Are there any slaves to be freed in this time?

Question:
May Allah bless you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner asks: Are there any slaves to be freed in this contemporary time?

Answer:
Allah knows best. We do not know of anything in this regard. They say that there are some in Africa, and Allah knows best, we do not know. In the time of Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him), it was said that there were slaves, and he would send money for their emancipation, acting as an intermediary in that matter. In the end, the Shaykh stopped doing this because he became doubtful that there were actually slaves, so he ceased this practice, may Allah have mercy on him. He also closed the office that had been, yes, acting as an intermediary in these matters. So, if a person is certain that a slave is in his possession and he frees him, that is considered valid. But if it is merely rumors, people are looking for money today; they lie to take the money. One must verify the truth of the slavery. Yes, but if they say one thing and then another, no right is established upon it, and this is a matter of conscience, an expiation in the conscience. Yes.