Sunan Abu Dawud General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

Sunan Abu Dawud 4975

Chapter: The slave should not say Rabbi or Rabbati (My lord, My lady)

Authentic 3 scholars’ grades Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 4975

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، وَحَبِيبِ بْنِ الشَّهِيدِ، وَهِشَامٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏

لاَ يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ عَبْدِي وَأَمَتِي وَلاَ يَقُولَنَّ الْمَمْلُوكُ رَبِّي وَرَبَّتِي وَلْيَقُلِ الْمَالِكُ فَتَاىَ وَفَتَاتِي وَلْيَقُلِ الْمَمْلُوكُ سَيِّدِي وَسَيِّدَتِي فَإِنَّكُمُ الْمَمْلُوكُونَ وَالرَّبُّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏"

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: None of you must say: "My slave" (abdi) and "My slave-woman" (amati), and a slave must not say: "My lord" (rabbi or rabbati). The master (of a slave) should say: "My young man" (fataya) and "My young woman" (fatati), and a slave should say "My master" (sayyidi) and "My mistress" (sayyidati), for you are all (Allah's slave and the Lord is Allah, Most High.

Reported by Abu Dawud (No. 4975), Al-Bukhari (No. 2552), Muslim (No. 2249a, 2249d) and Ahmad (No. 7850, 9105, 9585, 9891, 9973, 10196).

Classical commentary

Al-Azimabadi — Awn al-Ma'bud

( لَا يَقُولَن أَحَدكُمْ عَبْدِي وَأَمَتِي ) : لِأَنَّ حَقِيقَة الْعُبُودِيَّة إِنَّمَا يَسْتَحِقّهَا اللَّه تَعَالَى فَكُلّكُمْ عَبِيد اللَّه وَكُلّ نِسَائِكُمْ إِمَاء اللَّه ( وَلَا يَقُولَن الْمَمْلُوك : رَبِّي وَرَبَّتِي ) : لِأَنَّ الرُّبُوبِيَّة إِنَّمَا حَقِيقَتهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى , لِأَنَّ الرَّبّ هُوَ الْمَالِك أَوْ الْقَائِم بِالشَّيْءِ وَلَا يُوجَد حَقِيقَة هَذَا إِلَّا فِي اللَّه تَعَالَى ( وَلْيَقُلْ الْمَالِك فَتَايَ وَفَتَاتِي ) : هُمَا بِمَعْنَى الشَّابّ وَالشَّابَّة بِنَاء عَلَى الْغَالِب فِي الْخَدَم , أَوْ الْقَوِيّ وَالْقَوِيَّة وَلَوْ بِاعْتِبَارِ مَا كَانَ ( وَلْيَقُلْ الْمَمْلُوك سَيِّدِي وَسَيِّدَتِي ) : لِأَنَّ لَفْظَة السَّيِّد غَيْر مُخْتَصَّة بِاَللَّهِ تَعَالَى…

Scholar	Grade	Applies to	Work
Al-Albanid. 1420 AH	AuthenticSahih صحيح	The hadith	No. 4975
Zubair Ali Zaid. 1435 AH	Authentic chainIsnaad Sahih	The chain only	No. 4975
Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamidd. 1392 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 4975

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 2552

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You should not say, 'Feed your lord (Rabbaka), help your lord in performing ablution, or give water to your lord, but should say, 'my master (e.g. Feed your master instead of lord etc.) (Saiyidi), or my guardian (Maulai), and one should not say, my slave (Abdi), or my…

لاَ يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ أَطْعِمْ رَبَّكَ، وَضِّئْ رَبَّكَ، اسْقِ رَبَّكَ‏.‏ وَلْيَقُلْ سَيِّدِي مَوْلاَىَ‏.‏ وَلاَ يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ عَبْدِي أَمَتِي‏.‏ وَلْيَقُلْ فَتَاىَ وَفَتَاتِي وَغُلاَمِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2249a

None of you should say: My bondman and my slave-girl, for all of you are the bondmen of Allah, and all your women are the slave-girls of Allah; but say: My servant, my girl, and my young man and my young girl.

لاَ يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ عَبْدِي وَأَمَتِي ‏.‏ كُلُّكُمْ عَبِيدُ اللَّهِ وَكُلُّ نِسَائِكُمْ إِمَاءُ اللَّهِ وَلَكِنْ لِيَقُلْ غُلاَمِي وَجَارِيَتِي وَفَتَاىَ وَفَتَاتِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2249d

None of you should say: Supply drink to your lord, feed your lord, help your lord in performing ablution, and none of you should say: My Lord. He should say: My chief, my patron; and none of you should say: My bondman, my slave-girl, but simply say: My boy, my girl, my servant.

لاَ يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمُ اسْقِ رَبَّكَ أَطْعِمْ رَبَّكَ وَضِّئْ رَبَّكَ ‏.‏ وَلاَ يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ رَبِّي ‏.‏ وَلْيَقُلْ سَيِّدِي مَوْلاَىَ وَلاَ يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ عَبْدِي أَمَتِي ‏.‏ وَلْيَقُلْ فَتَاىَ فَتَاتِي غُلاَمِي…

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 7850