BEŞİNCİ BAB · ÜÇÜNCÜ FASIL · On Birinci Madde
Concerning the First Article:
On the Manners and Customs of Conversation and Familiarity with Slaves and Female Servants
O esteemed one! Know that the learned have said: The manners and customs of an owner's conversation and familiarity with his slaves and female servants are eighteen [in number]:
When the master purchases slaves, he should grasp their heads and pray for blessing upon them. First, he should feed them something good from what he himself eats. He should clothe them in garments similar to those he wears. He should teach them the recitation of the Noble Qur’an, their religious instruction (ilmihal), and sound beliefs (sahih akaid). He should not command them to do tasks beyond their ability. If he commands something difficult, he himself should assist them. Even if they commit seventy errors in a single day and night, he should treat them with forgiveness. When they commit the seventy-first error, he should warn them verbally; on the seventy-second occasion, he should strike them with his hand as an intention to discipline them. He should not beat them until his anger subsides. When he does beat them, he should not inflict more than ten strokes. When he disciplines them for training purposes, he should not strike their faces or other dangerous areas of the body.
The servant, whether male or female, must be aware of their faults towards him, just as they are aware of their faults towards their Master (Mevla). It is related that a pious man’s slave rebelled against him and said, “O master, you resemble me greatly!” Those who do not accept discipline should either be sold or married off and left to manage themselves. He should seat them at his own table and eat with them.
If they are standing in service, he should give them a portion of the food being eaten. After employing them for a time, he should liberate (azad) them, so that God may also liberate him from Hell. Once freed, he should not employ them in his own service again, as this would be an oppression to them. He should ride his animal with his slave on the same mount, alternating rides. Riding alone and having the slave walk behind is a display of arrogance towards people. Indeed, Hazret-i Omar (r.a.) when traveling to Damascus, would alternate riding the camel with his slave. Sometimes he would ride the camel and have the slave hold the reins, and they would travel thus for a distance of a furlong. At other times, he would mount the slave on the camel and let him hold the reins while he walked, again for a distance of a furlong.
When they approached Damascus, it was the slave’s turn to ride the camel when they encountered a river. At that time, Hazret-i Omar (r.a.) placed his sandals under his left thigh and drew the camel across the river, and he also saw that Ubayde bin Jarrah (r.a.), the governor of Damascus, had come out to meet him at the riverbank.
When Ubayde saw him in this state, he said, “O Commander of the Believers! Surely, the notables of Damascus will soon come to greet you. They will not approve of seeing you in this condition and will give it another meaning.”
Hazret-i Omar (r.a.) responded to Ubayde with these words: "God has made us noble through the religion of Islam. We seek His pleasure, and we are not concerned with how people speak about us! What do we care for what they say?"
Poem:
Praise of a friend yields no blame from an enemy,
I am free from all things; praise and censure are equal to me.
Hazret-i Osman (r.a.) had bent the ear of a slave and injured it. Afterward, he regretted his action, made the slave draw his own ear, and freed him.
Therefore, everyone should act according to the manners and customs mentioned above, treating their slaves and female servants with affection and compassion as they would treat their own children.
As for how slaves and female servants should converse and become familiar with their masters, this is like the manners and customs of conversation and familiarity between a person and his parents, as explained above (in the fourth article). The report states: "The prayer of a slave who flees from his master will not be accepted until he returns and repents."
Poem:
O Divine One! Your rebellious servant has come to You,
Confessing his sins and imploring forgiveness.