Chapter on the Divorce by a Slave
Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 3|Book 4|Chapter 20
وَ رَوَى اِبْنُ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ وَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمَا اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالاَ: "اَلْمَمْلُوكُ لاَ يَجُوزُ طَلاَقُهُ وَ لاَ نِكَاحُهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ سَيِّدِهِ " قُلْتُ فَإِنَّ اَلسَّيِّدَ كَانَ زَوَّجَهُ بِيَدِ مَنِ اَلطَّلاَقُ قَالَ "بِيَدِ اَلسَّيِّدِ: ضَرَبَ اَللّٰهُ مَثَلاً عَبْداً مَمْلُوكاً لاٰ يَقْدِرُ عَلىٰ شَيْءٍ وَ اَلشَّيْءُ اَلطَّلاَقُ ".
Ibn Udhaynah narrated from Zurarah, from Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir عليه السلام and Abu Abdullah Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq عليه السلام, who both said: "A slave cannot validly perform a divorce or marriage except with the permission of his master." I asked: "If the master himself arranged his marriage, who then has the authority over the divorce?" They عليه السلام replied: "The authority over the divorce remains with the master, as Allah سبحانه وتعالى has set forth the example: 'Allah sets forth a parable: a slave who is owned and has no power over anything...' (Surah An-Nahl 16:75) and 'anything' here refers to divorce."
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh, p. 303