عَن مُعَاوِيَة بنِ الحكمِ
قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ جَارِيَةً كَانَتْ لِي تَرْعَى غَنَمًا لِي فَجِئْتُهَا وَقَدْ فَقَدَتْ شَاةً مِنَ الْغَنَمِ فَسَأَلْتُهَا عَنْهَا فَقَالَتْ: أَكَلَهَا الذِّئْبُ فَأَسِفْتُ عَلَيْهَا وَكُنْتُ مَنْ بَنِي آدَمَ فَلَطَمْتُ وَجْهَهَا وَعَلَيَّ رَقَبَةٌ أَفَأُعْتِقُهَا؟
فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَيْنَ اللَّهُ؟» فَقَالَتْ: فِي السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ: «مَنْ أَنَا؟» فَقَالَتْ: أَنْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَعْتِقْهَا» وَفِي رِوَايَةِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: كَانَتْ لِي جَارِيَةٌ تَرْعَى غَنَمًا لِي قِبَلَ أُحُدٍ وَالْجَوَّانِيَّةِ فَاطَّلَعْتُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَإِذَا الذِّئْبُ قَدْ ذَهَبَ بِشَاةٍ مِنْ غَنَمِنَا وَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ آسَفُ كَمَا يَأْسَفُونَ لَكِنْ صَكَكْتُهَا صَكَّةً فَأَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَعَظَّمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أفَلا أُعتِقُها؟
قَالَ: «ائتِني بهَا؟» فأتيتُه بِهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا: «أَيْنَ اللَّهُ؟» قَالَتْ: فِي السَّمَاءِ قَالَ: «مَنْ أَنَا؟» قَالَتْ: أَنْتَ رَسُولُ الله قَالَ: «أعتِقْها فإنَّها مؤْمنةٌ»
Muawiyah b. al-Hakam told that he went to God’s Messenger and said, “Messenger of God, I have a slave girl who was herding sheep of mine. I went to her, having missed a sheep from the flock, and asked her about it, and she told me it had been eaten by a wolf. I was annoyed with her, and being human, I struck her on the face. As it is my duty to set free a slave, should I set her free?”
God’s Messenger asked her where God was and she replied that he was in heaven. He asked her who he was and she replied that he was God’s Messenger. He then told him to set her free. Malik transmitted it. In Muslim’s version he said, “I had a slave girl who was herding sheep of mine in the direction of Uhud and al-Jawwaniya. One day I looked and saw that a wolf had gone off with one of our sheep.
Now I am a man who becomes annoyed just as others do, but I gave her a blow and then went to God’s Messenger. He treated my offence as serious, and so I asked him whether I should set her free.
He told me to bring her and when I did so he asked her where God was and she replied that He was in heaven. He asked her who he was and she replied that he was God’s Messenger. He then told me to set her free, for she was a believer.”* *This chapter has only one section.