Marriage of a Free Man with a Slave

لَا بَأْسَ إِذَا اضْطُرَّ إِلَيْهَا.

“About the case of a free man who marries a slave-girl, abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’It is not unlawful if it is an emergency.’”

تَزَوَّجِ الْحُرَّةَ عَلَى الْأَمَةِ وَ لَا تَزَوَّجِ الْأَمَةَ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ وَ مَنْ تَزَوَّجَ أَمَةً عَلَى حُرَّةٍ فَنِكَاحُهُ بَاطِلٌ.

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A free woman can become a second wife, the first wife being a slave-girl; but a slave-girl cannot become a second wife, the first wife being a free woman. If one marries a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman, such marriage is invalid.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ نِكَاحِ الْأَمَةِ قَالَ يَتَزَوَّجُ الْحُرَّةَ عَلَى الْأَمَةِ وَ لَا تُتَزَوَّجُ الْأَمَةُ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ وَ نِكَاحُ الْأَمَةِ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ بَاطِلٌ وَ إِنِ اجْتَمَعَتْ عِنْدَكَ حُرَّةٌ وَ أَمَةٌ فَلِلْحُرَّةِ يَوْمَانِ وَ لِلْأَمَةِ يَوْمٌ لَا يَصْلُحُ نِكَاحُ الْأَمَةِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ مَوَالِيهَا.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the marriage with a slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘One can marry a free woman as a second wife, the first being a slave- girl, but he cannot marry a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman, and the marriage contract of slave-girl as

إِنْ شَاءَتِ الْحُرَّةُ أَنْ تُقِيمَ مَعَ الْأَمَةِ أَقَامَتْ وَ إِنْ شَاءَتْ ذَهَبَتْ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَرْضَ بِذَلِكَ وَ ذَهَبَتْ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا أَ فَلَهُ عَلَيْهَا سَبِيلٌ إِذَا لَمْ تَرْضَ بِالْمَقَامِ قَالَ لَا سَبِيلَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا إِذَا لَمْ تَرْضَ حِينَ تَعْلَمُ قُلْتُ فَذَهَابُهَا إِلَى أَهْلِهَا هُوَ طَلَاقُهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ إِذَا خَرَجَتْ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ اعْتَدَّتْ ثَلَاثَةَ أ

“About the case of a man who marries a free woman and he has a wife who is a slave-girl and the free woman does not know that he has a slave-girl wife, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If the free woman wants to live with his slave-girl wife, she can do so and if she wants she can go to her family.’ I then asked, ‘If

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع هَلْ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ النَّصْرَانِيَّةَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمَةِ وَ الْأَمَةَ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ فَقَالَ لَا تُتَزَوَّجُ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمَةِ وَ تُتَزَوَّجُ الْمُسْلِمَةُ عَلَى الْأَمَةِ وَ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ وَ لِلْمُسْلِمَةِ الثُّلُثَانِ وَ لِلْأَمَةِ وَ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ الثُّلُثُ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), if a man can marry a Christian woman as a second wife, the first being a Muslim woman or a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman. He (the Imam) said, ‘He cannot marry anyone of them as a second wife, the first being a Muslim woman. One ca

سَأَلْتُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَتَزَوَّجُ الْأَمَةَ قَالَ لَا إِلَّا أَنْ يُضْطَرَّ إِلَى ذَلِكَ.

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the marriage of a slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, unless it is an emergency.’”

لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الْحُرُّ الْمَمْلُوكَةَ الْيَوْمَ إِنَّمَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ حَيْثُ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ طَوْلًا[1] وَ الطَّوْلُ الْمَهْرُ وَ مَهْرُ الْحُرَّةِ الْيَوْمَ مَهْرُ الْأَمَةِ أَوْ أَقَلُّ.

‘It is not proper today for a free man to marry a slave- girl. It was permissible as Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, ‘If one cannot find resources. . . .’ (4:25) Resources is a reference to mahr (dower). Today mahr (dower) is like the mahr (dower) of slave-girls or less.’”

لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُسْلِمِ الْمُوسِرِ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ الْأَمَةَ إِلَّا أَنْ لَا يَجِدَ حُرَّةً فَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا فِي حَالِ الضَّرُورَةِ حَيْثُ لَا يَجِدُ مُسْلِمَةً حُرَّةً وَ لَا أَمَةً.

“He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper for an affluent Muslim man to marry a slave-girl unless he cannot find a free woman. So also, it is not proper for him to marry a woman from the people of the book unless it is an emergency when he cannot find a free Muslim woman or a slave- girl.’”

لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْحُرِّ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ الْأَمَةَ وَ هُوَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ وَ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ الْأَمَةَ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ وَ لَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ الْحُرَّةَ عَلَى الْأَمَةِ فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَ الْحُرَّةَ عَلَى الْأَمَةِ فَلِلْحُرَّةِ يَوْمَانِ وَ لِلْأَمَةِ يَوْمٌ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper for a free man to marry a slave-girl when he is able to marry a free woman, and it is not proper for him to marry a slave-girl as a second wife, the first being a free woman but it is not unlawful to marry a free woman as a second wife, the first being a slave-girl; a