Emancipation

“Any Muslim, who emancipates another Muslim man, Allah will set free from Hell Fire an organ of his body, for every organ of the other’s (i.e. from the body of the emancipated person).” Agreed upon.

“Any Muslim man, who emancipates two Muslim women, they will be his release from Hell Fire.” At-Tirmidhi graded it as Sahih.

“Any Muslim woman, who emancipates another Muslim woman, she will be her release from Hell Fire.”

I asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ‘Which action is the most excellent?’ He replied, “Faith in Allah and Jihad in His Cause.” I then asked, ‘Which slaves are the most excellent (for the purpose of emancipating them)’ and he replied, “Those whose prices are the highest and are the most valuable to their owners.” Agreed upon.

“Anyone who 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 should be given their shares, and the slave should thus be emancipated. Otherwise he is emancipated only to the extent of the first man’s share.” Agreed upon.

“Otherwise his value will be estimated and he will be required to work to pay for his freedom, but he must not be overburdened.” Agreed upon. And it has been said that the requirement to work was Mudraj (words of the narrator lumped into the narration).

Abu Hurayrah (RAA), narrated that The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “A son cannot ever repay his parents what he owes them, unless he finds them in slavery, then buys them and emancipates them.” Related by Muslim.

“Whoever obtains possession of a relative, who is next of kin, that person becomes free.” Related by Ahmad and the four Imams. Some scholars are of the opinion that it is Mawquf (not connected to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).)

Imran ibn Husayn (RAA) narrated, ‘A man who had no other property emancipated six of his slaves at the time of his death. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sent for them, and after dividing them into three groups, he cast lots among them, set two of them free and kept four in slavery, and spoke very harshly to the man (who emancipated them).’ Related by Muslim.

‘I was a slave of Umm Salamah and she said, ‘I shall emancipate you, but on the condition that you serve the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as long as you live.’ Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nasai and Al-Hakim.’

“Wala is (legally) for the manumitter.” Agreed upon. It is part of a long Hadith (refer to hadith no. 811).

“The Wala (of a manumitted slave) is considered as one’s lineage, not to be sold or donated (refer to hadith no. 984).” Related by Ash-Shafii. Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim graded it as Sahih. It is also related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim with different wording.

“The man became needy,” (so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) took the slave and said…). A version by An-Nasai says, “The man had a debt, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sold the slave for eight hundred Dirhams and gave him the money and said, ‘Pay off your debt.’”

“A slave who entered into an agreement to buy his freedom is still a slave as long as a Dirham of the agreed price remains to be paid.” Related by Abu Dawud with a good chain of narrators. The full hadith is related by Ahmad and the three Imams. Al-Hakim graded it to be Sahih.

“When a slave of one of your women has made an agreement to pay for his freedom (i.e. he is a Mukatib) and can pay the full price, she must veil herself from him.” Related by Ahmad and the four Imams. At-Tirmidhi graded it as Sahih.

“The Diyah (Blood money) of a slave who had made an agreement to buy his freedom (Mukatib) and had been killed, is paid at the rate paid for a free man (as a Diyah) as much as he has paid of the amount agreed upon, and at the rate paid for a slave as the remainder is concerned.” Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Au-Nasai.

‘Amro bin al-Harith, the brother of Juwairiyah the mother of Believers (the wife of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)) narrated, ‘When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) died, he did not leave a Dinar or a Dirham, a slave or a slave-woman, or anything but his white she-mule, his weapons and a piece of land which he appointed as Sadaqah.’ Related by Al-Bukhari.’

“When a man’s slave-woman bears him a child she becomes free at his death.” Related by Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim with a weak chain of narrators.

A group of Hadith scholars held that the stronger view is that it is Mawquf (a saying of a Companion) i.e. Umar (radiyallahu anhu).

“He who assists a Mujahid for Allah’s sake, a debtor who is in distress (being unable to pay his debt) or a slave who had made an agreement to buy his freedom, Allah will shade him, with His Shade, on the Day when there will be no shade but His.” Related by Ahmad and Al- Hakim graded it as Sahih.