Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/63)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

“with his female slaves,” meaning, those whom he owns. Thus, a master who has female slaves may marry them off without their permission, even if they are adults, because he owns them outright. Evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:

“Do not compel your slave girls to prostitution if they desire chastity.” [al-Nur 24:33]

Its implied meaning is that compelling them to something other than prostitution—such as a valid marriage—is unobjectionable. And this is indeed the case. Allah, Exalted is He, also says:

“Whoever among you cannot afford to marry free believing women, then let him marry from the believing slave women whom your right hands possess. Allah knows best the reality of your faith; you are of one another. So marry them with the permission of their owners.” [al-Nisa’ 4:25]

Their owners, then, are those who marry them off. The master possesses his female slave completely: both her person and her usufruct. Thus, if she were to say, “Marry me off,” and he replied, “No; I wish to take you as my concubine,” we would not compel him to marry her off. The owner may marry off his female slaves whether they consent or not. Yet, in every case, he must not impose hardship upon them or marry them to someone they do not accept.

His words, “like the master with his female slaves”: is it permissible to apply the term “master” to an owner?

The answer is that the term “master,” when used independently—not specifically in the sense of an owner—is common, as in the story of Joseph, peace be upon him: “They found her master at the door.” [Yusuf 12:25] Likewise, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I am the leader of the children of Adam” (1), and he said, “Stand for your leader” (2).

(1) Narrated by Muslim in al-Fada'il, “The Virtues,” chapter: “The Superiority of Our Prophet over All Created Beings” (2278), on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Jihad, “Striving,” chapter: “When the Enemy Accepts the Judgment of a Man” (3043); and by Muslim in al-Maghazi, “Military Expeditions,” chapter: “The Permissibility of Fighting One Who Breaks a Treaty” (1768), on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri.

«مع إمائه» أي: مملوكاته، فالسيد الذي له مملوكات ولو كن كباراً يزوجهن بغير إذنهن؛ لأنه مالك لهن ملكاً مطلقاً، ويدل لهذا قول الله ﵎: ﴿وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّناً﴾ [النور: ٣٣]، فمفهومه أن إكراههن على غير البغاء كالنكاح الصحيح لا بأس به، وهو كذلك، ولقوله تعالى: ﴿وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ طَوْلاً أَنْ يَنْكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ فَمِنْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ مِنْ فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِكُمْ بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَانْكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ﴾ [النساء: ٢٥] فأهلهن هم الذين يزوجونهن، فالسيد مالك لأمته، لرقبتها ومنفعتها ملكاً تاماً، ولهذا لو قالت: زوجني، وقال: لا أنا أريد أن أتسرَّاك، لا نلزمه بالتزويج، فالمالك له أن يزوج إماءه رضين أم لم يرضين، لكن على كل حال يجب عليه أن لا يشق عليهن، وألا يزوجهن من لا يرضينه. وقوله: «كالسيد مع إمائه»، فهل يجوز إطلاق السيد على المالك؟ الجواب: إطلاق السيد من حيث هو ـ لا على المالك ـ كثير، كما في قصة يوسف ﵊: ﴿وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَى الْبَابِ﴾ [يوسف: ٢٥]، كذلك قوله ﵊: «أنا سيد ولد آدم» (١)، وقوله ﷺ: «قوموا إلى سيدكم» (٢).

(١) أخرجه مسلم في الفضائل/ باب تفضيل نبينا ﷺ على جميع الخلائق (٢٢٧٨) عن أبي هريرة ﵁. (٢) أخرجه البخاري في الجهاد/ باب إذا نزل العدو على حكم رجل (٣٠٤٣)؛ ومسلم في المغازي/ باب جواز قتال من نقض العهد (١٧٦٨) عن أبي سعيد الخدري ﵁.