It is narrated from Sulayman bin Yasar that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to attribute the children of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic period) to the one who claimed them in the time of Islam (i.e., he would establish lineage accordingly). Once, two men came claiming a boy. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called a qā’if (an expert in physiognomy). The qā’if looked and said: Both of them share in this boy. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) struck the qā’if with a whip, then called the woman (i.e., the boy’s mother) and said: Tell me your situation. She pointed to a man and said: He used to come to me while I was among my people’s camels, and he would not leave me but rather cling to me (i.e., he used to have intercourse with me), until both he and I thought I might become pregnant. Then he would leave and I would menstruate. Then another man would come, and he too would have intercourse with me. I do not know which of the two this child’s semen is from. The qā’if, upon hearing this, became overjoyed (because his statement turned out to be true). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the boy: You have the choice; you may affiliate yourself with whichever of them you wish.

It reached Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, that Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, or Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, when a woman deceitfully declared herself free and married a man and had children, decided that (the woman would remain a slave to her master, and her children would also be his property), and the husband could ransom his children by giving a slave or slave-girl like them.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that giving the price is much better.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In our view, this ruling is agreed upon: If a man dies and leaves behind several sons, and one of the sons says, "My father said that such-and-such person is my son," then the lineage will not be established by the statement of one person, and he will not receive anything from the shares of the heirs. However, he will receive from the share of the one who made the acknowledgment.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that its explanation is as follows: A man dies and leaves behind two sons and six hundred dinars. Each son takes three hundred dinars. Then one son says that my father had acknowledged that such-and-such person is my brother. So he should give him one hundred dinars from his own share, because one heir acknowledged and the other did not, so he will get half the share. If the other had also acknowledged, then he would have received the full share, that is, two hundred dinars, and the lineage would have been established. Its example is that a woman acknowledges a debt upon her father or husband, and the rest of the heirs deny it, so she should pay the debt from her own share accordingly.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that if even one man is a witness to the creditor’s debt, then after making him take an oath, the full debt will be paid to him from the estate. Because when one man is a witness and the claimant also takes an oath, the claim is established. However, if the creditor does not take an oath, then he will receive the debt only according to the share of the heir who acknowledges it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What is the matter with people, they have intercourse with their slave women, then separate from them. From now on, if any slave woman comes to me and her master admits to having intercourse with her, I will join the child to the master. You have the choice, whether you practice coitus interruptus or not.

It is narrated from Safiyyah bint Abi Ubaid that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What is the matter with people, they have intercourse with their slave women and then leave them, and those women go about freely. Now, any slave woman who comes to me and there is an admission from the master of having had relations with her, I will establish the lineage of her child from the master. After this, whether you send them away or keep them, it is up to you.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that if an umm walad commits an offense, her master will pay the compensation, and he cannot give the umm walad in exchange for that offense, but he will not pay compensation more than her value.

It is narrated from Hazrat Urwah bin Zubair that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever cultivates barren land (makes it fertile for cultivation), it belongs to him. Whoever wrongfully takes possession there, he has no right to it."