Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/157)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

if he becomes free, the marriage is not annulled; but if he reverts to being a slave, it is annulled, because at that point the master has come to own his wife.

All of these rulings are based on rationales, some of which have merit and some of which do not; there is no textual evidence for them.

“Whoever is forbidden to have intercourse with by means of a marriage contract is also forbidden by virtue of ownership, except for a female slave who is from the People of the Book, …”

His statement, “Whoever is forbidden to have intercourse with by means of a marriage contract is also forbidden by virtue of ownership,” is a governing principle: every woman whom one is forbidden to marry is likewise forbidden to have intercourse with through ownership. Thus, one is forbidden to marry one’s wife’s sister, and likewise forbidden to have intercourse with her through ownership. For example, if a man has a free wife whose sister is a slave woman, and he purchases her slave sister, the purchase is valid; yet he may not have intercourse with her so long as her sister remains his wife, unless that wife becomes unlawful to him through divorce, annulment, or otherwise. This is because just as it is not permissible to combine two sisters in marriage, it is not permissible to combine them through ownership.

If someone asks: How can purchasing her be valid while marrying her is not?

The answer is that purchasing is not necessarily intended for sexual relations; a person may purchase a slave in order to set him free. A marriage contract, however, is intended for sexual relations. Hence, it is permissible for a man to purchase his wife’s sister, but not permissible for him to marry her. Similarly, if a person in the state of ihram purchases a slave woman, the transaction is valid, whereas if he marries a woman while in ihram, the marriage is invalid. Likewise, if someone makes another person’s emancipation contingent upon purchasing him, saying, “If I purchase this person, he is free,” this is valid: purchasing may be intended for emancipation, so when he purchases him, he becomes free. But if he says, “If I marry so-and-so, she is divorced,” and then marries her, she is not divorced.

تحرر فالنكاح لا ينفسخ، وإن عاد رقيقاً فإنه ينفسخ؛ لأنه حينئذٍ يكون السيد قد ملك زوجته. وكل هذه مبنية على تعليلات بعضها له وجه، وبعضها لا وجه له، وليس هناك أدلة. وَمَنْ حَرُمَ وَطْؤُهَا بِعَقْدٍ حَرُمَ بِمُلْكِ يَمِينٍ إِلاَّ أَمَةً كِتَابِيَّةً، ......... قوله: «ومن حرم وطؤها بعقد حرم بملك يمين»، هذا ضابط «فكل امرأة يحرم أن تعقد عليها يحرم أن تطأها بملك اليمين» فأخت الزوجة يحرم عقد النكاح عليها، فيحرم أن تطأها بملك اليمين، أي: لو كان إنسان له زوجة حرة ولها أخت مملوكة، فاشترى أختها المملوكة، فالشراء صحيح، لكن لا يطؤها ما دامت أختها عنده، حتى يحرمها، إما بطلاق أو فسخ أو غير ذلك؛ لأنه لا يجوز أن يجمع بين الأختين في العقد، فلا يجوز أن يجمع بينهما في ملك اليمين. فإن قال قائل: كيف صح شراؤها ولم يصح نكاحها؟ فالجواب: أن الشراء لا يتعين للاستمتاع، بل قد يشتري العبد ليعتقه، أما عقد النكاح فالمراد به الاستمتاع، ولذلك يجوز أن يشتري أخت زوجته، ولا يجوز أن يعقد عليها النكاح، وكذلك لو اشترى أمة وهو محرم فيصح العقد، ولو تزوج امرأة وهو محرم لم يصح، ولو علق عتق شخص بالشراء، فقال: إذا اشتريت هذا فهو عتيق فإنه يصح؛ لأن الشراء يراد للعتق فإذا اشتراه عتق، ولو قال: إذا تزوجت فلانة فهي طالق، وتزوجها، فإنها لا تطلق.