The Book of Oaths

Suwaid b. Muqarrin reported that he had a slave-girl and a person (one of the members of the family) slapped her, whereupon Suwaid said to him:

Don't you know that it is forbidden (to strike the) face. He said: You see I was the seventh one amongst my brothers during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and we had but only one servant. One of us got enraged and slapped him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded us to set him free.

Wahb b. Jarir reported:

Shu'ba informed that Muhammad b. Munkadir said to me: What is your name? The rest of the hadith is the same.

Abu Mas'ud al-Badri reported:

I was beating my slave with a whip when I heard a voice behind me: Understand, Abu Masud; but I did not recognise the voice due to intense anger. He (Abu Mas'ud) reported: As he came near me (I found) that he was the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was saying: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; bear in mind. Abu Mas'ud. He (Aba Maslad) said: threw the whip from my hand. Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; verily Allah has more dominance upon you than you have upon your slave. I (then) said: I would never beat my servant in future.

This hadith has been narrated on the authorityo A'mash but with this variation of words:

" There fell from my hand the whip on account of his (the Prophet's) awe."

Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari reported:

When I was beating my servant, I heard a voice behind me (saying): Abu Mas'ud, bear in mind Allah has more dominance over you than you have upon him. I turned and (found him) to be Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) , I set him free for the sake of Allah. Thereupon he said: Had you not done that, (the gates of) Hell would have opened for you, or the fire would have burnt you.

Abu Mas'ud reported that he had been beating his slave and he had been saying:

I seek refuge with Allah, but he continued beating him, whereupon he said: I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) , and he spared him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: By Allah, God has more dominance over you than you have over him (the slave). He said that he set him free.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters, but made no mention of (these words) of his:

I seek refuge with Allah, I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).

Abu Huraira reported that Abu'l-Qasim (one of the names of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) [ﷺ]) said:

He who accused his slave of adultery, punishment would be imposed upon him on the Day of Resurrection, except in case the accusation was as he had said.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Ghazwan (and the words are):

" I heard Abu'l-Qasim (ﷺ) as the Prophet (ﷺ) of repentance."

Al-Ma'rur b. Suwaid said:

We went to Abu Dharr (Ghifari) in Rabadha and he had a mantle over him, and his slave had one like it. We said: Abu Dharr, had you joined them together, it would have been a complete garment. Thereupon he said: There was an altercation between me and one of the persons among my brothers. His mother was a non-Arab. I reproached him for his mother. He complained against me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). As I met Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) he said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (in him the remnants) of the days (of Ignorance). Thereupon I said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) , he who abuses (other) persons, they abuse (in return) his father and mother. He (the Prophet) said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (the remnants) of Ignorance in him They (your servants and slaves) are your brothers. Allah has put them in your care, so feed them with what you eat, clothe them with what you wear. and do not burden them beyond their capacities; but if you burden them (with an unbearable burden), then help them (by sharing their extra burden).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of A'mash but with a slight variation of words, e. g. in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Zuhair and Abu Mu'awiya after his words (these words of the Prophet):

" You are a person having the remnants of Ignorance in him." (these words also occur, that Abu Dharr) said: Even up to this time of my old age? He (the Prophet) said: Yes. In the tradition transmitted on the authority of Abu Mu'awiya (the words are):" Yes, in this time of your old age." In the tradition transmitted on the authority of 'Isa (the words are):" If you burden him (with an unbearable burden), you should sell him (and get another slave who can easily undertake this burden)." In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Zuhair (the words are):" Help him in that (work)." In the hadith transmitted by Abu Mu'awiya (separately) there is no such word: Then sell him or help him." This hadith concludes with these words:" Do not burden him beyond his capacity."

Ma'rur b. Suwaid reported:

I saw Abu Dharr wearing clothes, and his slave wearing similar ones. I asked him about it, and he narrated that he had abused a person during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upoe. him) and he reproached him for his mother. That person came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and made mention of that to him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: You are a person who has (remnants of) Ignorance in him. Your slaves are brothers of yours. Allah has placed them in your hand, and he who has his brother under him, he should feed him with what he eats, and dress him with what he dresses himself, and do not burden them beyond their capacities, and if you burden them, (beyond their capacities), then help them.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

It is essential to feed the slave, clothe him (properly) and not burden him with work which is beyond his power.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

When the slave of anyone amongst you prepares food for him and he serves him after having sat close to (and undergoing the hardship of) heat and smoke, he should make him (the slave) sit along with him and make him eat (along with him), and if the food seems to run short, then he should spare some portion for him (from his own share) - (another narrator) Dawud said:" i. e. a morsel or two". 4097

Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

When a slave looks to the welfare of his master and worships Allah well, he has two rewards for him.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar through another chain of transmitters.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

For a faithful slave there are two rewards. By him in Whose hand is the life of Abu Huraira, but for Jihad in the cause of Allah, and Pilgrimage and kindness to my mother, I would have preferred to die as a slave. He (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: This news reached us that Abu Huraira did not perform Pilgrimage until his mother died for (keeping himself constantly) in her service.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abu Tahir but with a slight variation of words.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

When a slave fulfils obligation of Allah and obligation of his master, he has two rewards for him. I narrated this to Ka'b, and Ka'b said: (Such a slave) has no accountability, nor has a poor believer.

The above hadith has been reported through another chain of transmitters on the authority of Abu Huraira.