Chapter on the Allegiance of the Freed Slave
Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 3|Book 1|Chapter 49
وَ قِيلَ لِلصَّادِقِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ لِمَ قُلْتُمْ مَوْلَى اَلرَّجُلِ مِنْهُ قَالَ "لِأَنَّهُ خُلِقَ مِنْ طِينِهِ ثُمَّ فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا فَرَدَّهُ اَلسَّبْيُ إِلَيْهِ فَعَطَفَ عَلَيْهِ مَا كَانَ فِيهِ مِنْهُ فَأَعْتَقَهُ فَلِذَلِكَ هُوَ مِنْهُ".
It was said to Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq عليه السلام: "Why do you say that a man's mawla (freed slave) is considered to be from him?" Imam عليه السلام said: "Because he was created from his clay, then they were separated, and captivity brought him back to him. So, he showed compassion for what was in him (the shared origin) and freed him. Therefore, he is considered to be from him."
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh