Muwatta Malik 1292

These are the words of a Successor — the generation after the Companions — not of the Prophet ﷺ.

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ حَزْمٍ، أَنَّ أَبَانَ بْنَ عُثْمَانَ، وَهِشَامَ بْنَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، كَانَا يَذْكُرَانِ فِي خُطْبَتِهِمَا عُهْدَةَ الرَّقِيقِ فِي الأَيَّامِ الثَّلاَثَةِ مِنْ حِينِ يُشْتَرَى الْعَبْدُ أَوِ الْوَلِيدَةُ وَعُهْدَةَ السَّنَةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ مَا أَصَابَ الْعَبْدُ أَوِ الْوَلِيدَةُ فِي الأَيَّامِ الثَّلاَثَةِ مِنْ حِينِ يُشْتَرَيَانِ حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ الأَيَّامُ الثَّلاَثَةُ فَهُوَ مِنَ الْبَائِعِ وَإِنَّ عُهْدَةَ السَّنَةِ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ وَالْجُذَامِ وَالْبَرَصِ فَإِذَا مَضَتِ السَّنَةُ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ الْبَائِعُ مِنَ الْعُهْدَةِ كُلِّهَا ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَمَنْ بَاعَ عَبْدًا أَوْ وَلِيدَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمِيرَاثِ أَوْ غَيْرِهِمْ بِالْبَرَاءَةِ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ مِنْ كُلِّ عَيْبٍ وَلاَ عُهْدَةَ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلِمَ عَيْبًا فَكَتَمَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ عَلِمَ عَيْبًا فَكَتَمَهُ لَمْ تَنْفَعْهُ الْبَرَاءَةُ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْعُ مَرْدُودًا وَلاَ عُهْدَةَ عِنْدَنَا إِلاَّ فِي الرَّقِيقِ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm that Aban ibn Uthman and Hisham ibn Ismail used to mention in their khutbas built-in liability agreements in the sale of slaves, to cover both a three day period and a similar clause covering a year. Malik explained, "The defects a lave or slave-girl are found to have from the time they are bought until the end of the three days are the responsibility of the seller. The year agreement is to cover insanity, leprosy, and loss of limbs due to disease. After a year, the seller is free from any liability." Malik said,"An inheritor or someone else who sells a slave or slave-girl without any such built-in guarantee is not responsible for any fault in the slave and there is no liability agreement held against him unless he was aware of a fault and concealed it. If he was aware of a fault, the lack of guarantee does not protect him. The purchase is returned. In our view, built-in liability agreements only apply to the purchase of slaves