27/13. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 997d — Posthumous Freedom and Sale
Permissibility of selling a Mudabbar
Hadith on Selling a Slave Declared Free After the Owner's Death
Sahih Muslim : 997d
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 997d
وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعَ عَمْرٌو، جَابِرًا يَقُولُ دَبَّرَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ غُلاَمًا لَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ فَبَاعَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . قَالَ جَابِرٌ فَاشْتَرَاهُ ابْنُ النَّحَّامِ عَبْدًا قِبْطِيًّا مَاتَ عَامَ أَوَّلَ فِي إِمَارَةِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ .
Jabir Narrated from:
A person amongst the Ansar who had no other property declared a slave free after his death. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sold him, and Ibn al-Nahham bought him and he was a Coptic slave (who) died in the first year of the Caliphate of Ibn Zubair.
[1] Mudabbar : A slave whose master has declared he will become free after he dies.Reference : Sahih Muslim 997dIn-book reference : Book 27, Hadith 86USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 15, Hadith 4116
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 997d
This narration gives a shorter form of the same event. A man from the Ansar had no other property and declared a slave free after his death. Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم sold him, and Ibn al-Nahham bought him. The text also mentions that he was a Coptic slave and died in the first year of Ibn Zubair's rule. Search terms like Sahih Muslim 997d, slave declared free after death, and mudabbar slave sale point to this narration. The teaching is limited to this reported case. It shows that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم acted when the declaration of posthumous freedom involved the owner's only property.
What we learn from this hadith
- The owner had no other property besides the slave.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sold the slave in this case.
- Ibn al-Nahham bought the slave.
- The narration adds identifying details about the slave and when he died.
