Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (11/333)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

—that is, cutting off his testicles—then the slave is emancipated as a consequence. Even if he merely becomes angry with his slave and cuts off his earlobe, the slave is emancipated. But if he trims his nails, the slave is not emancipated, because this is not mutilation.

The Lawgiver has made emancipation take effect through the slightest cause out of concern to free people from bondage. This also answers the objection that the disbelievers raise against Islam concerning slavery. We say: Islam has greatly restricted the grounds on which ownership through slavery may arise, for there is no cause of enslavement except unbelief; while it has greatly expanded the means of freedom and the acts encouraged for attaining it. It has made emancipation part of expiations and one of the most virtuous acts of devotion. Thus, it has severely restricted the scope of slavery in several ways, among them:

First: its cause is one alone.

Second: it has opened many avenues that lead to emancipation, whether by a person’s choice, such as expiations, or without his choice, such as partial emancipation extending to the remainder and mutilation.

It is among the most excellent acts of devotion. It is recommended to emancipate one who has the ability to earn, and the opposite ruling applies in the opposite case. It is valid to make emancipation contingent upon death; this is called tadbīr.

His statement, “It is among the most excellent acts of devotion”: the word “among” indicates that it is part of them; it is not the greatest act of devotion, but one of the greatest. For whoever emancipates a slave, Allah emancipates, for this emancipator, every limb from the Fire—even the private parts for the private parts (1). Our saying that it is among the most excellent acts of devotion does not mean that it is legislated in every circumstance. Hence, the author said:

(1) Reported by al-Bukhari in The Book of Expiations for Oaths, chapter: “Or the freeing of a slave” (6715); and Muslim in The Book of Manumission, chapter: “The Virtue of Manumission” (1509 [22]), on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). Its wording is: “Whoever frees a Muslim slave, Allah will free from the Fire a limb of his for every limb of the slave, even his private part for the slave’s private part.”

ـ أي: قطع خصيتيه ـ فإنه يعتق عليه، ولو أنه غضب على عبده فقطع شحمة أذنه فإنه يعتق، ولكن لو قلم أظافره فإنه لا يعتق؛ لأن هذا ليس تمثيلاً. وإنما جعل الشرع العتق يحصل بأدنى سبب حرصاً منه على تحرير الرقاب، وبه تندفع الشبهة التي يوردها الكفار على الإسلام في مسألة الرق؛ لأننا نقول: إن الإسلام ضَيَّقَ سبب الملك في الرق، إذ ليس هناك سبب للرق إلا الكفر، ووسَّع جداً أسباب الحرية، وما يندب إلى الحرية، وجعل العتق في الكفارات، وقربة من القربات من أفضل الأعمال، فضيق جداً نطاق الرق من وجوه منها: أولاً: أن سببه واحد. ثانياً: أنه فتح أبواباً كثيرة تكون سبباً للعتق، باختيار المرء مثل الكفارات، وبغير اختياره كالسراية والتمثيل. وَهُوَ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ القُرَبِ، وَيُسْتَحَبُّ عِتْقُ مَنْ لَهُ كَسْبٌ، وَعَكْسُهُ بِعَكْسِهِ، وَيَصِحُّ تَعْلِيقُ العِتْقِ بِمَوْتٍ، وَهُوَ التَّدْبِيرُ. قوله: «وهو من أفضل القُرَب»، «من» للتبعيض فليس أفضل القرب ولكن من أفضلها؛ لأن من أعتق عبداً أعتق الله من هذا المعتِق كل عضو من النار، حتى الفرج بالفرج (١)، ولا يعني قولنا: إنه من أفضل القرب أن يكون مشروعاً بكل حال، ولذا قال المؤلف:

(١) لما أخرجه البخاري في كفارات الأيمان/ باب قول الله تعالى: ﴿أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ﴾ (٦٧١٥)؛ ومسلم في العتق/ باب فضل العتق (١٥٠٩) (٢٢) عن أبي هريرة ﵁. ولفظه: «من أعتق رقبة مسلمة أعتق الله بكل عضو منه عضواً من النار حتى فرجه بفرجه».