Muwatta Malik #1571
Setting Free and Wala'
The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، أَتَتْهُ وَلِيدَةٌ قَدْ ضَرَبَهَا سَيِّدُهَا بِنَارٍ أَوْ أَصَابَهَا بِهَا فَأَعْتَقَهَا . قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّهُ لاَ تَجُوزُ عَتَاقَةُ رَجُلٍ وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ يُحِيطُ بِمَالِهِ وَأَنَّهُ لاَ تَجُوزُ عَتَاقَةُ الْغُلاَمِ حَتَّى يَحْتَلِمَ أَوْ يَبْلُغَ مَبْلَغَ الْمُحْتَلِمِ وَأَنَّهُ لاَ تَجُوزُ عَتَاقَةُ الْمُوَلَّى عَلَيْهِ فِي مَالِهِ وَإِنْ بَلَغَ الْحُلُمَ حَتَّى يَلِيَ مَالَهُ .
Malik related to me that he had heard that a slave-girl came to
Umar ibn al-Khattab (who had been beaten by her master with a red hot
iron) and he set her free.
Malik said, "The generally agreed-
on way of doing things among us is that a man is not permitted to be
freed while he has a debt against him which exceeds his property. A
boy is not allowed to be set free until he has reached puberty. The
young person whose affairs are managed cannot set free in his
property, even when he reaches puberty, until he manages his
property."
About Muwatta Malik
This hadith is #1571 from Muwatta Malik, in the Book of Setting Free and Wala'.