3499 - وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ بَكْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ وَ مَعِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَلْعَزِيزِ فَقَالَ لِي "مَنْ هَذَا" قُلْتُ مَوْلاَنَا فَقَالَ "أَعْتَقْتُمُوهُ أَوْ أَبَاهُ" فَقُلْتُ بَلْ أَبَاهُ فَقَالَ "لَيْسَ هَذَا مَوْلاَكَ هَذَا أَخُوكَ وَ اِبْنُ عَمِّكَ وَ إِنَّمَا اَلْمَوْلَى اَلَّذِي جَرَتْ عَلَيْهِ اَلنِّعْمَةُ فَإِذَا جَرَتْ عَلَى أَبِيهِ فَهُوَ أَخُوكَ وَ اِبْنُ عَمِّكَ " قَالَ وَ سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ وَ أَنَا حَاضِرٌ فَقَالَ يَكُونُ لِيَ اَلْغُلاَمُ وَ يَشْرَبُ وَ يَدْخُلُ فِي هَذِهِ اَلْأُمُورِ اَلْمَكْرُوهَةِ فَأُرِيدُ عِتْقَهُ فَأُعْتِقُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَمْ أَبِيعُهُ وَ أَتَصَدَّقُ بِثَمَنِهِ فَقَالَ "إِنَّ اَلْعِتْقَ فِي بَعْضِ اَلزَّمَانِ أَفْضَلُ وَ فِي بَعْضِ اَلزَّمَانِ اَلصَّدَقَةُ أَفْضَلُ اَلْعِتْقُ أَفْضَلُ إِذَا كَانَ اَلنَّاسُ حَسَنَةً حَالُهُمْ وَ إِذَا كَانَ اَلنَّاسُ شَدِيدَةً حَالُهُمْ فَالصَّدَقَةُ أَفْضَلُ وَ بَيْعُ هَذَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ إِذَا كَانَ بِهَذِهِ اَلْحَالِ".
Hadith.3499 - It is narrated from Bakr ibn Muhammad, who said:
I entered upon Abu Abdullah 
, along with Ali ibn Abdul-Aziz.
Imam asked me: "Who is this?"
I said: "Our mawla (freed servant)."
Imam said: "Did you free him or his father?"
I said: "His father."
Imam said: "Then this is not your mawla; this is your brother and your cousin. A mawla is one upon whom the blessing of freedom has directly been granted. But if the blessing was granted to his father, then he is your brother and cousin."
Bakr ibn Muhammad continued:
A man asked him a question in my presence and said:
"I have a slave who drinks and engages in disliked acts, and I wish to free him. Do you prefer that I free him or sell him and give his price in charity?"
Imam said: "Freeing a slave is sometimes more virtuous, and at other times charity is more virtuous. Freeing is better when people's conditions are good, but when people's conditions are difficult, charity is better. As for this particular slave, selling him is preferable to me, given his current state."
