Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (11/327)

whether he emancipates him voluntarily, through zakat, or as expiation, the right of clientage belongs to him.

An example of voluntary emancipation is a man who purchases a slave and says to him, “You are free.” There is no question in this case that the right of clientage belongs to the emancipator.

An example involving zakat: among the eligible recipients of zakat are slaves to be freed, as Allah the Exalted says: “and for the freeing of slaves” [al-Tawbah 9:60]. One form of this is for someone to purchase a slave with zakat funds and emancipate him. The right of clientage then belongs to him. Thus, if this slave engages in trade, Allah makes him wealthy, and he acquires abundant property, then dies leaving no agnatic heir, his agnatic heir is his emancipator.

An example involving expiation: a person may be required to emancipate a slave as expiation, such as a man who makes ẓihār—declaring his wife unlawful to him like his mother—or has intercourse with her during Ramadan. The first obligation upon him is to emancipate a slave. If he emancipates a slave as expiation, the right of clientage belongs to him.

Some scholars said that, in cases other than voluntary emancipation, the right of clientage belongs to the category for whose sake the slave was emancipated. Thus, if he emancipates him using zakat, his clientage belongs to the recipients of zakat: the poor, the needy, those employed to administer it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, the freeing of slaves, those in debt, in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveler. If he emancipates him as expiation, his clientage belongs to the poor, because they are eligible recipients of expiations. However, the well-known position of the school is that whoever emancipates a slave acquires his right of clientage. Hence, the author said, “the right of clientage belongs to him.” They cited as evidence the general import of the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “Clientage belongs only to the one who emancipates.” (1)

His statement, “even if they differ in religion,” means that the right of clientage is established.

(1) Its source has previously been cited on p. 326.

سواء أعتقه تطوعاً، أو أعتقه في زكاة، أو أعتقه في كفارة، فالولاء له. مثال التطوع: رجل اشترى رقيقاً وقال له: أنت حر، فلا إشكال في كون الولاء للمعتِق في هذه الصورة. مثال الزكاة: من مصارف الزكاة الرقاب، لقوله تعالى: ﴿وَفِي الرِّقَابِ﴾ [التوبة: ٦٠]، ومن صور ذلك أن يشتري من الزكاة عبداً فيعتقه، فله عليه الولاء، فلو أن هذا العبد اتجر وأغناه الله وصار عنده أموال كثيرة ثم مات، وليس له عصبة فعاصبه المعتِق. مثال الكفارة: إنسان عليه عتق رقبة كفارة، كرجل ظاهر من زوجته، أو جامعها في رمضان، فأول ما يجب عليه أن يعتق رقبة، فإن أعتق رقبة في الكفارة فالولاء له. وقال بعض أهل العلم: الولاء في غير التطوع يكون للجهة التي أعتقه من أجلها، فمثلاً إذا أعتقه من الزكاة يكون ولاؤه لأهل الزكاة، الفقراء، والمساكين، والعاملين عليها، والمؤلفة قلوبهم، وفي الرقاب، والغارمين، وفي سبيل الله، وابن السبيل، وإذا أعتقه في كفارة يكون ولاؤه للفقراء؛ لأنهم مصرف للكفارات، لكن المشهور من المذهب أن كل من أعتق عبداً فله ولاؤه، ولهذا قال المؤلف: «فله عليه الولاء»، واستدلوا بعموم قول النبي ﷺ: «إنما الولاء لمن أعتق» (١). قوله: «وإن اختلف دينهما»، أي: فالولاء ثابت.

(١) سبق تخريجه ص (٣٢٦).