Narrated 'Aisha:

I intended to buy Buraira but her masters stipulated that her Wala should be for them. When the Prophet was told about it, he said to me, "Buy and manumit her, as the Wala' is for the liberator." Once Buraira was given some meat, and the Prophet asked, "What is this?" I said, "It has been given to Buraira in charity." He said, "It is sadaqa for her but a gift for us." Buraira was given the option (to stay with her husband or to part with him). AbdurRahman (a sub-narrator) wondered, "Was her husband a slave or a free man?" Shu'ba (another sub-narrator) said, "I asked 'Abdur-Rahman whether her husband was a slave or a free man. He replied that he did not know whether he was a slave or a free man."

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْهُ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ أَنَّهَا أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَشْتَرِيَ بَرِيرَةَ، وَأَنَّهُمُ اشْتَرَطُوا وَلاَءَهَا، فَذُكِرَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ " اشْتَرِيهَا فَأَعْتِقِيهَا، فَإِنَّمَا الْوَلاَءُ لِمَنْ أَعْتَقَ ". وَأُهْدِيَ لَهَا لَحْمٌ، فَقِيلَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ هَذَا تُصُدِّقَ عَلَى بَرِيرَةَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ " هُوَ لَهَا صَدَقَةٌ وَلَنَا هَدِيَّةٌ ". وَخُيِّرَتْ. قَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ زَوْجُهَا حُرٌّ أَوْ عَبْدٌ قَالَ شُعْبَةُ سَأَلْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ زَوْجِهَا. قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي أَحُرٌّ أَمْ عَبْدٌ