Section

Maintenance is obligatory toward one’s parents, regardless of how far back the line ascends, and toward one’s children, however remote the descent—even those who are merely uterine kin—as well as toward every person who would inherit from him, whether by fixed share or by agnatic succession. This applies when the one entitled to support is poor and unable to earn a living, and the provider possesses sufficient means.

Where a needy person has heirs (1) other than a father, his upkeep is divided among them according to the proportions in which they would inherit.

The provider must also safeguard the chastity of any dependent whose maintenance he bears when that dependent is in need, and he must meet the expenses of that dependent’s wife and wet-nurse (ẓiʾr) for two full years.

No maintenance is due between people of different religions, except in the case of walāʾ (the bond created by emancipation).

He is likewise obligated to supply his slaves with food, clothing, and lodging in a manner recognized as fair, and he may not impose upon them excessive hardship. If a male slave requests marriage, the owner must either arrange a marriage for him or sell him. If a female slave seeks intimacy, he may have intercourse with her, marry the two slaves to each other, or sell her (2).

He must also provide fodder and whatever else benefits his livestock, refrain from overloading them with more than they can bear, and not draw so much milk that their young suffer. Should he be unable to maintain them, he will be compelled to sell them, lease them out, or—where the animal is fit for consumption—slaughter it.