[Machine] I said to 'Ata, "There was a servant for the scribes who wrote for him. Then he died, so who does his inheritance belong to?" He replied, "Those before you used to say that it belongs to the one who hired him to assist him in his writing."  

قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ كَانَ لِلْمُكَاتَبِ عَبْدٌ فَكَاتَبَهُ ثُمَّ مَاتَ لِمَنْ مِيرَاثُهُ؟ قَالَ كَانَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ يَقُولُونَ هُوَ لِلَّذِي كَاتَبَهُ يَسْتَعِينُ بِهِ فِي كِتَابَتِهِ  

[Machine] About the offices they carry out half of their writing, then the offices write to their servant, then both of them strive, and the servant of the offices completes his writing, then the first one of them becomes helpless. Will he return as a slave or is it permissible to free him with what he has paid to his master? They said, if his master is the first one of them, then he allows him to write to him, so there is no way for him, otherwise he remains in his position.  

عَنِ الْمُكَاتَبِ يَقْضِي نِصْفَ كِتَابَتِهِ ثُمَّ يُكَاتِبُ الْمُكَاتَبُ غُلَامًا لَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْعَيَانِ جَمِيعًا فَيَقْضِي غُلَامُ الْمُكَاتَبِ كِتَابَتَهُ ثُمَّ يَعْجَزُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنْهُمَا أَيُرَدُّ عَبْدًا أَمْ يَجُوزُ عَتَاقَهُ بِمَا أَدَّى إِلَى سَيِّدِهِ؟ قَالَا إِنْ كَانَ سَيِّدُهُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنْهُمَا أَذِنَ لَهُ أَنْ يُكَاتِبَهُ فَلَا سَبِيلَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِلَّا فَهُوَ بِمَنْزِلَتِهِ