Is it obligatory to purchase a slave if the price is above market value but does not deplete one's wealth?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Zihar

Book 42 · Issue 3 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

There are two scholarly opinions. The first view holds that it is obligatory because the person is capable of acquiring the slave at a price that does not cause depletion, equating it to purchasing at the market price. The second view holds that it is not obligatory because the slave was not found at the market price, resembling the situation of someone who finds no means to fulfill the requirement.