Chapter
6 hadiths
Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "If anyone emancipates a Muslim slave, God will set free from hell a member of the body for every member of his, even his private parts for his." (Bukhari and Muslim.)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ أَعْتَقَ رَقَبَةً مُسْلِمَةً أَعْتَقَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ عُضْوٍ مِنْهُ عُضْوًا مِنَ النَّارِ حَتَّى فَرْجَهُ بِفَرْجِهِ»
Abu Dharr said he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) what action was most excellent, and he replied, "Faith in God and jihad in His path." He then asked which slaves were most excellent [1] and he replied. “Those whose price is highest and who are held in most esteem by their people." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly [2] and he replied, "You should assist a workman, or work for one who is unskilled." He asked what he should do if unable to act accordingly and he replied, "Do no harm to others [3] for that is <i>sadaqa</i> you bestow on yourself." Bukhari and Muslim. 1. i.e. for the purpose of emancipating them. 2. The Arabic is <i>fa-in lam af'al</i> which is somewhat vague. It most probably means he is asking what he should do if unable to emancipate a slave of such quality. 3. This is an accepted meaning of the Arabic <i>tada'u ‘un-nas min ash-sharr</i>. Another possible meaning is to leave people alone because of their evil.
وَعَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَيُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «إِيمَانٌ بِاللَّهِ وَجِهَادٌ فِي سَبِيلِهِ» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: فَأَيُّ الرِّقَابِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «أَغْلَاهَا ثَمَنًا وَأَنْفَسُهَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِهَا» . قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ أَفْعَلْ؟ قَالَ: «تُعِينُ صَانِعًا أَوْ تَصْنَعُ لِأَخْرَقَ» . قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ أَفْعَلْ؟ قَالَ: «تَدَعُ النَّاسَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ فَإِنَّهَا صَدَقَةٌ تَصَدَّقُ بهَا على نَفسك»
Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib told of a desert Arab who came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "Teach me an action which will bring me into paradise.” He replied, "You have asked a large question in few words. Emancipate, a man and set free a slave." He asked if the two were not the same thing, and he replied, "No; emancipating a man is doing it by yourself, and setting free a slave is contributing towards his price. You must also lend for milking a she-camel which has much milk and be well disposed towards a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, recommend what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable. And if you cannot do that, restrain your tongue from everything but what is good.” Baihaqi transmitted it in <i>Shu'ab al-iman</i>.
عَن الْبَراء بن عَازِب قَالَ: جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: عَلِّمْنِي عَمَلًا يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ: «لَئِنْ كُنْتَ أَقْصَرْتَ الْخُطْبَةَ لَقَدْ أَعْرَضْتَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ أَعْتِقِ النَّسَمَةَ وَفك الرَّقَبَة» . قَالَ: أَو ليسَا وَاحِدًا؟ قَالَ:
لَا عِتْقُ النَّسَمَةِ: أَنْ تَفَرَّدَ بِعِتْقِهَا وَفَكُّ الرَّقَبَةِ: أَنْ تُعِينَ فِي ثَمَنِهَا وَالْمِنْحَةَ: الْوَكُوفَ وَالْفَيْءَ عَلَى ذِي الرَّحِمِ الظَّالِمِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تُطِقْ ذَلِكَ فَأَطْعِمِ الْجَائِعَ وَاسْقِ الظَّمْآنَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَإِنْ لم تطق فَكُفَّ لِسَانَكَ إِلَّا مِنْ خَيْرٍ
. رَوَاهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي شعب الْإِيمَان
‘Amr b. ‘Abasa reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “If anyone builds a mosque that God may be mentioned in it, a house will be built for him in paradise; if anyone emancipates a Muslim, that will be his ransom from jahannam; if anyone develops a grey hair while in 'God’s path, it will be a light for him on the day of resurrection.” It is transmitted in <i>Sharh as-sunna</i>.
وَعَن عَمْرو بن عبسة أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ بَنَى مَسْجِدًا لِيُذْكَرَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَمَنْ أَعْتَقَ نَفْسًا مُسْلِمَةً كَانَتْ فِدْيَتَهُ مِنْ جَهَنَّمَ. وَمَنْ شَابَ شَيْبَةً فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْم الْقِيَامَة» . رَوَاهُ فِي شرح السّنة
l-Gharif b. ‘Ayyash ad-Dailami [1] said:
We went to Wathila b. al-Asqa‘ and said, “Tell us a tradition which has no addition or omission.” He replied angrily, “One of you recites when his copy of the Qur’an is hung up in his house, and he makes additions and omissions.” We declared that all we meant was a tradition he had heard from the Prophet, and he said they had gone to God’s Messenger about a friend of theirs who deserved (i.e., hell) for murder, [2] and he replied, “If you emancipate a slave on his behalf God will set free from hell a member of the body for every member of his.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it. 1. <i>Mirqat</i>, iii, 540 gives al-Gharif ad-Dailami but says it should correctly be Ibn ad-Dailami. It adds that Hakim in his <i>Mustadrak</i> says al-Gharif was a <i>laqab</i> of ‘Abdallah b. ad-Dailami, and that in <i>Jami'-al-usul</i> the name is given as al-Gharif b. ‘Ayyash ad-Dailami. This is the form in the Damascus edn. of the <i>Mishkat</i>, the one used in the translation above. It is also given by Ibn Hajar, <i>Tahdhib</i>, viii, 245. 2. <i>Mirqat</i>, iii, 541 suggests that the reference may be to someone who had killed a man unintentionally.
عَن الغريف بن عَيَّاش الديلمي قَالَ: أَتَيْنَا وَاثِلَة بن الْأَسْقَع فَقُلْنَا: حَدِّثْنَا حَدِيثًا لَيْسَ فِيهِ زِيَادَةٌ وَلَا نُقْصَانٌ فَغَضِبَ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَقْرَأُ وَمُصْحَفُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي بَيْتِهِ فَيَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ فَقُلْنَا: إِنَّمَا أَرَدْنَا حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتَهُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسلم فَقَالَ: أَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي صَاحِبٍ لَنَا أَوْجَبَ يَعْنِي النَّارَ بِالْقَتْلِ فَقَالَ: «أعتقوا عَنهُ بِعِتْق الله بِكُل عُضْو مِنْهُ عُضْو أَمنه من النَّار» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد وَالنَّسَائِيّ
Samura b. Jundub reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The most excellent <i>sadaqa</i> is intercession for which a slave is set free.” Baihaqi transmitted it in <i>Shu'ab al-iman</i>.
وَعَن سَمُرَةَ بْنِ جُنْدُبٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَفْضَلُ الصَّدَقَةِ الشَّفَاعَةُ بِهَا تُفَكُّ الرَّقَبَة» . رَوَاهُ الْبَيْهَقِيّ فِي «شعب الْإِيمَان»