Book 14: Emancipation

Al-Hasan, on Samura’s authority, reported God's Messenger as saying, “If anyone gets possession of a relative who is within the prohibited degrees, that person becomes free.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “When a man’s slave-woman bears him a child she becomes free at his death.”* Darimi transmitted it. * The text has 'au durbur in minhu au ba'dahu’ indicating a doubt on the part of a transmitter as to which words were used. Both expressions amount to the same thing so it seems sufficient to give "at his death" in the translation above.

Jabir said: In the time of God’s Messenger and of Abu Bakr we sold slave women who had borne children, but when ‘Umar was in power he forbade us to do so and we stopped. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone emancipates a slave who owns property he gets the slave’s property, unless the master stipulates otherwise.” Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abul Malih told on his father's authority that when a man emancipated a share in a slave, and the matter was mentioned to the Prophet (ﷺ) he said, “God has no partner,” and decided chat he should be emancipated. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Safina said: I was a slave of Umm Salama, and she said, “I shall emancipate you, but I stipulate that you must serve God’s Messenger as long as you live” I replied, “Even if you do not make a stipulation with me I shall not leave God’s Messenger as long as I live”. She then emancipated me and made the stipulation with me. Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father's authority, told that this grandfather reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “A slave who has entered into an agreement to purchase his freedom is a slave as long as a dirham of the agreed price remains to be paid." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Umm Salama reported God's Messenger as spying, “When a slave of one of you women has made an agreement to purchase his freedom and can pay the full price, she must veil herself from him.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, told that his grandfather reported God's Messenger as saying, “If anyone has agreed to let his slave buy his freedom for a hundred uqiyas and he pays them all but ten (or he said, ten dinars), and he is then unable to complete the amount, he remains a slave.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “When a slave who has made an agreement to purchase his freedom gets blood-money or an inheritance, he can inherit in accordance with the extent to which he has been emancipated.” In a version by Tirmidhi he said, “Blood wit is paid for a slave who has made an agreement to purchase his freedom at the rate paid for a freeman so far as he has paid the purchase money, and at the rate paid for a slave so far as the remainder is concerned,” but he declared it to be weak. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.