سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ وَ أَنَا حَاضِرٌ فَقَالَ يَكُونُ لِيَ الْغُلَامُ فَيَشْرَبُ الْخَمْرَ وَ يَدْخُلُ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمُورِ الْمَكْرُوهَةِ فَأُرِيدُ عِتْقَهُ فَهَلْ عِتْقُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَوْ أَبِيعُهُ وَ أَتَصَدَّقُ بِثَمَنِهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْعِتْقَ فِي بَعْضِ الزَّمَانِ أَفْضَلُ وَ فِي بَعْضِ الزَّمَانِ الصَّدَقَةُ أَفْضَلُ فَإِذَا كَانَ النَّاسُ حَسَنَةً حَالُهُمْ فَالْعِتْقُ أَفْضَلُ فَإِذَا كَانُوا شَدِيدَةً حَالُهُمْ فَالصَّدَقَةُ أَفْضَلُ وَ بَيْعُ هَذَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ إِذَا كَانَ بِهَذِهِ الْحَالِ .
Translation
Al Husayn Bin Muhammad, from Ahmad Bin Is’haq, from Bakr Bin Muhammad, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup>, said, ‘A man asked him<sup>asws</sup> and I was present, so he said, ‘There happens to be a slave for me, so he drank the wine, and he entered into this matter (Al-Wilayah) unwillingly. So I intend to emancipate him. So is his emancipation more beloved to you<sup>asws</sup>, or I sell him, and I give in charity with his price?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘The emancipation is better in certain times, and in certain times the charity is better. So when the state of the people was good, so the emancipation is better. So when they state was difficult (committing sins), so the charity is preferable; and selling this one is more beloved to me<sup>asws</sup>, when he was in this state’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.