Umm al walad

Umm al-walad (Arabic: أم ولد, lit. 'mother of the child') was a title given to a slave-concubine who had given birth to her master's child.Since this concubine was the property of her master, she could be sold or given away, like any other slave. This was also the view of Muhammad. Umar had a different view: When he was caliph, he made a policy that prohibited owners from selling or gifting their umm al-walads. Also, when her owner died, the Umm-al-walad would be freed. Ali, who was Umar's cousin, and later a caliph, opposed this ruling. He said it was different from what Muhammad had said.

Shiism took Ali's view. It also introduced temporary marriages. Sunni Muslims take Umar's view.

As the child is a child of her owner, the child is considered freeborn, and legitimate. In 740, Zayd ibn Ali tried to overthrow the caliphate. This marked a turning point for caliphs with slave mothers. In 744, Yazid III was the first Umayyad caliph with a slave mother.The last three Umayyad caliphs, and most Abbasid caliphs had slave mothers.

If a slave had a child, and the slave owner did not say it legitimate, the slave was faced with zina charges. The usual penalty for zina is stoning.