I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who permitted his slave to marry a free woman. The slave then fled from his master, and the wife of the slave came seeking maintenance from the master of the slave. Imam (as) said: "She has no right to maintenance from the master of the slave, and her marriage bond with the slave is severed, because the slave's escape is considered a divorce, and he is like one who has apostatized from Islam." I asked: "If the slave returns to his master, does his wife return to him?" Imam (as) said: "If her waiting period (iddah) has ended and she has married another husband, then he has no claim over her. However, if she has not married another, she remains his wife based on the original marriage contract."