Barirah had a contract with her owners to buy her freedom for nine ounces of silver, paid at one ounce per year. She came to Ayesha asking for her help.Ayesha said, "No, unless they agree that I pay it to them all at once and the right of inheritance from her freedom (wala) becomes mine."So Barirah went and spoke to her owners about it, but they refused unless the wala remained with them. She returned to Ayesha, and at that moment the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived. Barirah told Ayesha what her owners had said.Ayesha replied, "No, by Allah, not unless the wala is mine."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, "What is this about?"Ayesha said, "Messenger of Allah, Barirah came to me asking for help with her purchase contract. I told her, 'No, unless they agree that I pay it to them all at once and the wala becomes mine.' She mentioned this to her owners, but they refused unless the wala stayed with them."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Buy her and stipulate the wala for them as they wish, for the wala belongs only to the one who sets the slave free."Then he stood up and addressed the people. He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said, "What is the matter with people who impose conditions that are not in the Book of Allah ? They say, 'Free so-and-so, but the wala is mine.' The Book of Allah
is more deserving, and the condition set by Allah is more binding. Every condition not found in the Book of Allah is invalid, even if there be a hundred such conditions."Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave Barirah the choice regarding her husband, who was a slave, and she chose herself.Urwa said, "Had he been a free man, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not have given her the choice."
أخبرنا إسحق بن إبراهيم قال أنبأنا جرير عن هشام بن عروة عن أبيه
كاتبت بريرة على نفسها بتسع أواق في كل سنة بأوقية فأتت عائشة تستعينها فقالت لا إلا أن يشاءوا أن أعدها لهم عدة واحدة ويكون الولاء لي فذهبت بريرة فكلمت في ذلك أهلها فأبوا عليها إلا أن يكون الولاء لهم فجاءت إلى عائشة وجاء رسول الله ﷺ عند ذلك فقالت لها ما قال أهلها فقالت لا ها الله إذا إلا أن يكون الولاء لي فقال رسول الله ﷺ ما هذا فقالت يا رسول الله إن بريرة أتتني تستعين بي على كتابتها فقلت لا إلا أن يشاءوا أن أعدها لهم عدة واحدة ويكون الولاء لي فذكرت ذلك لأهلها فأبوا عليها إلا أن يكون الولاء لهم فقال رسول الله ﷺ ابتاعيها واشترطي لهم الولاء فإن الولاء لمن أعتق ثم قام فخطب الناس فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ثم قال ما بال أقوام يشترطون شروطا ليست في كتاب الله عز وجل يقولون أعتق فلانا والولاء لي كتاب الله عز وجل أحق وشرط الله أوثق وكل شرط ليس في كتاب الله فهو باطل وإن كان مائة شرط فخيرها رسول الله ﷺ من زوجها وكان عبدا فاختارت نفسها قال عروة فلو كان حرا ما خيرها رسول الله ﷺ
Reported by Muslim, in the chapter on manumission, section on the clarification that patronage belongs to the one who frees the slave, hadith 9/1504, from the hadith of Jareer bin Abdul-Hameed, with this wording. It is also in Al-Kubra, hadith 5644. Bukhari also reported it, hadith 2563, from the hadith of Hisham, with this wording.