Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ibrahim wrote to Imam (as) in the year 233 AH, asking about a man who passed away and left behind a wife, sons, and daughters. He had also left them a servant (ghulam) whom he had endowed for them for ten years, after which the servant would become free. He asked: "Is it permissible for these heirs to sell this servant if they are in need, given the situation I described to you? May Allah (swt) make me your ransom." Imam (as) wrote in reply: "They should not sell him until the appointed time of his condition (the ten years) unless they are in severe need. In that case, it is permissible for them to sell him."