The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 194
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 194 ْ أبَی اَن ْ یَرُد َّ ھُم ْ وَقَال َ ھُم ا فَغَضِب َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ وَقَال َ وَمَا اُرَاکُم ْ وَ ِ عُتَقَاء ُ اللّٰه Meaning, “The Holy Prophet sa became angry on this occasion and refused to return the slaves. The Holy Prophet sa said, ‘These are slaves have been set free by Allāh. Shall I return them to a life of slavery and polytheism once again?’” 1 Then, it is related in a Ḥadīth : ُ عَن ِ ابْن ِ عَبَّاس ٍ قَال َ قَال َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ اَیُّمَا رَجُل ٍ وَلَدَت ْ اَمَتُه ٗ مِنْه َ فَھِی َ مُعْتَقَة ٌ عَن ْ دُبُر ٍ مِنْهُ. وَعَن ِ ابْن ِ عَبَّاس ٍ قَال َ كَان َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم یَقُوْل ُ اُم ُّ الْوَلَد ِ حُرَّة وَاِن ْ كَان َ سَقْطًا Meaning, “Ibni ‘Abbās ra relates that the Holy Prophet sa would say, ‘If a person marries his bond-woman, even if he does not free her, but a child is born to him from the bond-woman, she will be considered free by default thereafter. ’” 2 In another narration it is related, that an Ummul-Walad 3 wife shall be considered free, even in the case of a stillbirth. 4 Permanent System for the Manumission of Slaves These were the various methods of compulsory manumission, which have been prescribed by Islām. However, it is obvious that despite these compulsory releases, many such slaves still remained, who were unable to benefit from any one of these methods. Furthermore, the acquisition of their freedom was not definite in the case of mere recommendation. Therefore, it was necessary that a permanent and solid system be arranged by which existing slaves could continue to secure their own freedom. Hence, in this 1 Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Jihād, Bābu Fī ‘Abīdil-Mushrikīna Yulḥaqūna Bil-Muslimīn. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 2700 2 Sunanu Ibni Mājah, Kitābul-‘Itq, Bābu Ummahātil-Aulād, Ḥadīth No. 2515 3 A bond-woman who is set free by default if she bears a child to her master [Publishers] 4 Kashful-Ghummah ‘An Jamī‘il-Ummah, By Abil-Mawāhib ‘Abdil-Wahhāb bin Aḥmad bin ‘Alī Ash- Sha‘rānī, Kitābul-‘Itq, Bābu Ummahātil-Aulād, Volume 2, p. 255, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (1998)