27/8. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1658a — Set Her Free After a Slap
Treatment of slaves, and the expiation of one who slaps his slave
Slave Rights in Islam Hadith: Set Her Free
Sahih Muslim : 1658a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1658a
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، قَالَ لَطَمْتُ مَوْلًى لَنَا فَهَرَبْتُ ثُمَّ جِئْتُ قُبَيْلَ الظُّهْرِ فَصَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ أَبِي فَدَعَاهُ وَدَعَانِي ثُمَّ قَالَ امْتَثِلْ مِنْهُ . فَعَفَا ثُمَّ قَالَ كُنَّا بَنِي مُقَرِّنٍ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيْسَ لَنَا إِلاَّ خَادِمٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَلَطَمَهَا أَحَدُنَا فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " أَعْتِقُوهَا " . قَالُوا لَيْسَ لَهُمْ خَادِمٌ غَيْرُهَا قَالَ " فَلْيَسْتَخْدِمُوهَا فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَوْا عَنْهَا فَلْيُخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهَا " .
Mu'awiya b. Suwaid Narrated from:
I slapped a slave belonging to us and then fled away. I came back just before noon and offered prayer behind my father. He called him (the slave) and me and said: Do as he has done to you. He granted pardon. He (my father) then said: We belonged to the family of Muqarrin during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him. and had only one slave-girl and one of us slapped her. This news reached Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and he said: Set her free. They (the members of the family) said: There is no other servant except she. Thereupon he said: Then employ her and when you can afford to dispense with her services, then set her free.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1658aIn-book reference : Book 27, Hadith 48USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 15, Hadith 4081
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1658a
This Hadith shows a practical response to a slap. Mu'awiya b. Suwaid said he slapped a slave belonging to them and ran away. When he returned and prayed behind his father, his father called both him and the slave and told the slave to do the same to him. The slave pardoned him. Then the father recalled that the family of Muqarrin had only one slave-girl in the time of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, and one of them slapped her. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم heard about it, he said to set her free. When they said they had no other servant, he told them to employ her until they could do without her, then set her free.
What we learn from this hadith
- The one harmed was given a chance to respond, and he chose pardon.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ordered freeing the slave-girl after she was slapped.
- Need was considered in the wording, but freeing her remained the final direction.
- The report shows that a slap was treated as a serious matter.
