—neither the shepherd over the flock nor the broker over the merchandise. Likewise, whoever is hired solely to guard property gains no priority to it at the owner’s death or on his bankruptcy; with respect to whatever he holds, he stands on an equal footing with the other creditors.

When a cultivator is declared bankrupt, the landowner has first claim to what is on the land in the case of bankruptcy—but not upon the cultivator’s death—until he receives the rent for his land.

If someone rents a house for a year, pays no rent, occupies it for part of that year, and then becomes bankrupt or dies, the landlord has priority over the unexpired portion of the lease, while for the rent already accrued he shares with the other creditors.

Ibn al-Qasim said: A wife may contend with her husband’s creditors for her dowry while he is alive if he is declared bankrupt, but she may not do so after his death. The other Mālikī scholars hold that she may contend for her dowry in both death and bankruptcy.

Whoever hands over all his property to his creditors must be left with enough to maintain himself and his dependants for about a month. The clothes he is wearing are not to be sold so long as they are appropriate for someone of his station; any excess beyond that is to be sold.

Once a person’s insolvency is established he is not to be imprisoned; if he has already been jailed and insolvency is then proven, he must be released.

Anyone who repeatedly contracts with other people’s assets time after time is barred from sitting in their markets, and a public proclamation is made about him so that no one is misled by him.

An ailing person may not repay only some of his creditors to the exclusion of others, just as a bankrupt whose estate the judge has frozen may not show favoritism among his creditors.