَ وَصِيَّةٌ، إِنْ شَاءَ رَجَعَ فِيهَا

    ✧ Whatever a man manumits of his slaves during his illness, that is a bequest; if he wishes, he may revoke it.

12. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1823No grade recorded

    إِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَرَى بَأْسًا أَنْ يَعُودَ الرَّجُلُ فِي عِتَاقِهِ

    ✧ Indeed he saw no harm in a man revoking his manumission.

13. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1824No grade recorded

    إِذَا أَفْلَسَ الْمُكَاتَبُ يُبْدَأُ بِالدَّيْنِ

    ✧ When a slave who has a contract of manumission becomes bankrupt, the debt is to be given priority.

14. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1825No grade recorded

    إِنَّ مُكَاتَبًا لَهُ عَجَزَ فَرَدَّهُ مَمْلُوكًا، وَأَمْسَكَ مَا أَخَذَهُ مِنْهُ

    ✧ Indeed a slave of his with a contract of manumission became unable to fulfill it, so he returned him to slavery and retained what he had taken from him.

15. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1826No grade recorded

    لَهُمْ مَا أَخَذُوا مِنْهُ - يَعْنِي: إِذَا لَمْ يُكْمِلْ فَرُدَّ فِي الرِّقِّ - فَمَا أُخِذَ فَلَهُمْ

    ✧ They are entitled to what they took from him - meaning: if he did not complete it and was returned to slavery - then whatever was taken is theirs.

16. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1827No grade recorded

    إِذَا تَتَابَعَ نَجْمَانِ فَلَمْ يُؤَدِّ نُجُومَهُ رُدَّ فِي الرِّقِّ

    ✧ If two installments are missed, and he does not pay his installments, he is returned to slavery.

17. al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1828No grade recorded

    أَنَّهُ قَضَى فِي أُمِّ الْوَلَدِ أَنْ لَا تُبَاعَ، وَلَا تُوهَبَ، وَلَا تُوَرَّثَ، يَسْتَمْتِعُ بِهَا صَاحِبُهَا مَا عَاشَ، فَإِذَا مَاتَ فَهِيَ حُرَّةٌ

    ✧ Indeed he ruled regarding the mother of the child that she is not to be sold, nor given as a gift, nor inherited; her owner may enjoy her as long as he lives, and when he dies, she is free.