Contracts of manumission (kitabah)

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I made a contract of kitabah (manumission by agreed payment) with my master that I would plant five hundred saplings for them, and when fruit hung on them, I would be free. Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him, and he said: "Plant, and make the condition for them; when you intend to make the condition, inform me." I informed him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and planted all the saplings with his own blessed hand; only one sapling was different, which I planted myself. All the rest bore fruit, except that one, which did not.
Imam Ahmad recorded this narration; its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Zayd, in whom there is weakness, and the hadith he narrates is hasan (good); the remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih. This narration has various chains, which will come as a lengthy narration in the chapter on "Manaqib" (virtues), and in other places as well.

Sayyidah Barirah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Three things were established as Sunnah concerning me. Meat was given to me as charity, and I gave it as a gift to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) kept it, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came, he asked: "Where has this meat come from?" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "This is meat that was given to Barirah as charity, and she has given it to us as a gift." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It was charity for Barirah, and for us it is a gift." Sayyidah Barirah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I made a contract of kitabah for nine awqiyah. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "If they wish, I will pay them in a single payment." I said: "Those people want the right of wala' to remain theirs." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let the condition stand, let the condition stand! For the right of wala' belongs to the one who frees." Sayyidah Barirah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When I was freed, I was given the choice (of staying with my husband or separating).
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) bought Barirah from the Ansar in order to free her. The Ansar imposed on Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the condition of Barirah's wala', and Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) accepted this condition of theirs. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, he said: "The right of wala' belongs to the one who frees." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the minbar and said: "What is the matter with people? They make conditions that are not permitted in the Book of Allah. Every condition that is not valid in the Book of Allah will be returned to the Book of Allah." The narrator says: Barirah had a husband, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave Sayyidah Barirah (may Allah be pleased with her) the choice: if she wished, she could stay with her husband as she had been before, and if she wished, she could separate from him. So she separated from him. (The narrator says:) Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered his house and saw the trotter of a goat. He said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Will you not cook this meat for us?" She said: "This was given to Barirah as charity, and she has given it to us as a gift." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Cook it! It was charity for her, and for us it is a gift." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Part of it is related in the "Sahih" and other books.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains a narrator, Tamim bin al-Muntasir, from whom more than one person has narrated, and no one has criticised him; the remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Barirah's husband was a black slave whose name was Mughith. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I used to see him in the streets of Madinah, with tears flowing from his eyes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave judgement on four matters. Barirah's masters had imposed on her the condition of wala', but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled: "The right of wala' belongs to the one who frees." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave Sayyidah Barirah (may Allah be pleased with her) the choice, and she chose herself (that is, separation). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to observe the 'iddah (waiting period). Something was given to Barirah as charity, and she gave some of it to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) as a gift. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It was charity for her, and for us it is a gift." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Imam Abu Dawud recorded this narration in abridged form.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Al-Suddi relates this statement of his father: Sayyidah Zaynab bint Qays bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with her) made a contract of kitabah with me for ten thousand. When I had paid the amount, she left one thousand of it for me. She is one of the women who prayed facing both qiblahs behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains a narrator, al-Husayn bin Amr bin Muhammad al-Anqazi, who is da'if (weak).