Chapter on Kitābah (Contractual Manumission)
Kitābah consists in a slave purchasing his own freedom from his master for a deferred sum that remains a debt upon him. It is recommended when the slave is trustworthy and able to earn a living, and discouraged when these qualities are absent.

It is permissible to sell a slave who is under a kitābah contract; the purchaser assumes the position of the original master. If the slave pays the agreed amount he is set free1 and his clientage (walāʾ) belongs to the buyer, but if he is unable to pay he reverts to full slavery.