صحيح مسلم
Muslim
كتاب القسامةThe Book of Oaths
باب صُحْبَةِ الْمَمَالِيكِ وَكَفَّارَةِ مَنْ لَطَمَ عَبْدَهُ:Chapter: Treatment of slaves, and the expiation of one who slaps his slave
Hadith 1657
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كَامِلٍ فُضَيْلُ بْنُ حُسَيْنٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ ، عَنْ فِرَاسٍ ، عَنْ ذَكْوَانَ أَبِي صَالِحٍ ، عَنْ زَاذَانَ أَبِي عُمَرَ ، قَالَ : " أَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ وَقَدْ أَعْتَقَ مَمْلُوكًا ، قَالَ : فَأَخَذَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ عُودًا أَوْ شَيْئًا ، فَقَالَ : مَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مَا يَسْوَى هَذَا إِلَّا أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : مَنْ لَطَمَ مَمْلُوكَهُ أَوْ ضَرَبَهُ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ " .
Zadhan Abl Umar reported: I came to Ibn 'Umar as he had granted freedom to a slave. He (the narrator further) said: He took hold of a wood or something like it from the earth and said: It (freedom of a slave) has not the reward evert equal to it, but the fact that I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say: He who slaps his slave or beats him, the expiation for it is that he should set him free.
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وحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى ، وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ وَاللَّفْظُ لِابْنِ الْمُثَنَّى ، قَالَا : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ ، عَنْ فِرَاسٍ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ ذَكْوَانَ يُحَدِّثُ ، عَنْ زَاذَانَ : " أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ دَعَا بِغُلَامٍ لَهُ ، فَرَأَى بِظَهْرِهِ أَثَرًا ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : أَوْجَعْتُكَ ؟ قَالَ : لَا ، قَالَ : فَأَنْتَ عَتِيقٌ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ، فَقَالَ : مَا لِي فِيهِ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مَا يَزِنُ هَذَا إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : " مَنْ ضَرَبَ غُلَامًا لَهُ حَدًّا لَمْ يَأْتِهِ أَوْ لَطَمَهُ فَإِنَّ كَفَّارَتَهُ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ " ،
Zadhan reported that Ibn 'Umar (RA) called his slave and he found the marks (of beating) upon his back. He said to him: I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he ( Ibn 'Umar (RA) ) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said: There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him (without any serious fault), then expiation for it is that he should set him free.
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وحَدَّثَنَاه أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ . ح وحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ كِلَاهُمَا ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ ، عَنْ فِرَاسٍ بِإِسْنَادِ شُعْبَةَ ، وَأَبِي عَوَانَةَ أَمَّا حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ ، فَذَكَرَ فِيهِ حَدًّا لَمْ يَأْتِهِ وَفِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ مَنْ لَطَمَ عَبْدَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الْحَدَّ .
This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters with a slight variation of words.
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Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
This hadith establishes that one should treat slaves with kindness and gentleness,
and it is not permissible to beat them or subject them to pain and suffering over minor faults.
And if a master commits injustice or excess against his servant,
then the preferred course of action for him is to set the servant free,
so that his injustice and excess may be remedied.
However, by consensus, freeing the slave is not obligatory;
it is an excellent method.
Yes,
if he has caused the slave significant harm,
such as cutting off a limb,
burning,
or rendering him useless,
then according to Imam Malik and Imam Layth, freeing the slave becomes obligatory.
Benefits and Issues:
This hadith establishes that one should treat slaves with kindness and gentleness,
and it is not permissible to beat them or subject them to pain and suffering over minor faults.
And if a master commits injustice or excess against his servant,
then the preferred course of action for him is to set the servant free,
so that his injustice and excess may be remedied.
However, by consensus, freeing the slave is not obligatory;
it is an excellent method.
Yes,
if he has caused the slave significant harm,
such as cutting off a limb,
burning,
or rendering him useless,
then according to Imam Malik and Imam Layth, freeing the slave becomes obligatory.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 4298
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
Islam has abolished the system of slavery, which had been prevalent in human society for centuries, with great and subtle wisdom, by making the emancipation of slaves an expiation for mistakes committed from time to time.
Thus, the believers made it their practice to free slaves in this manner.
And they freed them to such an extent that now this category is almost extinct.
Islam has abolished the system of slavery, which had been prevalent in human society for centuries, with great and subtle wisdom, by making the emancipation of slaves an expiation for mistakes committed from time to time.
Thus, the believers made it their practice to free slaves in this manner.
And they freed them to such an extent that now this category is almost extinct.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 5168
