Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 18, Hadith 22
Narrated ‘Amr b. Suh’aib: On his father’s authority, said that his grandfather told that Al-‘As ibn Wa’il left his will that a hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf. His son Hisham emancipated fifty slaves and his son Amr intended to emancipate the remaining fifty on his behalf, but he said: I should ask first the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He, therefore, came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah, my father left in his will that a hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf and Hisham has emancipated fifty on his behalf and fifty remain. Shall I emancipate them on his behalf? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Had he been a Muslim and you had emancipated slaves on his behalf, or given sadaqah on his behalf, or performed the pilgrimage, that would have reached him.
حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ مَزْيَدٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي حَسَّانُ بْنُ عَطِيَّةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَنَّ الْعَاصَ بْنَ وَائِلٍ، أَوْصَى أَنْ يُعْتَقَ، عَنْهُ مِائَةُ رَقَبَةٍ فَأَعْتَقَ ابْنُهُ هِشَامٌ خَمْسِينَ رَقَبَةً فَأَرَادَ ابْنُهُ عَمْرٌو أَنْ يَعْتِقَ عَنْهُ الْخَمْسِينَ الْبَاقِيَةَ فَقَالَ حَتَّى أَسْأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أَبِي أَوْصَى بِعِتْقِ مِائَةِ رَقَبَةٍ وَإِنَّ هِشَامًا أَعْتَقَ عَنْهُ خَمْسِينَ وَبَقِيَتْ عَلَيْهِ خَمْسُونَ رَقَبَةً أَفَأُعْتِقُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
“ إِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ مُسْلِمًا فَأَعْتَقْتُمْ عَنْهُ أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتُمْ عَنْهُ أَوْ حَجَجْتُمْ عَنْهُ بَلَغَهُ ذَلِكَ ” .
Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 18, Hadith 22
This hadith is from the Sunan Abi Dawud collection of hadiths. What truly distinguishes Sunan Abi Dawud among its peers is its compiler’s advanced critical scholarship. Abu Dawud was not merely a collector but a rigorous evaluator. He applied a discerning methodology to vet the authenticity of each narration, frequently providing his own notes on the strength or weakness of the hadiths included. While he prioritized sound (sahih) and reliable reports for legal derivation, he sometimes included less robust narrations to illustrate scholarly points. This transparent and critical approach is a primary reason for the collection’s esteemed and highly authoritative status within the Islamic sciences.
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For more Hadith in Book 18: Wills (Kitab Al-Wasaya)