The statement that makes one a believer

ʿAmr b. ʿAlī > Yaḥyá > Ḥajjāj > Yaḥyá b. Abū Kathīr > Hilāl b. Abū Maymūnah > ʿAṭāʾ b. Yasār > Muʿāwiyah b. al-Ḥakam al-Salamī

I had a neighbor who would graze my sheep in the outskirts of Uhud and Al-Jawwaniyah. I once went to check on them and found that a wolf had taken one of them. I felt sad as any human would, but I struck the wolf a blow. I then went to the Prophet ﷺ and told him what had happened. He became angry with me, and I said, "Shouldn't I set her free, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet ﷺ asked her, "Who am I?" She replied, "You are the Messenger of Allah." He then asked her, "Where is Allah?" She answered, "He is in the heavens." Abu Abdur Rahman said, in this Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Set her free, for she is a believer, and I did not understand it as I intended."

أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي هِلَالُ بْنُ أَبِي مَيْمُونَةَ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ السَّلَمِيِّ قَالَ

كَانَتْ لِي جَارِيَةٌ تَرْعَى غَنَمًا لِي فِي قُبُلِ أُحُدٍ وَالْجَوَّانِيَّةِ فَاطَّلَعْتُ عَلَيْهَا اطِّلَاعَةً فَإِذَا الذِّئْبُ قَدْ أَخَذَ مِنْهَا شَاةً وَأَنَا مِنْ بَنِي آدَمِ آسَفُ كَمَا يَأْسَفُونَ لَكِنِّي صَكَكْتُهَا صَكَّةً فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَعَظُمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ قُلْتُ «أَلَا أَعْتِقُهَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟» قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَهَا «مَنْ أَنَا؟» قَالَتْ أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ قَالَ لَهَا «أَيْنَ اللهُ؟» قَالَتْ «فِي السَّمَاءِ» قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَفِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ «أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ وَلَمْ أَفْهَمْهُ كَمَا أَرَدْتُ»