Hadith 3413

(1) The statement: The slave has his food and clothing: The Hadiths of this chapter indicate the obligation of maintenance and clothing for the slave, and there is consensus on this, as narrated by the author of Al-Bahr and others. Ibn Al-Humam said: There is consensus among scholars on this except for Ash-Sha’bi. It is stated in Umdat Ar-Ri’ayah: Maintenance for a slave, whether male, female, umm walad, or otherwise, includes the mudabbar and one assigned for service, as the intent is a slave of benefit, excluding the mukatab, as he owns his benefits, so there is no maintenance for him from the master during his kitaba. This includes young and old, those with a present father and those without, and a married slave woman unless she is settled in her husband’s home. As stated in Al-Fatawa: The slave’s maintenance is estimated as sufficient from the common food and condiments of the land, as is clothing, and it is not permissible to limit it to covering the private parts. It is recommended to equalize between male and female slaves, and to increase the clothing of a slave woman used for enjoyment due to custom.