Regarding the rights of slaves

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:

The last words which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke were: Prayer, prayer; fear Allah about those whom your right hands possess.

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفُضَيْلِ، عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ مُوسَى، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ قَالَ كَانَ آخِرُ كَلاَمِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ " الصَّلاَةَ الصَّلاَةَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِيمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ " .

Ma’rur b. Suwaid said :
I saw Abu Dharr at Rabadhah. He was wearing a thick cloak, and his slave also wore a similar one. He said : the people said: Abu Dharr! (it would be better) if you could take the cloak which your slave wore, and you combined that with, and it would be a pair of garments (hullah) and you would clothe him with another garment. He said: Abu Dharr said : I abused a man whose mother was a non-Arab and I reviled him for his mother. He complained against me to the apostle of allah ﷺ. He said: Abu Dharr! You are a man who has a characteristic of pre-Islamic days. He said: they are your brethren; Allah has given you superiority over them; sell those who do not please you and do not punish Allah’s creatures.

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنِ الْمَعْرُورِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ بِالرَّبَذَةِ وَعَلَيْهِ بُرْدٌ غَلِيظٌ وَعَلَى غُلاَمِهِ مِثْلُهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ الْقَوْمُ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ لَوْ كُنْتَ أَخَذْتَ الَّذِي عَلَى غُلاَمِكَ فَجَعَلْتَهُ مَعَ هَذَا فَكَانَتْ حُلَّةً وَكَسَوْتَ غُلاَمَكَ ثَوْبًا غَيْرَهُ . قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ إِنِّي كُنْتُ سَابَبْتُ رَجُلاً وَكَانَتْ أُمُّهُ أَعْجَمِيَّةً فَعَيَّرْتُهُ بِأُمِّهِ فَشَكَانِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ " يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ " . قَالَ " إِنَّهُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ فَضَّلَكُمُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَمَنْ لَمْ يُلاَئِمْكُمْ فَبِيعُوهُ وَلاَ تُعَذِّبُوا خَلْقَ اللَّهِ " .

Ma’rur b. Suwaid said :

We called on Abu Dharr at al-Rabadhah. He wore a cloak and his slave also wore a similar one. We said; Abu Dharr! If you took the cloak of your slave and combined it with your cloak, so that it could be a part of garments (hullah) and clothed him in another garment, (it would be better). He said; I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say; They are your brethren. Allah has put them under your authority; so he who has his brother under his authority must feed him from what he eats and clothe him with what he wears, and not impose on him work which is too much for him, but if he does so, he must help him.

Abu Dawud said: Ibn Numair transmitted it from al-A'mash in a similar way.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنِ الْمَعْرُورِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، قَالَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ بِالرَّبَذَةِ فَإِذَا عَلَيْهِ بُرْدٌ وَعَلَى غُلاَمِهِ مِثْلُهُ فَقُلْنَا يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ لَوْ أَخَذْتَ بُرْدَ غُلاَمِكَ إِلَى بُرْدِكَ فَكَانَتْ حُلَّةً وَكَسَوْتَهُ ثَوْبًا غَيْرَهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " إِخْوَانُكُمْ جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَحْتَ أَيْدِيكُمْ فَمَنْ كَانَ أَخُوهُ تَحْتَ يَدَيْهِ فَلْيُطْعِمْهُ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ وَلْيَكْسُهُ مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ وَلاَ يُكَلِّفْهُ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَإِنْ كَلَّفَهُ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَلْيُعِنْهُ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ نَحْوَهُ .

Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari said:
when I was beating a servant of mine, I heard a voice behind me saying: know, Abu Mas’ud-Ibn al-Muthanna said: “twice”-that Allah has more power over you than you have over him. I turned round and saw that it was that it was the prophet ﷺ. I said : Messenger of Allah! He is free for Allah’s sake. He said : If you had not done it, fire would have burned you or the fire would have touched you.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ كُنْتُ أَضْرِبُ غُلاَمًا لِي فَسَمِعْتُ مِنْ خَلْفِي صَوْتًا " اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ " . قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى مَرَّتَيْنِ " لَلَّهُ أَقْدَرُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْكَ عَلَيْهِ " . فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا هُوَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هُوَ حُرٌّ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ . قَالَ " أَمَا إِنَّكَ لَوْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ لَلَفَعَتْكَ النَّارُ أَوْ " لَمَسَّتْكَ النَّارُ " .

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by al-A’mash in a similar way to same way to the same effect through a different chain of narrators.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِإِسْنَادِهِ وَمَعْنَاهُ نَحْوَهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ أَضْرِبُ غُلاَمًا لِي أَسْوَدَ بِالسَّوْطِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ أَمْرَ الْعِتْقِ .

Narrated AbuDharr:

The Prophet ﷺ said: Feed those of your slaves who please you from what you eat and clothe them with what you clothe yourselves, but sell those who do not please you and do not punish Allah's creatures.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الرَّازِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنْ مُوَرِّقٍ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " مَنْ لاَءَمَكُمْ مِنْ مَمْلُوكِيكُمْ فَأَطْعِمُوهُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ وَاكْسُوهُ مِمَّا تَكْتَسُونَ وَمَنْ لَمْ يُلاَئِمْكُمْ مِنْهُمْ فَبِيعُوهُ وَلاَ تُعَذِّبُوا خَلْقَ اللَّهِ " .

