than emancipating a slave, and so that he would not become a burden on other people.

2 – The ḥadīth is evidence for the validity of tadbīr (post-mortem manumission), a point upon which the scholars are unanimously agreed.

3 – A mudabbar is freed from one-third of the estate, not from the entire capital, because his ruling is that of a bequest: neither takes effect until after death. This is the view held by the majority of jurists.

4 – Selling a mudabbar is permissible whenever there is a need—such as settling debts or providing maintenance. Indeed, al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad allow his sale in all circumstances, need or otherwise, adducing this ḥadīth, which affirms his sale in one instance and therefore applies generally to every situation, by analogy with a bequest from which the testator may retract.

5 – For someone whose means are limited, the preferable and better course is to devote his resources to himself and those he supports; they have a greater right than others. Hence he should study the rulings of these supererogatory acts of worship—charity, manumission, and the like.

As for the one whom Allah has enriched, let him be keen to seize every opportunity to spend in the avenues of goodness: “Whatever good you send ahead for yourselves, you will find it with Allah” (al-Baqarah 2:110).