I was one of seven sons of Muqarrin, and we had only one female servant. The youngest of us slapped her in the face, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to set her free

Arabic text

عن أبي علي سويد بن مُقَرِّن رضي الله عنه قال: لقد رَأَيْتُنِي سابع سبعة من بني مُقَرِّن ما لنا خادم إلا واحدة لطمها أصغرنا فأمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن نعتقها وفي رواية: «سابع إخوة لي».

Translation

Abu ‘Ali Suwayd ibn Muqarrin (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was one of seven sons of Muqarrin, and we had only one female servant. The youngest of us slapped her in the face, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to set her free. Another narration reads: "I was one of seven siblings."

Explanation

Suwayd ibn Muqarrin reports that he was one of seven siblings of the sons of Muqarrin, all of whom were Companions from the Muhajirūn, and no one resembled them in this number. There was no one to serve all seven but a single slave girl. The youngest of them slapped her on the cheek, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ordered them to set her free from slavery so that her manumission would be an expiation for having slapped her.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Da‘wah and Hisbah
• Jurisprudence of Transactions
• Manumission
• Calling to Allah (Da‘wah)
• Human Rights in Islam