Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates one of his hadiths: I had a slave girl who used to graze my sheep towards Uhud and Jawaniyah. One day, when I made a sudden visit to her, I saw that a wolf had taken away one of the sheep. I am a human being and, like humans, I get angry, so I struck her forcefully. When I came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and related this incident to him, he considered my striking her to be a very grave (offense) on my part. I said: O Messenger of Allah! Should I not set her free? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bring her to me. So I brought her to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked her: Where is Allah? She replied: In the heavens. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Who am I? She replied: You are the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Set her free, for she is a believer. The narrator once reported it in these words: She is a believer, so set her free.