The validity of their ownership necessitates the validity of their disposals. Once this is established, if he enters into a kitaba with his slave, then they both enter [the land of Islam] as musta'minun (granted safe-conduct), the judge shall not interfere with them. If they refer their dispute to him, he shall adjudicate between them; if their kitaba is valid, he shall enforce its ruling upon them, and if it is corrupt, he shall explain its corruption to them. If they arrive and one of them has overpowered the other, the kitaba is void, because if the slave has overpowered his master, he takes ownership of him, and thus his kitaba is void because he is no longer under his master's ownership. If the master has overpowered him to force the cancellation of the kitaba and has returned him to the status of a slave, it is void, because the land of unbelief is a land of power and permissibility; hence, if a free man overpowers another free man, he takes ownership of him. If they enter without one overpowering the other, and then one of them overpowers the other in the land of Islam, the kitaba does not become void, and they remain in the state they were in before it, because the land of Islam is a land of prohibition, where overpowering has no effect except by right. If they enter as musta'minun and then wish to return to the land of war, they are not prevented from doing so. If the master wishes to return and take the mukatab with him, but the mukatab refuses to return with him, he is not forced; because through the kitaba, his authority over him has ceased, and he only holds a right against his liability. He who holds a debt against another’s liability by right does not have the power to force him to travel with him for its sake. It shall be said to the master: "If you wish to reside in the land of Islam to collect the installments of the kitaba, then enter into a dhimma (covenant of protection) and reside, if its term is long. If you wish to authorize someone to collect the installments of the kitaba for you, then do so." When he pays the installments of the kitaba, he becomes free, and he is then given the choice: if he wishes to reside in the land of Islam, he enters into a dhimma for himself, and if he wishes to return, he is not prevented. If he is unable to pay and the master rescinds his kitaba, he returns to being a slave and is returned to his master, while his safe-conduct remains valid; because he is part of his master's property, and his master granted the safe-conduct for himself and his property; thus, if the safe-conduct for his own self is revoked by his return, it is not revoked for his property. If he enters into a kitaba with him in the land of war, then he flees and enters [our land], the kitaba is void, because his ownership of him ceased when he overpowered him, so it is similar to if he had overpowered him regarding any other part of his property. This applies regardless of whether he came to us as a Muslim or not.