Re: Why did prophet Muhammad ﷺ sell the Mudabbar slave in Bukhari 6716 & 6947 ?

Hadith 2415 (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Sahih al-Bukhari » Khusoomaat - كتاب الخصومات » Hadith 2415

A man manumitted a slave and he had no other property than that, so the Prophet (ﷺ) canceled the manumission (and sold the slave for him). Nu'aim bin Al-Nahham bought the slave from him.

 

Bukhari » Expiation for Unfulfilled Oaths - كتاب كفارات الأيمان » Hadith 6716

USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 85, Hadith 80

Bukhari » (Statements made under) Coercion - كتاب الإكراه » Hadith 6947

USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 8, Book 79, Hadith 707

Narrated `Amr:Jabir said: 

An Ansari man made his slave a Mudabbar and he had no other property than him. When the Prophet (ﷺ) heard of that, he said (to his companions), "Who wants to buy him (i.e., the slave) for me?" Nu'aim bin An-Nahham bought him for eight hundred Dirhams. I heard Jabir saying, "That was a coptic slave who died in the same year."

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النُّعْمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ دَبَّرَ مَمْلُوكًا لَهُ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ مَنْ يَشْتَرِيهِ مِنِّي ‏"‏‏.‏ فَاشْتَرَاهُ نُعَيْمُ بْنُ النَّحَّامِ بِثَمَانِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ، فَسَمِعْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ عَبْدًا قِبْطِيًّا مَاتَ عَامَ أَوَّلَ‏.‏

 

To understand this hadith, we must read other versions to get the whole story:

Bulugh al-Maram » Emancipation كتاب العتق » Hadith

Jabir bin ·Abdullah (RAA) narrated that:

A man from the Ansar declared that his slave lad would be free after his death (would be Mudabbar), yet he had no other property. When the Prophet heard of that he said, “Who will buy him from me?” And Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah bought him for eight hundred Dirhams. Agreed upon. In a narration by Al-Bukhari:

“The man became needy,’ (so the Prophet took the slave and said...).’ A version by An-Nasa’i says, “The man had a debt, so the Prophet sold the slave for eight hundred Dirhams and gave him the money and said, “Pay off your debt.”

 
عَنْ جَابِرٍ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- { أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ اَلْأَنْصَارِ أَعْتَقَ غُلَامًا لَهُ عَنْ دُبُرٍ, لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ, فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ اَلنَّبِيَّ ‏- صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏-.‏ فَقَالَ: "مَنْ يَشْتَرِيهِ مِنِّي?" فَاشْتَرَاهُ نُعَيْمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بِثَمَانِمَائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ } مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْه ِ
‏ .‏ وَفِي لَفْظٍ لِلْبُخَارِيِّ: فَاحْتَاج َ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِلنَّسَائِيِّ: { وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ, فَبَاعَهُ بِثَمَانِمَائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ, فَأَعْطَاهُ وَقَالَ: " اِقْضِ دَيْنَكَ" }.‏

 

Nasa'i : The Book of the Etiquette of Judges - كتاب آداب القضاة: 49, Hadith: 5418 

 English translation : Vol. 6, Book 49, Hadith 5420

It was narrated that Jabir bin 'Abdullah said:

"A man among the Ansar stated that his salve was to be set free after he died; he was in need, and he owed a debt. The Messenger of Allah [SAW] sold him (the slave) for eight hundred Dirhams, and he gave (the money) to him and said: 'Pay off your debt and spend on your dependents.'"

أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بْنُ وَاصِلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَاضِرُ بْنُ الْمُوَرِّعِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ أَعْتَقَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ غُلاَمًا لَهُ عَنْ دُبُرٍ وَكَانَ مُحْتَاجًا وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ فَبَاعَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِثَمَانِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ فَأَعْطَاهُ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ اقْضِ دَيْنَكَ وَأَنْفِقْ عَلَى عِيَالِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Allah knows best!