Hadith 5137

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي سُهَيْلُ بْنُ أَبِي صَالِحٍ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " لَا يَجْزِي وَلَدٌ وَالِدَهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَجِدَهُ مَمْلُوكًا فَيَشْتَرِيَهُ ، فَيُعْتِقَهُ " .
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: A son does not repay what he owes to his father unless he buys him and emancipates him if he finds him in slavery.
Hadith Reference سنن ابي داود / أبواب النوم / 5137
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: صحيح مسلم (1510)
Hadith Takhrij « صحیح مسلم/العتق 6 (1510)، (تحفة الأشراف: 12660)، وقد أخرجہ: سنن الترمذی/البر والصلة 8 (1907)، سنن ابن ماجہ/الأدب 1 (3659)، مسند احمد (2/230، 376، 445) (صحیح) »
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
The meaning of emancipation here is not that the son purchases the father.
Rather, he should now practically announce the emancipation.
In fact, there is consensus (ijma‘) among the scholars of the ummah
that as soon as the father comes into the ownership of the son, or the son into the ownership of the father, he is automatically emancipated immediately.
The mention of emancipation has come in relation to the act of purchase.
And this act has been described as the son fulfilling the rights of the father.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 5137
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation: 1:

This is the recompense for the father’s favor because there is nothing better by which one can do a favor to another than to free someone from the life of slavery.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1906
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ It is necessary to strive as much as possible in serving one’s parents.

➋ Freeing a slave man or woman is a very great act of virtue.

➌ The children born to a free man from his slave woman (surriyah) are free, while their mother remains a slave. Similarly, it is also possible that both the parents and the children are all slaves. Then, if the master frees the son while his parents remain slaves, in such a situation, the child can purchase his parents, and as soon as the parents come into the ownership of the child, they will be legally declared free.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 3659