Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh

وَ رَوَى زُرَارَةُ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا عَلَيْهِمَا اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: فِي لَقِيطَةٍ وُجِدَتْ فَقَالَ "حُرَّةٌ لاَ تُشْتَرَى وَ لاَ تُبَاعُ وَ إِنْ كَانَ وُلِدَ مَمْلُوكٌ لَكَ مِنَ اَلزِّنَا فَأَمْسِكْ أَوْ بِعْ إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَ هُوَ مَمْلُوكٌ لَكَ".

Zurarah narrates from one of the Imams (a.s), peace be upon them, that Imam (a.s) said regarding a foundling: "She is free and cannot be bought or sold. However, if a child is born to you from her through unlawful relations, then you may keep or sell the child if you wish, as he is your slave."

قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "اَلْعَبْدُ اَلْآبِقُ لاَ تُقْبَلُ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَى مَوْلاَهُ".

Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s), said: "The runaway slave's prayer is not accepted until he returns to his master."

وَ قَالَ اَلصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "اَلْمَمْلُوكُ إِذَا هَرَبَ وَ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْ مِصْرِهِ لَمْ يَكُنْ آبِقاً".

Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) said: "If a slave runs away but does not leave his city, he is not considered a runaway (abiq)."

وَ رَوَى زَيْدٌ اَلشَّحَّامُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ يَتَخَوَّفُ إِبَاقَ مَمْلُوكِهِ أَوْ يَكُونُ اَلْمَمْلُوكُ قَدْ أَبَقَ أَ يُقَيِّدُهُ أَوْ يَجْعَلُ فِي عُنُقِهِ رَايَةً قَالَ "إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ بَعِيرٍ يُخَافُ شِرَادُهُ فَإِذَا خِفْتَ ذَلِكَ فَاسْتَوْثِقْ مِنْهُ وَ أَشْبِعْهُ وَ اُكْسُهُ" قُلْتُ وَ كَمْ شِبَعُهُ قَالَ "أَمَّا نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُ عِيَالَنَا مُدَّيْنِ تَمْراً".

Zayd al-Shahham narrated from Abu Abdullah (a.s): He was asked about a man who fears that his slave might run away or that the slave had already run away. Should he restrain him or place a mark on his neck? Imam (a.s) replied: "He is like a camel you fear might escape. If you fear that, secure him properly, feed him well, and clothe him." I asked: "How much is sufficient to fill his hunger?" Imam (a.s) said: "As for us, we provide our dependents with two measures (mudd) of dates."

وَ رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ جَارِيَةٍ مُدَبَّرَةٍ أَبَقَتْ مِنْ سَيِّدِهَا سِنِينَ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا جَاءَتْ بَعْدَ مَا مَاتَ سَيِّدُهَا بِأَوْلاَدٍ وَ مَتَاعٍ كَثِيرٍ وَ شَهِدَ لَهَا شَاهِدَانِ أَنَّ سَيِّدَهَا كَانَ قَدْ دَبَّرَهَا فِي حَيَاتِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَأْبِقَ قَالَ "أَرَى أَنَّ جَمِيعَ مَا مَعَهَا لِلْوَرَثَةِ " قُلْتُ وَ لاَ تُعْتَقُ مِنْ ثُلُثِ سَيِّدِهَا قَالَ "لاَ إِنَّهَا أَبَقَتْ عَاصِيَةً لِلَّهِ وَ لِسَيِّدِهَا فَأَبْطَلَ اَلْإِبَاقُ اَلتَّدْبِيرَ".

Muhammad ibn Muslim narrated from Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s): I asked him about a bondwoman who was mudadbarah (promised freedom upon the master's death). She ran away from her master for several years and later returned after her master had died. She came back with children and considerable possessions. Two witnesses testified that her master had declared her mudadbarah during his lifetime, before she had run away. Imam (a.s) said: "I see that all the possessions she brought belong to the heirs." I asked: "Would she not be freed from her master's one-third estate?" Imam (a.s) replied: "No, because she fled, disobeying Allah (swt) and her master. Her escape nullified the declaration of tadbir (conditional freedom)."

