Fudayl bin Zayd Raqashi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: We laid siege to a fort during the time of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). One of our slaves shot an arrow of amnesty, and the people of the fort came out. We asked: "Why have you come out?" They replied: "You have granted us amnesty." We said: "He was just a slave, we do not accept his decision." They said: "We do not differentiate between slave and free among you." We wrote to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he replied: "A slave is also one of the Muslims, and the amnesty he grants is also valid."