Abu Masud reported, "I was beating a slave boy of mine when I heard a voice behind me saying, 'Know, Abu Masud.'" Ibn al-Muthanna said that it was repeated twice. The voice said, "Allah has more power over you than you have over him."Abu Masud continued, "I turned around, and there was the Prophet ﷺ. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, he is free for the sake of Allah the Exalted.'"The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Had you not done so, the Fire would have scorched you," or, "the Fire would have touched you."In another version he said, "I was beating a black slave of mine with a whip," and he did not mention the matter of setting him free.
حدثنا أبو كامل حدثنا عبد الواحد عن الأعمش بإسناده ومعناه نحوه قال كنت أضرب غلاما لي أسود بالسوط ولم يذكر أمر العتق