and Malik, and the scholars of opinion (Ahl al-Ra'y). As for the second report, Ahmad said: "It does not please me that he marries more than one slave woman." He relies on the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, which is what was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas: "A free man does not marry more than one slave woman," and he recited: {That is for those among you who fear sin} [4:25]. This is also the opinion of Qatadah, al-Shafi'i, and Ibn al-Mundhir, because someone who has a wife he can have intercourse with does not fear sin. The reasoning for the first opinion is the saying of the Almighty: {And whoever among you cannot reach the means (tawlan)}, the verse. This case falls under its general application, and because he is lacking the means and fears sin, it is permissible for him to marry a slave woman, just like the first one. Regarding their statement: "He does not fear sin," we respond: The discussion concerns one who does fear it, and we do not permit it except for him. The statement of Ibn 'Abbas is interpreted as applying to someone who does not fear sin, and the same applies to the other report from Ahmad. If he marries a free woman but she does not provide him with chastity, Abu al-Khattab mentioned two reports regarding this, similar to the case of marriage to a slave woman for one who has a slave woman who does not provide him with chastity, for the reasons we have mentioned. If the free woman provides him with chastity, there is no disagreement regarding the prohibition of marrying a slave woman. If he marries a slave woman who provides him with chastity, he is not permitted to marry another; if he does so, the marriage to her is invalid. [If he marries two slave women in one contract while he is being kept chaste by one, his marriage is invalid] because it would be invalid with regard to one of them, and neither is more deserving than the other, so it is invalid, just as if he combined two sisters in marriage.

Section: A slave is permitted to marry a slave woman even if the two conditions are missing, because he is equal to her, so these two conditions are not taken into account for him, just as in the case of a free man with a free woman. He is permitted to marry two slave women at once, or one after another, because the fear of sin is not a condition for him. If he marries a free woman, and we have said that freedom is not a condition for...