وَ رَوَى إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "أَنَّ عَلِيّاً عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ اُخْتُصِمَ إِلَيْهِ فِي رَجُلٍ أَخَذَ عَبْداً آبِقاً وَ كَانَ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ هَرَبَ مِنْهُ قَالَ "يَحْلِفُ بِاللَّهِ اَلَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ مَا سَلَبَهُ ثِيَابَهُ وَ لاَ شَيْئاً مِمَّا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لاَ بَاعَهُ وَ لاَ دَاهَنَ فِي إِرْسَالِهِ فَإِذَا حَلَفَ بَرِئَ مِنَ اَلضَّمَانِ" ".

Isma'il ibn Muslim narrated from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) from his father, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s): Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) was approached with a dispute regarding a man who had captured a runaway slave. The slave had been with him for some time, but later escaped again. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) said: "The man must swear by Allah (swt), there is no god but Him, that he did not take the slave's clothes, nor anything that belonged to him, nor did he sell him, nor conspire in his release. If he swears this, he is absolved from liability."

وَ رَوَى غِيَاثُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ اَلدَّارِمِيُّ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنَّ عَلِيّاً عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: فِي جُعْلِ اَلْآبِقِ "إِنَّ اَلْمُسْلِمَ يُرَدُّ عَلَى اَلْمُسْلِمِ ".

Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim al-Darimi narrated from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) from his father, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s): Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) said regarding the reward for capturing a runaway slave: "Indeed, the Muslim should be returned to the Muslim."

وَ قَالَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: فِي رَجُلٍ أَخَذَ آبِقاً فَفَرَّ مِنْهُ قَالَ "لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ".

Imam (a.s) said regarding a man who captured a runaway slave and then the slave escaped from him: "There is nothing (no liability) upon him."

وَ رَوَى اَلْحَسَنُ بْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ أَصَابَ دَابَّةً قَدْ سُرِقَتْ مِنْ جَارٍ لَهُ فَأَخَذَهَا لِيَأْتِيَهُ بِهَا فَنَفَقَتْ قَالَ "لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ".

Al-Hasan ibn Mahbub narrated from Al-Hasan ibn Salih, from Abu Abdullah (a.s). He said: I asked him about a man who found a stolen animal that belonged to his neighbor, so he took it to return it to him, but the animal died. Imam (a.s) said: "There is nothing (no liability) upon him."

وَ رَوَى عَلِيُّ بْنُ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "إِنَّ اَلْعَبْدَ إِذَا أَبَقَ مِنْ مَوَالِيهِ ثُمَّ سَرَقَ لَمْ يُقْطَعْ وَ هُوَ آبِقٌ لِأَنَّهُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ اَلْمُرْتَدِّ عَنِ اَلْإِسْلاَمِ وَ لَكِنْ يُدْعَى إِلَى اَلرُّجُوعِ إِلَى مَوَالِيهِ وَ اَلدُّخُولِ فِي اَلْإِسْلاَمِ فَإِنْ أَبَى أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى مَوَالِيهِ قُطِعَتْ يَدُهُ بِالسَّرِقَةِ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ وَ اَلْمُرْتَدُّ إِذَا سَرَقَ بِمَنْزِلَتِهِ".

Ali ibn Ri'ab narrated from Abu Ubaydah, from Abu Abdullah (a.s). Imam (a.s) said: "Indeed, if a slave escapes from his masters and then steals, his hand is not cut off while he is a fugitive, because he is like one who has apostatized from Islam. However, he is invited to return to his masters and re-enter Islam. If he refuses to return to his masters, his hand is cut off for the theft, and then he is executed. And the apostate, if he steals, is treated in the same manner."