١- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ حُمْرَانَ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ جَارِيَةٍ لَمْ تُدْرِكْ بِنْتِ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ مَعَ رَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَةٍ ادَّعَى الرَّجُلُ أَنَّهَا مَمْلُوكَةٌ لَهُ وَادَّعَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ أَنَّهَا ابْنَتُهَا فَقَالَ قَدْ قَضَى فِي هَذَا عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قُلْتُ وَمَا قَضَى فِي هَذَا عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ يَقُولُ النَّاسُ كُلُّهُمْ أَحْرَارٌ إِلا مَنْ أَقَرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالرِّقِّ وَهُوَ مُدْرِكٌ وَمَنْ أَقَامَ بَيِّنَةً عَلَى مَنِ ادَّعَى مِنْ عَبْدٍ أَوْ أَمَةٍ فَإِنَّهُ يُدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ يَكُونُ لَهُ رِقّاً قُلْتُ فَمَا تَرَى أَنْتَ قَالَ أَرَى أَنْ أَسْأَلَ الَّذِي ادَّعَى أَنَّهَا مَمْلُوكَةٌ لَهُ عَلَى مَا ادَّعَى فَإِنْ أَحْضَرَ شُهُوداً يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّهَا مَمْلُوكَةٌ لَهُ لا يَعْلَمُونَهُ بَاعَ وَلا وَهَبَ دَفَعْتُ الْجَارِيَةَ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُقِيمَ الْمَرْأَةُ مَنْ يَشْهَدُ لَهَا أَنَّ الْجَارِيَةَ ابْنَتُهَا حُرَّةٌ مِثْلُهَا فَلْتُدْفَعْ إِلَيْهَا وَتُخْرَجُ مِنْ يَدِ الرَّجُلِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُقِمِ الرَّجُلُ شُهُوداً أَنَّهَا مَمْلُوكَةٌ لَهُ قَالَ تُخْرَجُ مِنْ يَدِهِ فَإِنْ أَقَامَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْبَيِّنَةَ عَلَى أَنَّهَا ابْنَتُهَا دُفِعَتْ إِلَيْهَا وَ إِنْ لَمْ يُقِمِ الرَّجُلُ الْبَيِّنَةَ عَلَى مَا ادَّعَاهُ وَلَمْ تُقِمِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْبَيِّنَةَ عَلَى مَا ادَّعَتْ خُلِّيَ سَبِيلُ الْجَارِيَةِ تَذْهَبُ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ. 
1. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from Humran ibn ‘Ayan who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu Ja’far , about the case of a girl who is not mature. She is about seven years old. She lives with a man and a woman. The man claims her to be his slave and the woman claims her to be her daughter. He (the Imam) said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, had issued a judgment about it. I then asked, ‘How did ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, judge it?’ He (the Imam) said that he would say, ‘People are all free except those who confess to their slavery in their maturity, or testimony is established in favor of one who claims a slave or slave-girl in which the slave or slave-girl must be given to the plaintiff as his slave.’ I then asked, ‘What do you say about it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I would ask the one who claims her to be his slave-girl to present testimony. If they testify that she is his slave-girl and have no knowledge if he has sold her or has gifted, then I would give her to him unless the woman presents testimony that she is her daughter and free like her mother; then she is taken from the man and is given to her.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if the man did not present testimony to prove her as his slave-girl?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘She is then taken away from him. If the woman presents testimony to prove her to be her daughter, she then is given to her and if neither one of the man and woman presented testimony to prove their claim, she then is left alone to go wherever she wants.’” 