Manumission of Slaves: Hadith 713

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتِ اشْتَرَيْتُ بَرِيرَةَ فَاشْتَرَطَ أَهْلُهَا وَلاَءَهَا، فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ أَعْتِقِيهَا، فَإِنَّ الْوَلاَءَ لِمَنْ أَعْطَى الْوَرِقَ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَأَعْتَقْتُهَا، فَدَعَاهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَخَيَّرَهَا مِنْ زَوْجِهَا فَقَالَتْ لَوْ أَعْطَانِي كَذَا وَكَذَا مَا ثَبَتُّ عِنْدَهُ‏.‏ فَاخْتَارَتْ نَفْسَهَا‏.‏

English Translation

Narrated 'Aisha: I bought Buraira but her masters put the condition that her Wala' would be for them. I told the Prophet about it. He said (to me), "Manumit her as her Wala' will be for the one who pays the price." So, I manumitted her. The Prophet called Buraira and gave her the option of either staying with her husband or leaving him. She said, "Even if he gave me so much money, I would not stay with him," and so she preferred her freedom to her husband.