Malik related to me that he heard Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman andothers mention that al-Furafisa ibn Umar al-Hanafi had a mukatab whooffered to pay him all of his kitaba that he owed. Al-Furafisa refusedto accept it and the mukatab went to Marwan ibn al-Hakam who was theamir of Madina and brought up the matter. Marwan summoned al-Furafisaand told him to accept. He refused. Marwan then ordered that thepayment be taken from the mukatab and placed in the treasury. He saidto the mukatab "Go, you are free." When al-Furafisa saw that, he tookthe money.Malik said, "What is done among us when a mukatabpays all the instalments he owes before their term, is that it ispermitted to him. The master cannot refuse him that. That is becausepayment removes every condition from the mukatab as well as serviceand travel. The setting free of a man is not complete while he has anyremaining slavery, and neither would his inviolability as a free manbe complete and his testimony permitted and inheritance obliged andsuch things in that situation. His master must not make anystipulation of service on him after he has been set free."Malik said that it was permitted for a mukatab who became extremelyill and wanted to pay his master all his instalments because his heirswho were free would then inherit from him and he had no children withhim in his kitaba, to do so, because by that he completed hisinviolability as a free man, his testimony was permitted, and hisadmission of what he owed of debts to people was permitted. Hisbequest was permitted as well. His master could not refuse him that bysaying, "He is escaping from me with his property."
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 39, Hadith 9
Arabic reference: Book 39, Hadith 1498