—for two or three months, he inquires into the debtor’s circumstances; if no assets come to light, he releases him. The same rule applies when the debtor produces witnesses proving that he has no property. Once released, the judge does not stand between him and his creditors: they may keep close to him, yet they may not hinder his transactions or his travel. Whatever he earns in excess of his basic needs they may take and divide among themselves in proportion to their claims.

Abu Yūsuf and Muḥammad said: When the judge declares him bankrupt, he does bar the creditors from pursuing him unless they can prove that he has since acquired property.

A flagrant sinner is not to be interdicted so long as he manages his wealth competently; it makes no difference whether his depravity is longstanding or newly acquired. And if a bankrupt person still has in his possession a specific item he had bought from someone, that seller enjoys no priority but ranks with the rest of the creditors regarding it.