سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) عَنْ مُكَاتَبٍ قَتَلَ رَجُلًا خَطَأً قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ مَوْلَاهُ حِينَ كَاتَبَهُ اشْتَرَطَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ عَجَزَ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ فِي الرِّقِّ فَهُوَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمَمْلُوكِ يُدْفَعُ إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الْمَقْتُولِ فَإِنْ شَاءُوا قَتَلُوا وَ إِنْ شَاءُوا بَاعُوا وَ إِنْ كَانَ مَوْلَاهُ حِينَ كَاتَبَهُ لَمْ يَشْتَرِطْ عَلَيْهِ وَ قَدْ كَانَ أَدَّى مِنْ مُكَاتَبَتِهِ شَيْئاً فَإِنَّ عَلِيّاً ( عليه السلام ) كَانَ يَقُولُ يُعْتَقُ مِنَ الْمُكَاتَبِ بِقَدْرِ مَا أَدَّى مِنْ مُكَاتَبَتِهِ فَإِنَّ عَلَى الْإِمَامِ أَنْ يُؤَدِّيَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الْمَقْتُولِ مِنَ الدِّيَةِ بِقَدْرِ مَا أُعْتِقَ مِنَ الْمُكَاتَبِ وَ لَا يَبْطُلُ دَمُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ وَ أَرَى أَنْ يَكُونَ مَا بَقِيَ عَلَى الْمُكَاتَبِ مِمَّا لَمْ يُؤَدِّهِ رِقّاً لِأَوْلِيَاءِ الْمَقْتُولِ يَسْتَخْدِمُونَهُ حَيَاتَهُ بِقَدْرِ مَا بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَبِيعُوهُ .
Translation
Ibn Mahboub, from Abu Ayoub, from Muhammad Bin Muslim who said, ‘I asked Abu Ja’far<sup>asws</sup> about a contracted slave who killed a man in error. So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘If it was the case that his master had stipulated upon him when he contracted him, that if he was frustrated (from paying), so he would return it with regards to the slave, so he would be at the status of the owned slave. He would be handed over to the guardians of the killed one, so if they so desire to they can kill him, and if they so desire to they can sell him. And if it was that his master, when he contracted him, did not stipulate upon him, and it was such that he had paid something off from his contract, so Ali<sup>asws</sup> was saying: ‘He would be free from the contract in proportionate to what he has paid off from his contract’. Thus it would be upon the Imam<sup>asws</sup> that he<sup>asws</sup> pays the wergild to the guardians of the killed one in accordance to what he has been freed from the contract, and the blood of a Muslim person would not be invalidated. And I<sup>asws</sup> see that whatever remains upon the contracted slave, from what he has not paid off, he would be enslave to the guardians of the killed one, to serve them for his life, in proportionate to what remains upon him, and it would not be for them that they sell him’.
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.