Emancipation

Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "If anyone emancipates a Muslim slave, God will set free from hell a member of the body for every member of his, even his private parts for his." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Dharr said he asked the Prophet what action was most excellent, and he replied, "Faith in God and jihad in His path." He then asked which slaves were most excellent 1 and he replied. “Those whose price is highest and who are held in most esteem by their people." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly 2 and he replied, "You should assist a workman, or work for one who is unskilled." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly and he replied, "Do no harm to others 3 for that is sadaqa you bestow on yourself." Bukhari and Muslim. 1. i.e. for the purpose of emancipating them. 2. The Arabic is fa-in lam af'al which is somewhat vague. It most probably means he is asking what he should do if unable to emancipate a slave of such quality. 3. This is an accepted meaning of the Arabic tada'u ‘un-nas min ash-sharr. Another possible meaning is to leave people alone because of their evil.

Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib told of a desert Arab who came to the Prophet and said, "Teach me an action which will bring me into paradise.” He replied, "You have asked a large question in few words. Emancipate, a man and set free a slave." He asked if the two were not the same thing, and he replied, "No; emancipating a man is doing it by yourself, and setting free a slave is contributing towards his price. You must also lend for milking a she-camel which has much milk and be well disposed towards a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, recommend what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable. And if you cannot do that, restrain your tongue from everything but what is good.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.

‘Amr b. ‘Abasa reported the Prophet as saying, “If anyone builds a mosque that God may be mentioned in it, a house will be built for him in paradise; if anyone emancipates a Muslim, that will be his ransom from jahannam; if anyone develops a grey hair while in 'God’s path, it will be a light for him on the day of resurrection.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

We went to Wathila b. al-Asqa‘ and said, “Tell us a tradition which has no addition or omission.” He replied angrily, “One of you recites when his copy of the Qur’an is hung up in his house, and he makes additions and omissions.” We declared that all we meant was a tradition he had heard from the Prophet, and he said they had gone to God’s Messenger about a friend of theirs who deserved (i.e., hell) for murder, 2 and he replied, “If you emancipate a slave on his behalf God will set free from hell a member of the body for every member of his.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it. 1. Mirqat, iii, 540 gives al-Gharif ad-Dailami but says it should correctly be Ibn ad-Dailami. It adds that Hakim in his Mustadrak says al-Gharif was a laqab of ‘Abdallah b. ad-Dailami, and that in Jami'-al-usul the name is given as al-Gharif b. ‘Ayyash ad-Dailami. This is the form in the Damascus edn. of the Mishkat, the one used in the translation above. It is also given by Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, viii, 245. 2. Mirqat, iii, 541 suggests that the reference may be to someone who had killed a man unintentionally.

Samura b. Jundub reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The most excellent sadaqa is intercession for which a slave is set free.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone emancipates his share in a slave and has enough money to pay the full price for him, a fair price for the slave should be fixed, his partners given their shares, and the slave be thus emancipated; otherwise he is emancipated only to the extent of the first man’s share.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet 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 overburdened.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Imran b. Husain said that a man who had no other property emancipated six slaves of his at the time of his death. God’s Messenger called for them, and after dividing them into three sections, casting lots among them, setting two free and keeping four in slavery,* he spoke severely of him. Nasa’i transmitted it on ‘Imran’s authority, but in place of “he spoke severely of him,” he mentioned that the Prophet said, “I was inclined not to pray over him.” In Abu Dawud’s version he said, “Had I been present before his burial, he would not have been buried in a Muslim cemetery.” Muslim transmitted it. *The principle is that at least two-thirds of a dead man's property must go to the heirs.

Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, “A son does not repay what he owes his father unless he buys him and emancipates him if he finds him in slavery.” Muslim transmitted it.

if anything is left over give it to your family; if anything is left over when they have received something, give it to your relatives; and if anything is left over when they have received something, do thus and thus,” meaning that it should be distributed in front of him, on his right and on his left. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

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 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.

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 he said, “God has no partner,” and decided chat he should be emancipated. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

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 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 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.

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu ‘Amra al-Ansari told that his mother had intended to emancipate a slave, but she postponed it till the morning, and she died. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said he asked al-Qasim b. Muhammad whether it would benefit her if he emancipated the slave on her behalf, and al-Qasim told him that Sa'd b. ‘Ubada had gone to God’s Messenger saying his mother had died and asking whether it would benefit her if he set free a slave on her behalf, and that God’s Messenger had replied that it would. Malik transmitted it.

Yahya b. Sa'id told that ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Bakr died in his sleep and that his sister ‘A’isha emancipated many slaves on his behalf. Malik transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar reported God's Messenger as saying, “If anyone buys a slave and makes no stipulation about his property, he gets none of it.” Darimi transmitted it.