28 – Book of the Authorized Slave (al-maʾdhūn)
When a master grants his slave a general license to engage in trade, all the slave’s commercial dealings are valid: he may buy, sell, pledge property, and take pledges.
Should the master authorize him for only one of these activities to the exclusion of the others, he is nevertheless deemed authorized for them all. If, however, the permission concerns a single, specific item, he is not regarded as an authorized slave.
Any acknowledgment the authorized slave makes of debts or of property he has usurped is legally effective. He has no right to marry, to arrange marriages for his own slaves, to conclude a manumission contract, to emancipate a slave for payment, or to grant gifts—whether with or without compensation—except that he may offer a small amount of food as a present or extend hospitality to someone he feeds.
His debts attach to his very person: he may be sold for the benefit of his creditors unless the master redeems him. The proceeds of the sale are divided among them in proportion to their claims; if any part of the debt remains outstanding, he is liable for it after he gains his freedom.
If the master rescinds his permission, the rescission (ḥajr) is not effective until it becomes public knowledge among the people of the marketplace. Should the master die, lose his sanity, or defect to enemy territory as an apostate, the authorized slave immediately comes under restriction. If the slave himself absconds, he likewise becomes restricted.
Once restriction has been imposed, his acknowledgment remains valid, according to Abū Ḥanīfa, with respect to the property already in his possession.
If liabilities accrue against him that equal both his assets and his value as a slave, the master no longer owns what is in his hand; therefore, should he attempt to free his own slaves, they are not emancipated according to Abū Ḥanīfa. Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad, however, maintain that the master does own what is in his hand.
If the authorized slave sells the master something at its exact market value, the transaction is valid; but if he sells it at a discount, it is invalid. If the master sells him something at full value, the sale is valid; yet if the master delivers the item before receiving the price, the price claim is void, whereas if he retains possession until he is paid in full, the sale stands.