If the *mukatab* refuses to pay the installments when due, can the master revoke the contract and re-enslave him?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Mukātaba (Contractual Manumission)
Primary text
The Imam should pay the amount from the *mukatab's* possession, and this refusal does not constitute inability to pay; the master does not have the right to annul the contract. This is the position of Abu Hanifa. The intent of Al-Khiraqi suggests that if the *mukatab* fails to pay an installment, and another installment becomes due, the master may annul the contract if he wishes, and the slave reverts to being an uncontracted slave.
Supporting text
Al-Shafi'i holds that the master may choose to nullify the contract himself and refuse payment, arguing that the slave cannot be compelled to earn what is due for the *kitabah*, similar to other valid contracts. The counterargument is that since the right to freedom is established by the possession of the means to pay, the master cannot invalidate it, as if the payment had already been made. If the wealth perishes before payment, annulment and re-enslavement occur, according to one narration.