Narrated Rafi' ibn Makith:

The Prophet ﷺ said: Treating those under one's authority will produce prosperity, but an evil nature produces evil fortune.

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ زُفَرَ، عَنْ بَعْضِ بَنِي رَافِعِ بْنِ مَكِيثٍ، عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ مَكِيثٍ، وَكَانَ، مِمَّنْ شَهِدَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ " حُسْنُ الْمَلَكَةِ نَمَاءٌ وَسُوءُ الْخُلُقِ شُؤْمٌ " .

Narrated Rafi' ibn Makith:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Treating those under one's authority well produces prosperity, but an evil nature produces evil fortune.

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُصَفَّى، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ زُفَرَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ رَافِعِ بْنِ مَكِيثٍ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ رَافِعِ بْنِ مَكِيثٍ، وَكَانَ، رَافِعٌ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ قَدْ شَهِدَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " حُسْنُ الْمَلَكَةِ نَمَاءٌ وَسُوءُ الْخُلُقِ شُؤْمٌ " .

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked: Messenger of Allah! how often shall I forgive a servant? He gave no reply, so the man repeated what he had said, but he still kept silence. When he asked a third time, he replied: Forgive him seventy times daily.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ السَّرْحِ، - وَهَذَا حَدِيثُ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ وَهُوَ أَتَمُّ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو هَانِئٍ الْخَوْلاَنِيُّ عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ جُلَيْدٍ الْحَجْرِيِّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو يَقُولُ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَمْ نَعْفُو عَنِ الْخَادِمِ فَصَمَتَ ثُمَّ أَعَادَ عَلَيْهِ الْكَلاَمَ فَصَمَتَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ قَالَ " اعْفُوا عَنْهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً " .

Abu Hurairah said:

Abu al-Qasim, the Prophet of Atonement ﷺ said to me: If anyone reviles his slave when he is innocent of what he said, he will be beaten on the Day of Resurrection.

The transmitter Mu'ammal said: 'Isa narrated it to us from al-Fudial, that is, Ibn Ghazwan.

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الرَّازِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا ح، وَحَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ الْحَرَّانِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى، حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ غَزْوَانَ - عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي نُعْمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ، نَبِيُّ التَّوْبَةِ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ قَذَفَ مَمْلُوكَهُ وَهُوَ بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا قَالَ جُلِدَ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَدًّا " . قَالَ مُؤَمَّلٌ حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ غَزْوَانَ .

Hilal b. Yasaf said :
We were staying in the house of Suwaid b. Muqarrin. There was among us an old man who was hot-tempered. He had a slave-girl with him. He gave a slap on her face. I never saw Suwaid more angry than on that day. He said: there is no alternative for you except to free her. I was the seventh child in order of Muqarrin and we had only a female servant. The youngest of us gave a slap on her face. The prophet ﷺ commanded us to set her free.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ، عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا نُزُولاً فِي دَارِ سُوَيْدِ بْنِ مُقَرِّنٍ وَفِينَا شَيْخٌ فِيهِ حِدَّةٌ وَمَعَهُ جَارِيَةٌ فَلَطَمَ وَجْهَهَا فَمَا رَأَيْتُ سُوَيْدًا أَشَدَّ غَضَبًا مِنْهُ ذَاكَ الْيَوْمَ قَالَ عَجَزَ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ حُرُّ وَجْهِهَا لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا سَابِعَ سَبْعَةٍ مِنْ وَلَدِ مُقَرِّنٍ وَمَا لَنَا إِلاَّ خَادِمٌ فَلَطَمَ أَصْغَرُنَا وَجْهَهَا فَأَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِعِتْقِهَا .

Narrated Mu'awiyah ibn Suwayd ibn Muqarrin:

I slapped a freed slave of ours. My father called him and me and said: Take retaliation on him. We, the people of Banu Muqarrin, were seven during the time of the Prophet ﷺ,and we had only a female servant. A man of us slapped her. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Set her free. They said: We have no other servant than her. He said: She must serve them till they become well off. When they become well off, they should set her free.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سَلَمَةُ بْنُ كُهَيْلٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ سُوَيْدِ بْنِ مُقَرِّنٍ، قَالَ لَطَمْتُ مَوْلًى لَنَا فَدَعَاهُ أَبِي وَدَعَانِي فَقَالَ اقْتَصَّ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّا مَعْشَرَ بَنِي مُقَرِّنٍ كُنَّا سَبْعَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَلَيْسَ لَنَا إِلاَّ خَادِمٌ . فَلَطَمَهَا رَجُلٌ مِنَّا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " أَعْتِقُوهَا " . قَالُوا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَنَا خَادِمٌ غَيْرَهَا . قَالَ " فَلْتَخْدُمْهُمْ حَتَّى يَسْتَغْنُوا فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَوْا فَلْيُعْتِقُوهَا " .