free. If it is not so, she does not possess the right of annulment. This is the school of al-Shāfiʿī. The correct view is the opposite of this, for the Companions who ruled for the return [of the dowry] did not distinguish between the types of deception, nor did they ask for details. The apparent meaning is that the contract did not occur in this manner, and such is not the custom in contracts, so it is not permissible to interpret their absolute ruling as applying to a rare case that has not been transmitted. Furthermore, deception may come from the woman, and she has no wording in the contract. Moreover, when he informs him of her freedom, or leads him to believe it through circumstantial evidence that makes her freedom preponderant in his mind, and he marries her on that basis, desires her because of it, and gives her the dowry of free women, then the liability falls upon him, he has been harmed based on the statement of the one who informed him and deceived him. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the harm from him by establishing the right of return against the one who deceived him and harmed him. Based on this, if the deception is from two or more, the return is against all of them, and if the deception is from her and the agent, then upon each one of them is half of it. And Allāh knows best. Chapter Six: If the husband is among those for whom marriage to slave women is forbidden—namely, one who possesses the means or does not fear the hardship of sin—then they are to be separated, because we have explained that the marriage is invalid from its inception due to the absence of its condition. Likewise, if her marriage was without the permission of her master, or a condition of the marriage was missing, it is invalid, and they are to be separated. The ruling regarding the return is as we have mentioned. If he is among those for whom marriage to slave women is permissible, and the conditions of marriage are met, then the contract is valid, and the husband has the choice between annulment and remaining in the marriage. This is the meaning of the statement of al-Khiraqī: "He is satisfied with remaining" with her [in the marriage], and this is the apparent view of the school of al-Shāfiʿī. And said
(38) In M: "he said because". (39) In B: "already". (40) In B, M: "the uncertainty (gharar)". (41) In A, B, M: "from whom". (42) Omitted from: the original, A, B. The speech of al-Khiraqi ends at the previous quotation mark. (43) In B: "and it is".
