The Book of Oaths

Al-Ma'rur b. Suwaid said: 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 (may peace be upon him). As I met Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) 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).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of A'mash but with a slight variation of words, e. g. in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Zuhair and Abu Mu'awiya after his words (these words of the Holy Prophet): " 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."

Ma'rur b. Suwaid reported: 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 (may peace be upon him) and made mention of that to him. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) 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.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is essential to feed the slave, clothe him (properly) and not burden him with work which is beyond his power.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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

Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: For a faithful slave there are two rewards. By him in Whose hand is the life of Abu Huraira, but for Jibad 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.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is good for a slave that he worships Allah well, and serves his master (well). It is good for him.

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

Salim b. 'Abdullah reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: 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).

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: In case the slave is owned by two persons, and one of them emancipates him, he will guarantee (his full freedom).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): " He who emancipates a portion in a slave, he should (secure full) freedom for him from his property."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: 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.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters (and the words are): " 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 (may peace be upon him) 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.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters (and the words are): " 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.

Jabir b. 'Abdullah said that a person among the Ansar declared his slave free after his death, as he had no other property. This news reached the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he said: 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).

Jabir is reported to have said: A person amongst the Ansar who had no other property declared a slave free after his death. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) 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 (may peace be upon him) through other chains of transmitters.