39/21. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4184 — Verifying Status Before a Pledge
The Pledge Of Slaves
Hadith About a Slave’s Pledge and Checking Legal Status
Sunan an-Nasai : 4184
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4184
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ عَبْدٌ فَبَايَعَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى الْهِجْرَةِ وَلاَ يَشْعُرُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ عَبْدٌ فَجَاءَ سَيِّدُهُ يُرِيدُهُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بِعْنِيهِ " . فَاشْتَرَاهُ بِعَبْدَيْنِ أَسْوَدَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يُبَايِعْ أَحَدًا حَتَّى يَسْأَلَهُ أَعَبْدٌ هُوَ
Jabir Narrated from:
A slave came and pledged to the Prophet to emigrate, and the Prophet did not realize that he was a slave. Then his master came looking for him. The Prophet said: 'Sell him to me,' and he bought him for two black slaves. Then he did not accept the pledge from anyone until he asked: 'Is he a slave?'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4184In-book reference : Book 39, Hadith 36English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 4189
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4184
This hadith about a slave’s pledge tells how a man pledged to emigrate without the Prophet knowing that he was enslaved. When the man’s master came looking for him, the Prophet asked the master to sell him and bought him for two black slaves. After this event, the Prophet changed his procedure. He did not accept another person’s pledge until he first asked whether that person was a slave. The narration focuses on checking a person’s status before accepting a commitment that could affect existing claims over him. It also shows a practical response after new information became known: the immediate case was resolved, and a question was added to prevent the same uncertainty in later pledges. The lesson comes from the sequence stated in the text.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet had not known that the man was a slave when the pledge was first accepted.
- The master’s claim was addressed through a purchase rather than ignored.
- Afterward, the Prophet asked about slavery before accepting a pledge.
- New information led to a clearer verification process for future cases.
