Chapter on the Divorce by a Slave

طَلَاقُ الْعَبْدِ إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً حُرَّةً أَوْ تَزَوَّجَ وَلِيدَةَ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ إِلَى الْعَبْدِ وَ إِنْ تَزَوَّجَ وَلِيدَةَ مَوْلَاهُ كَانَ لَهُ أَنْ يُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا أَوْ يَجْمَعَ بَيْنَهُمَا إِنْ شَاءَ وَ إِنْ شَاءَ نَزَعَهَا مِنْهُ بِغَيْرِ طَلَاقٍ.

"The divorce of a slave who marries a free woman or marries a bondwoman belonging to another people is in the hands of the slave himself. However, if he marries a bondwoman owned by his master, the master has the authority to either separate them or keep them together if he wishes. Additionally, if he wants, he can tak

فَإِنَّ السَّيِّدَ كَانَ زَوَّجَهُ بِيَدِ مَنِ الطَّلَاقُ قَالَ بِيَدِ السَّيِّدِ- ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْداً مَمْلُوكاً لا يَقْدِرُ عَلى‌ شَيْ‌ءٍ وَ الشَّيْ‌ءُ الطَّلَاقُ‌[2].

Hadith.4860 - Ibn Udhaynah narrated from Zurarah, from Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) and Abu Abdullah Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as), who both said: "A slave cannot validly perform a divorce or marriage except with the permission of his master." I asked: "If the master himself arranged his marri

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ أَنْكَحَ أَمَتَهُ حُرّاً أَوْ عَبْدَ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ قَالَ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَنْزِعَهَا مِنْهُ فَإِنْ بَاعَهَا فَشَاءَ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهَا أَنْ يَنْزِعَهَا مِنْ زَوْجِهَا فَعَلَ‌[3].

I asked him about a man who marries off his bondwoman (amah) to a free man or to a slave belonging to another group of people. Imam (as) replied: "The master does not have the right to take her back from her husband. However, if he sells her and the one who purchases her wishes to separate her from her husband, he is p

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنْ مَمْلُوكٍ تَزَوَّجَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ سَيِّدِهِ فَقَالَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى السَّيِّدِ إِنْ شَاءَ أَجَازَهُ وَ إِنْ شَاءَ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا[4] فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ إِنَّ الْحَكَمَ بْنَ عُتَيْبَةَ وَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيَّ وَ أَصْحَابَهُمَا يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ أَصْلَ النِّكَاحِ فَاسِدٌ فَلَا تُحِلُّ إِجَازَةُ السَّيِّدِ لَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا عَصَى سَيِّدَهُ وَ لَمْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ فَإِذَا

I asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a slave who married without the permission of his master. Imam (as) replied: "This matter is up to the master. If he wishes, he can approve the marriage, and if he wishes, he can separate them." I said: "May Allah (swt) rectify your affairs! Al-Ḥakam ibn ʿUtay

قُلْتُ لَهُ إِذَا كَانَتِ الْحُرَّةُ تَحْتَ الْعَبْدِ كَمْ يُطَلِّقُهَا فَقَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع الطَّلَاقُ وَ الْعِدَّةُ بِالنِّسَاءِ[6].

I asked him, "If a free woman is married to a slave, how many divorces can he pronounce against her?" He (as) replied: "Ali (as) said: 'Divorce and the waiting period (ʿiddah) are determined according to the status of the women.'"

طَلَاقُ الْحُرَّةِ إِذَا كَانَتْ تَحْتَ الْعَبْدِ ثَلَاثُ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ وَ طَلَاقُ الْأَمَةِ إِذَا كَانَتْ تَحْتَ الْحُرِّ تَطْلِيقَتَانِ‌[1].

"The divorce of a free woman when she is married to a slave is three divorces, and the divorce of a bondwoman when she is married to a free man is two divorces."

إِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ حُرّاً وَ امْرَأَتُهُ أَمَةً فَطَلَاقُهَا تَطْلِيقَتَانِ وَ إِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْداً وَ هِيَ حُرَّةً فَطَلَاقُهَا ثَلَاثُ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ.

"If a man is free and his wife is a bondwoman, her divorce is two pronouncements. But if the man is a slave and his wife is a free woman, her divorce is three pronouncements."

إِذَا طَلَّقَ الْحُرُّ الْمَمْلُوكَةَ فَاعْتَدَّتْ بَعْضَ عِدَّتِهَا مِنْهُ ثُمَّ أُعْتِقَتْ فَإِنَّهَا تَعْتَدُّ عِدَّةَ الْمَمْلُوكَةِ[2].

"If a free man divorces a bondwoman and she completes part of her waiting period (ʿiddah) while still a slave and then she is freed, she must complete the waiting period according to the rules of a bondwoman."

"عِدَّةُ اَلْأَمَةِ اَلَّتِي لاَ تَحِيضُ خَمْسٌ وَ أَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً".

Hadith.4867 - In the narration of Samaʿah from Abu Abdullah (as), he said: "The waiting period (ʿiddah) of a bondwoman who does not menstruate is forty-five nights."

