The Book of Oathsكتاب الأيمان

I came to Ibn 'Umar as he had granted freedom to a stave. He (the narrator further) said: He took hold of a wood or something like it from the earth and said: It (freedom of a slave) has not the reward evert equal to it, but the fact that I heard Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) say: He who slaps his slave or beats him, the expiation for it is that he should set him free.

I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he (Ibn Umar) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said: There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him (without any serious fault), then expiation for it is that he should set him free.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters with a slight variation of words.

I slapped a slave belonging to us and then fled away. I came back just before noon and offered prayer behind my father. He called him (the slave) and me and said: Do as he has done to you. He granted pardon. He (my father) then said: We belonged to the family of Muqarrin during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him. and had only one slave-girl and one of us slapped her. This news reached Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and he said: Set her free. They (the members of the family) said: There is no other servant except she. Thereupon he said: Then employ her and when you can afford to dispense with her services, then set her free.

You could find no other part (to slap) but the prominent part of her face. See I was one of the seven sons of Muqarrin, and we had but only one slave-girl. The youngest of us slapped her, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded us to set her free. 2097

We used to sell cloth in the house of Suwaid b. Muqarrin, the brother of Nu'man b. Muqarrin. There came out a slave-girl, and she said something to a person amongst us, and he slapped her. Suwaid was enraged-the rest of the hadlth is the same.

Don't you know that it is forbidden (to strike the) face. He said: You see I was the seventh one amongst my brothers during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and we had but only one servant. One of us got enraged and slapped him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded us to set him free.

Shu'ba informed that Muhammad b. Munkadir said to me: What is your name? The rest of the hadith is the same.

I was beating my slave with a whip when I heard a voice behind me: Understand, Abu Masud; but I did not recognise the voice due to intense anger. He (Abu Mas'ud) reported: As he came near me (I found) that he was the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was saying: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; bear in mind. Abu Mas'ud. He (Aba Maslad) said: threw the whip from my hand. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; verily Allah has more dominance upon you than you have upon your slave. I (then) said: I would never beat my servant in future.

" There fell from my hand the whip on account of his (the Prophet's) awe."

When I was beating my servant, I heard a voice behind me (saying): Abu Mas'ud, bear in mind Allah has more dominance over you than you have upon him. I turned and (found him) to be Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I said: Allah's Messenger, I set him free for the sake of Allah. Thereupon he said: Had you not done that, (the gates of) Hell would have opened for you, or the fire would have burnt you.

I seek refuge with Allah, but he continued beating him, whereupon he said: I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger, and he spared him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: By Allah, God has more dominance over you than you have over him (the slave). He said that he set him free.

I seek refuge with Allah, I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).

He who accused his slave of adultery, punishment would be imposed upon him on the Day of Resurrection, except in case the accusation was as he had said.

" I heard Abu'l-Qasim (ﷺ) as the Prophet of repentance."

We went to Abu Dharr (Ghifari) in Rabadha and he had a mantle over him, and his slave had one like it. We said: Abu Dharr, had you joined them together, it would have been a complete garment. Thereupon he said: There was an altercation between me and one of the persons among my brothers. His mother was a non-Arab. I reproached him for his mother. He complained against me to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ). As I met Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) he said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (in him the remnants) of the days (of Ignorance). Thereupon I said: Allah's Messenger, he who abuses (other) persons, they abuse (in return) his father and mother. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (the remnants) of Ignorance in him They (your servants and slaves) are your brothers. Allah has put them in your care, so feed them with what you eat, clothe them with what you wear. and do not burden them beyond their capacities; but if you burden them (with an unbearable burden), then help them (by sharing their extra burden).

" You are a person having the remnants of Ignorance in him." (these words also occur, that Abu Dharr) said: Even up to this time of my old age? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. In the tradition transmitted on the authority of Abu Mu'awiya (the words are):" Yes, in this time of your old age." In the tradition transmitted on the authority of 'Isa (the words are):" If you burden him (with an unbearable burden), you should sell him (and get another slave who can easily undertake this burden)." In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Zuhair (the words are):" Help him in that (work)." In the hadith transmitted by Abu Mu'awiya (separately) there is no such word: Then sell him or help him." This hadith concludes with these words:" Do not burden him beyond his capacity."

