the sum he had advanced on his behalf.

Some scholars of Medina rule that when a mukātab dies before paying off his contract, the whole of his estate reverts exclusively to his master, for since he could not attain freedom in his lifetime except after payment, it is even more fitting that—having died a slave—he should not be emancipated post-mortem by someone else settling the debt for him.

If, with his master’s permission, the mukātab purchases his own child, the child enters the same kitābah with him; he may not buy his child without such permission. Should he, with his master’s approval, buy a relative other than a child, that person does not enter his contract, according to Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam. Ibn al-Qāsim, however, as cited by Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam, held that everyone who would automatically become free were a free man to acquire him is incorporated into the kitābah, provided the purchase was authorized by the master.

When the mukātab dies, nothing of the obligation is waived for those who shared the contract with him—whether children or others. If he leaves sufficient assets, his kitābah debt is discharged from the estate at once, and his heirs may not defer payment until the appointed instalments. If the estate is insufficient, they may take what he left and continue the contract according to its original schedule. Should the heirs be minors unable to earn, payment is made on their behalf until they reach working age; but if the estate cannot sustain them to that point, they revert to slavery upon their father’s death.

If a mukātab dies owing ordinary debts or compensation for injuries, the creditors are paid first, and whatever remains goes to the injured party. If he leaves no property, both the debts and the compensations lapse, and none of it is charged to his children.