Aas bin Waail left instructions that one hundred slaves be freed on his behalf. His son Hisham freed fifty, and his other son Amr wished to free the remaining fifty.Amr said, "Not until I ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."He came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Messenger of Allah, my father left instructions that one hundred slaves be freed on his behalf. Hisham has freed fifty, and fifty remain. Shall I free them on his behalf?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "Had he been a Muslim, then whatever you freed on his behalf, or gave in charity on his behalf, or performed Hajj on his behalf would have reached him."
أن العاص بن وائل أوصى أن يعتق عنه مائة رقبة، فأعتق ابنه هشام خمسين رقبة، فأراد ابنه عمرو أن يعتق عنه الخمسين الباقية، فقال: حتى أسأل رسول الله ﷺ، فأتى النبي ﷺ، فقال: يا رسول الله، إن أبي أوصى بعتق مائة رقبة، وإن هشاما أعتق عنه خمسين وبقيت عليه خمسون رقبة، أفأعتق عنه؟ فقال رسول الله ﷺ: إنه لو كان مسلما فأعتقتم عنه، أو تصدقتم عنه، أو حججتم عنه بلغه ذلك.
Abu Dawud (2883), Ahmad (6704), and Bayhaqi (6/279) all narrated it through routes from Amr bin Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who mentioned it. Its chain is hasan because of Amr bin Shuayb and his father, for both of them make the hadith hasan.