I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as), about a man who was obligated to free a slave but died before doing so. His son then purchased a slave with his own wealth and freed him on behalf of his father. Later, the freed slave acquired wealth and passed away, leaving an inheritance. I asked: "Who inherits from him?" Imam (as) replied: "If the obligation to free the slave was due to a vow, gratitude, or was otherwise obligatory upon his father, then the freed slave is a sa'ibah (freed without claim of ownership), and no one has any claim over him." Imam (as) continued: "However, if the freed slave had allied himself (by appointing a guardian) to one of the Muslims before dying, and that guardian accepted responsibility for his offenses and liabilities, then the guardian becomes his master and inherits from him-if the freed slave has no Muslim relatives to inherit from him." "If the freed slave did not appoint a guardian before dying, then his inheritance goes to the Imam of the Muslims-provided he has no Muslim relatives to inherit from him." Imam (as) further said: "If the obligation to free the slave was voluntary, and the father had instructed his son to free a slave on his behalf, then the wala' (bond of loyalty) of the freed slave and his inheritance belong to all the children of the deceased." "In this case, the son who purchased and freed the slave based on his father's instructions is counted as one of the heirs-unless the freed slave has free Muslim relatives who can inherit from him." Imam (as) added: "If the son purchased and freed the slave after his father's death voluntarily, without any instruction from his father, then the wala' and inheritance of the freed slave belong to the son who freed him-provided the freed slave has no inheriting relatives from among his kin."