الحسن بن علي قال: سمعت أبا الحسن عليه السلام يقول: إن علي بن الحسين عليهما السلام ضرب مملوكا ثم دخل إلى منزله فاخرج السوط ثم تجرد له ثم قال: اجلد علي بن الحسين فأبى عليه فأعطاه خمسين دينارا.
5.Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī said, “I heard Abā al-Ḥasan عليه السلام say, ‘ʿAlī ibn al- Ḥusayn عليه السلام struck a slave [of his], then he entered his house and came out with a whip. He then took off his shirt and said to him, ‘Whip ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn [for his having struck you]!’ but the servant refused, so he gave him fifty dīnārs.”[1]
[1] The different reports that mention Imam Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn عليه السلام striking his slave to punish him for something and what transpired thereafter are lesson-giving for his followers. It is obvious that an infallible Imam would not harm or oppress his slave, or anyone else for that matter. Nevertheless, Imam al-Sajjād عليه السلام was especially known for training many slaves and then setting them free. It is likely that this was an instance of the training and discipline that the slaves underwent before being manumitted. (Tr).
