A boy belonging to a poor family cut off the ear of a boy belonging to a wealthy family. The poor boy's family came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Messenger of Allah, we are poor people."So he did not impose any compensation on them.
أن غلاما لأناس فقراء قطع أذن غلام لأناس أغنياء. فأتى أهله النبي ﷺ فقالوا: يا رسول الله! إنا أناس فقراء. فلم يجعل عليه شيئا.
Narrated by Abu Dawud (4590) and Nasai (4751), both from the hadith of Muaz bin Hisham, who said, my father told us, from Qatada, from Abu Nadra, from Imran bin Husayn, who said, and then he related it. Its chain of transmission is sahih.The word ghulam means a young boy, and it is apparent from the context that he was free, and his offense was unintentional. His aqila (the group liable for his blood money) were poor. Likewise, the boy against whom the offense was committed was also free, because if he had been a slave, there would have been no point in his family excusing themselves on the grounds of poverty, since the aqila does not bear liability for a slave, just as it does not bear liability for an intentional act, nor for a confession, according to the majority of scholars, as Khattabi stated.Nasai and Abu Dawud understood that what was meant by ghulam was a slave. But even if this were correct, when an owned slave commits an offense against another slave or a free person, his offense is borne by his own person (his value), according to the view of the jurists in general.