Book of Emancipation
Emancipation ('itq) in language means: purity. From this comes the 'itaq of horses and the 'itaq of birds, meaning their pure (or choice) ones. The Sacred House (al-Bayt al-Haram) was called 'atiq because of its being purified from the hands of the tyrants. In the Shari'a, it is: the setting free of a person, and ridding him of servitude. It is said: 'ataqa the slave, and I emancipated ('ataqtu) him; he is 'atiq and mu'taq (emancipated). The basis for this is the Book (Quran), the Sunnah, and consensus (ijma'). As for the Book, it is the saying of Allah the Exalted: "...and the freeing of a slave" (Quran 58:3). And Allah the Exalted said: "...or the freeing of a slave" (Quran 90:13). As for the Sunnah, it is what Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, saying: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever emancipates a believing slave, Allah will emancipate for every limb of his, a limb of His from the Fire, until he even emancipates a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, and a private part for a private part." This is agreed upon, in many narrations besides this one. The community has reached a consensus on the validity of emancipation and the attainment of nearness to Allah through it.
Section: Emancipation is one of the most excellent acts of nearness to Allah the Exalted, because Allah the Exalted made it an expiation for killing, intercourse during Ramadan, and oaths, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made it a ransom for the one who emancipates from the Fire. And because it contains the liberation of a protected human being from the harm of servitude, granting him ownership of his own self and his benefits, the completion of legal rulings, and enabling him to exercise authority over himself and his benefits, according to his will and choice.
(1) Omitted from: the Original, A. (2) Omitted from: the Original. (3) Surah Al-Mujadilah, 3. (4) Surah Al-Balad, 13. (5) Related by Al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on the saying of Allah the Exalted: "...or the freeing of a slave..." from the Book of Expiations. Sahih al-Bukhari 8/181. And Muslim, in: Chapter on the virtue of emancipation, from the Book of Emancipation. Sahih Muslim 2/1147. It was also related by Al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter on what has come regarding the reward of one who emancipates a slave, from the Chapters on Vows. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 7/25. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/420, 422, 429, 431. (6) In B, M: "liberating the human being".
كتاب العِتْقِ
العِتْقُ فى اللُّغَةِ: الخُلوصُ. ومنه عِتاقُ الْخَيْلِ، وعِتاقُ الطِّيْرِ، أى خالِصَتُها، وسُمِّىَ البَيْتُ الحَرامُ عَتِيقًا، لخُلوصِهِ من أَيدى الجبابِرَةِ. وهو فى الشَّرْعِ: تَحْريرُ الرَّقَبَةِ، وتخليصُها من الرِّق. يُقال (١): عَتَقَ العَبْدُ، وأعتَقْتُه أنا، وهو عَتِيقٌ، ومُعتَقٌ (٢). والأَصْلُ فيه الكِتابُ، والسُّنَّةُ، والإِجْماعُ. أمَّا الكِتابُ، فقولُ اللَّه تعالى: {فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ} (٣). وقال اللَّه تعالى: {فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ} (٤). وأما السُّنَّةُ، فما رَوَى أبو هُرَيْرَة، رَضِىَ اللَّهُ عنه، قال: قال رسولُ اللَّهِ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "مَنْ أَعْتَقَ رَقَبَةً مُومِنَةً، أَعْتَقَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ إرْبٍ مِنْهَا إرْبًا مِنْهُ مِنَ النَّارِ، حَتَّى إنَّهُ لَيُعْتِقُ الْيَدَ بِاليَدِ، والرجْلَ بالرِّجْلِ، والْفَرْجَ بالفَرْجِ". مُتَّفَقٌ عليه (٥). فى أخبارٍ كثيرةٍ سِوَى هذا. وأَجْمَعَتِ الأَمَّةُ على صِحَّةِ العِتْقِ، وحصولِ القُرْبَةِ به.
فصل: والعِتْقُ من أَفْضَلِ القُرَبِ إلى اللَّه تعالى؛ لأنَّ اللَّه تعالى جعلَهُ كفَّارَةً للقتلِ، والوَطْءِ فى رمضانَ، والأَيْمانِ، وجعلَه النَّبىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- فِكَاكًا لمُعْتِقِه من النَّار، ولِأَنّ فيه [تخْلِيصَ الْآدَمِى] (٦) المعصومِ من ضَرَرِ الرِّقِّ، ومِلْكَ نَفْسِه ومنافعِه، وتَكْمِيلَ أحكامٍ، وتَمَكُّنَه من التصرُّفِ فى نَفْسِه ومَنافِعه، على حَسْبِ إرادتِهِ واخْتيارِهِ. وإِعتاقُ
(١) سقط من: الأصل، أ.(٢) سقط من: الأصل.(٣) سورة المجادلة ٣.(٤) سورة البلد ١٣.(٥) أخرجه البخارى، فى: باب قول اللَّه تعالى: {أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ. . .} من كتاب الكفارات. صحيح البخارى ٨/ ١٨١. ومسلم، فى: باب فضل العتق، من كتاب العتق. صحيح مسلم ٢/ ١١٤٧.كما أخرجه الترمذى، فى: باب ما جاء فى ثواب من أعتق رقبة، من أبواب النذور. عارضة الأحوذى ٧/ ٢٥. والإمام أحمد، فى: المسند ٢/ ٤٢٠، ٤٢٢، ٤٢٩، ٤٣١.(٦) فى ب، م: "تخليصا للآدمى".
