652 — Ahmad ibn ‘Ubayd informed us. He said: Ali ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubashshir informed us. He said: Ahmad ibn Sinan narrated to us. He said: Muslim ibn Ibrahim narrated to us. He said: Aban—that is, al-‘Attar—narrated to us. He said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir narrated to me, from Hilal ibn Abi Maymunah, from ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, from Mu‘awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami, who said:

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I had a slave-girl who used to tend some of my sheep near Uhud and al-Jawwaniyyah. One day, I checked on her and found that a wolf had carried off one of the sheep. I am a human being, and I become angry as others become angry, so I struck her once. This greatly troubled the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. I said, ‘Should I not set her free?’

He said, ‘Bring her to me.’ ⦗435⦘ He then asked her, ‘Where is Allah?’ She replied, ‘Allah is above the heavens.’ He asked, ‘And who am I?’ She replied, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Set her free, for she is a believer.’”