Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard Rabia ibn Abd ar- Rahman say that a slave could marry four women. Malik said, "This is the best of what I have heard about the matter." Malik said, "The slave differs with the muhallil if the slave is given permission by his master for his ex-wife. If his master does not give him permission, he separates them. The muhallil is separated in any case if he intends to make the woman halal by marriage." Malik said, "When a slave is owned by his wife or a husband owns his wife, the possession of each of them is rendered void without divorce. If a man, for instance, is married to a slave-girl, and then he buys her, he must divorce her as a matter of course. They can then re- marry. If they re-marry afterwards, that separation was not divorce." Malik said, "When a slave is freed by his wife who owns him and she is in the idda-period from him, they can only return to each other after she has made another marriage."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard Rabia ibn Abd ar- Rahman say that a slave could marry four women. Malik said, "This is the best of what I have heard about the matter." Malik said, "The slave differs with the muhallil if the slave is given permission by his master for his ex-wife. If his master does not give him permission, he separates them. The muhallil is separated in any case if he intends to make the woman halal by marriage." Malik said, "When a slave is owned by his wife or a husband owns his wife, the possession of each of them is rendered void without divorce. If a man, for instance, is married to a slave-girl, and then he buys her, he must divorce her as a matter of course. They can then re- marry. If they re-marry afterwards, that separation was not divorce." Malik said, "When a slave is freed by his wife who owns him and she is in the idda-period from him, they can only return to each other after she has made another marriage."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَبِيعَةَ بْنَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، يَقُولُ يَنْكِحُ الْعَبْدُ أَرْبَعَ نِسْوَةٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ مَا سَمِعْتُ فِي ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالْعَبْدُ مُخَالِفٌ لِلْمُحَلِّلِ إِنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ سَيِّدُهُ ثَبَتَ نِكَاحُهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَهُ سَيِّدُهُ فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَالْمُحَلِّلُ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَهُمَا عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ إِذَا أُرِيدَ بِالنِّكَاحِ التَّحْلِيلُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الْعَبْدِ إِذَا مَلَكَتْهُ امْرَأَتُهُ أَوِ الزَّوْجُ يَمْلِكُ امْرَأَتَهُ إِنَّ مِلْكَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ يَكُونُ فَسْخًا بِغَيْرِ طَلاَقٍ وَإِنْ تَرَاجَعَا بِنِكَاحٍ بَعْدُ لَمْ تَكُنْ تِلْكَ الْفُرْقَةُ طَلاَقًا ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالْعَبْدُ إِذَا أَعْتَقَتْهُ امْرَأَتُهُ إِذَا مَلَكَتْهُ وَهِيَ فِي عِدَّةٍ مِنْهُ لَمْ يَتَرَاجَعَا إِلاَّ بِنِكَاحٍ جَدِيدٍ ‏.‏