What is the legal status of the manumitted slave relative to his former mistress concerning veiling requirements?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Marriage
Primary text
The ruling is that the manumitted slave is not considered a Mahram to his former mistress. This is supported by the narration of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "A woman's travel with her slave is a loss," narrated by Sa'id. Furthermore, she is not permanently forbidden to him (prohibited eternally), and he is not permitted to derive sexual pleasure from her; therefore, he is not considered a Mahram, unlike the husband of her sister. Additionally, he is not inherently trustworthy regarding her, as the natural aversion found between Mahrams does not exist between them, as demonstrated by the relationship between a master and his female slave.
Supporting text
The Shafi'i school holds, in one opinion, that the ruling is prohibition, equating him to close relatives (Mahrams) based on the evidence that he is a Mahram to her, and anything that is Mahram to her is treated as a relative Mahram. Some companions considered him equivalent to a non-related stranger (Ajnabi) based on specific reasoning.