English
Jabir narrated: We sold ummahat al-awlad during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr. When Umar came, he prohibited us, and we stopped. [Narrated by Abu Dawud]
Ad-Daraqutni narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited selling ummahat al-awlad, saying: “They are not sold, gifted, or inherited. Their master enjoys them as long as he lives, and when he dies, they are free.”
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sunan Abi Dawud 3954 (unverified) 95% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.
Commentary and footnotes (1)
Note 1
(1) The statement: “He prohibited us, and we stopped”: The four imams agreed that ummahat al-awlad are not sold, which is the view of the early and later jurists of the cities. Ibn Qudamah narrated a consensus of the Companions on this. The narrations from Ali, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Az-Zubayr permitting it do not undermine this, as their retraction from opposition is narrated, as Ibn Ruslan stated in Sharh As-Sunan. Abdul Razzaq narrated from Ali with an authentic chain that he retracted to the majority Companions’ view. This is taken from Rahmat Al-Ummah and Nayl Al-Awtar. Shamni said it is possible the Prophet (ﷺ) was unaware of their sale, and it is only evidence if he knew and approved. It may have been early, then the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited it, and Abu Bakr was unaware due to his short caliphate and preoccupation with Muslim affairs. Umar prohibited it when he learned of the Prophet’s prohibition. Thus, in Al-Mirqat.