Islam and Slavery — Page 23
23. The Holy Prophet ordered his property to be given over to his freed slave. " (1). As this right of inheritance was not based on financial or economical considerations, the real object being the securing of a kind of relationship between the master and his freed slave, the Holy Prophet further ordered that this right could in no case be sold or given away as a gift. Thus. Ibn Omar relates, "The Holy Prophet forbade the sale or the making of a free gift of the right of inheritance to the property of an emancipated slave. " (2). The Holy Prophet also ordered that emancipated slaves should be treated with honour and respect. The following incident will illustrate the point :Aiz bin Amr relates that one day, Salman, Suhaib. . Bilal and some other emancipated slaves were sitting together when Abu Sufian who before embracing Islam was a bitter enemy of the faith passed by them. Seeing him they said to one another, "This enemy of God has escaped God's sword. " Abu Bakr, happening to hear this, said to them reprovingly, "Do you say such words with regard to a chief of the Quraish?" Thereafter Abu Bakr went to the Holy. Prophet and related the incident to him. The Holy Prophet said to Abu Bakr, "May be you have displeased them. If it is so, then know that their displeasure means God's displeasure. " Abu Bakr went immediately to Bilal and his party and said "Have I displeased you, brethren then please do pardon me?" "No brother," said they, "We are not displeased with thee, please do not worry. "(³) (1) Tirmizi, Abwab al-Fraiz, and Abu Daud and Ibn Majah . 1 quoted by Mishkat in its chapter on slaves. (2) Bukhari, Kitab Al-lıq. (3) Muslim, Bab Al-Fazail under Salman Muhaib and Bilal.