I saw Abu Dharr wearing clothes, and his slave wearing similar ones. I asked him about it, and he narrated that he had abused a person during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upoe. him) and he reproached him for his mother. That person came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and made mention of that to him. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: You are a person who has (remnants of) Ignorance in him. Your slaves are brothers of yours. Allah has placed them in your hand, and he who has his brother under him, he should feed him with what he eats, and dress him with what he dresses himself, and do not burden them beyond their capacities, and if you burden them, (beyond their capacities), then help them.

It is essential to feed the slave, clothe him (properly) and not burden him with work which is beyond his power.

When the slave of anyone amongst you prepares food for him and he serves him after having sat close to (and undergoing the hardship of) heat and smoke, he should make him (the slave) sit along with him and make him eat (along with him), and if the food seems to run short, then he should spare some portion for him (from his own share) - (another narrator) Dawud said:" i. e. a morsel or two". 4097

When a slave looks to the welfare of his master and worships Allah well, he has two rewards for him.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar through another chain of transmitters.

For a faithful slave there are two rewards. By him in Whose hand is the life of Abu Huraira, but for Jihad in the cause of Allah, and Pilgrimage and kindness to my mother, I would have preferred to die as a slave. He (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: This news reached us that Abu Huraira did not perform Pilgrimage until his mother died for (keeping himself constantly) in her service.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abu Tahir but with a slight variation of words.

When a slave fulfils obligation of Allah and obligation of his master, he has two rewards for him. I narrated this to Ka'b, and Ka'b said: (Such a slave) has no accountability, nor has a poor believer.

The above hadith has been reported through another chain of transmitters on the authority of Abu Huraira.

It is good for a slave that he worships Allah well, and serves his master (well). It is good for him.

He who gives up his share in a slave, and has enough money to pay the full price of the slave, then full emancipation devolves upon him; but if he has not the money, then he emancipated what he emancipated.

He who emancipates his share in the slave, it is his responsibility to secure full freedom for him provided he (the slave) has enough money to pay the (remaining) price, but it he has not so much money he would be emancipated to the extent that the first man emancipated.

He who gives up his share in a slave, and he has money enough to meet the full price, a fair price for him should be fixed; otherwise be has emancipated him to the extent that he has emancipated.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters with a slight variation of words.

He who emancipates a slave (shared) by him and another one, his full price may be justly assessed from his wealth, neither less nor more, and he (the slave) would be emancipated if he (the partner) would be solvent enough (to forgo the amount of his share).

He who gives up his share in a slave, the remaining (share) will be paid out of his riches if his riches are enough to meet the price of the slave.

In case the slave is owned by two persons, and one of them emancipates him, he will guarantee (his full freedom).

" He who emancipates a portion in a slave, he should (secure full) freedom for him from his property."

He who emancipates his portion in a slave, full emancipation may be secured for him out of his property (if he has money) if he has enough property to meet (the required expenses), but if he has not enough property, the slave should be put to extra labour (in order to earn money for buying his freedom), but he should not be overburdened.

" He will be required to work (in order to secure freedom) for that por- tion in which he has not been emancipated, without overburdening him."

'Imran b. Husain reported that a person who had no other property emancipated six slaves of his at the time of his death. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called for them and divided them into three sections, cast lots amongst them, and set two free and kept four in slavery; and he (the Holy Prophet) spoke severely of him.

" A person from among the Ansar willed away the freedom of six slaves of his at the time of his death."

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Imran b. Husain through another chain of narrators.

Who will buy him from me? And Nu'aim b. al-Nahham bought him for eight hundred dirhams and he handed them over to him, 'Amr (one of the narrators) said: I heard Jabir b. 'Abdullah as saying: He was a Coptic slave, and he died in the first year (of the Caliphate of 'Abdullah b. Zubair).

A person amongst the Ansar who had no other property declared a slave free after his death. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sold him, and Ibn al-Nahham bought him and he was a Coptic slave (who) died in the first year of the Caliphate of Ibn Zubair.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Jabir through another chain of transmitters.

This hadith has been narrated from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) through other chains of transmitters.