طَلَاقُ الْأَمَةِ بَيْعُهَا أَوْ بَيْعُ زَوْجِهَا وَ قَالَ فِي الرَّجُلِ يُزَوِّجُ أَمَتَهُ رَجُلًا حُرّاً ثُمَّ يَبِيعُهَا قَالَ هُوَ فِرَاقُ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ الْمُشْتَرِي أَنْ يَدَعَهُمَا[4].

"The divorce of a bondwoman is through her sale or the sale of her husband." Imam (as) also said regarding a man who marries his bondwoman to a free man and then sells her: "This constitutes separation between them unless the buyer wishes to let them remain together."

إِذَا بِيعَتِ الْأَمَةُ وَ لَهَا زَوْجٌ فَالَّذِي اشْتَرَاهَا بِالْخِيَارِ إِنْ شَاءَ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ إِنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهَا مَعَهُ فَإِنْ هُوَ تَرَكَهَا مَعَهُ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَعْدَ مَا رَضِيَ‌[1] قَالَ وَ إِنْ بِيعَ الْعَبْدُ فَإِنْ شَاءَ مَوْلَاهُ الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهُ أَنْ يَصْنَعَ مِثْلَ الَّذِي صَنَعَ صَاحِبُ الْجَارِيَةِ فَذَلِكَ لَهُ وَ إِنْ هُوَ سَلَّمَ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يُفَرِّق

"If a bondwoman is sold while she has a husband, the buyer has the choice-if he wishes, he may separate them, and if he wishes, he may leave her with her husband. However, if he chooses to leave her with him, he can no longer separate them after agreeing to that." Imam (as) further said: "If a male slave is sold, then

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ كَانَ لَهُ أَبٌ مَمْلُوكٌ وَ كَانَتْ لِأَبِيهِ امْرَأَةٌ مُكَاتَبَةٌ قَدْ أَدَّتْ بَعْضَ مَا عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا ابْنُ الْعَبْدِ هَلْ لَكِ أَنْ أُعِينَكِ عَلَى مُكَاتَبَتِكِ حَتَّى تُؤَدِّيَ مَا عَلَيْكِ بِشَرْطِ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ لَكِ الْخِيَارُ عَلَى أَبِي إِذَا أَنْتِ مَلَكْتِ نَفْسَكِ قَالَتْ نَعَمْ فَأَعْطَاهَا لِمُكَاتَبَتِهَا أَ يَكُونُ لَهَا الْخِيَارُ بَعْدَ ذَل

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man whose father was a slave and whose father had a wife who was a mukatabah (a bondwoman under a contract for her freedom) and had already paid part of what she owed. The son of the slave said to her: "Would you like me to help you complete your manumission payment so that you can ful

إِذَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ تَحْتَهُ أَمَةٌ فَطَلَّقَهَا تَطْلِيقَةً ثُمَّ أُعْتِقَا جَمِيعاً كَانَتْ عِنْدَهُ عَلَى تَطْلِيقَةٍ[4].

"If a slave man had a bondwoman as his wife and he divorced her once, and then both of them were freed, she would remain with him on the basis of that one divorce."

تَعْتَدُّ بِثَلَاثِ حِيَضٍ‌[5] فَإِنْ مَاتَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا ثُمَّ أُعْتِقَتْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّتُهَا فَإِنَّ عِدَّتَهَا أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَ عَشَرَةُ أَيَّامٍ.

Hadith.4872 - Ibn Abi ʿUmayr narrated from Jamil, from Hisham ibn Salim, from Abu Abdullah (as), regarding a bondwoman who was divorced and then freed before her waiting period (ʿiddah) had ended. Imam (as) said: "She must complete the waiting period of three menstrual cycles. However, if her husband died and she was t

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْمَمْلُوكَةِ تَكُونُ تَحْتَ الْعَبْدِ ثُمَّ تُعْتَقُ قَالَ تُخَيَّرُ فَإِنْ شَاءَتْ أَقَامَتْ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا وَ إِنْ شَاءَتْ بَانَتْ.

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a bondwoman who was married to a slave man and then she was freed. Imam (as) said: "She has the choice; if she wishes, she may remain with her husband, and if she wishes, she may separate from him."

قَضَى أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فِي سُرِّيَّةٍ لِرَجُلٍ وَلَدَتْ لِسَيِّدِهَا ثُمَّ أَنْكَحَهَا عَبْدَهُ ثُمَّ تُوُفِّيَ سَيِّدُهَا فَأَعْتَقَهَا فَتَزَوَّجَهَا[1] فَوَرِثَهُ وَلَدُهَا ثُمَّ تُوُفِّيَ وَلَدُهَا فَوَرِثَتْ زَوْجَهَا الْعَبْدَ فَجَاءَا يَخْتَصِمَانِ فَقَالَ هِيَ امْرَأَتِي لَسْتُ أُطَلِّقُهَا وَ قَالَتْ هُوَ عَبْدِي لَمْ يُجَامِعْنِي فَسُئِلَتْ هَلْ جَامَعَكِ مُنْذُ كَانَ لَكِ عَبْداً فَقَالَتْ لَا فَقَ

"The Commander of the Faithful (as) ruled concerning a concubine of a man who bore a child for her master. The master then married her to his slave. Later, the master passed away and freed her. She then married the slave, and when he died, her child inherited from him. Then the child passed away, and she inherited her