I came to Ibn 'Umar as he had granted freedom to a stave. He (the narrator further) said: He took hold of a wood or something like it from the earth and said: It (freedom of a slave) has not the reward evert equal to it, but the fact that I heard Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) say: He who slaps his slave or beats him, the expiation for it is that he should set him free.  

فَأَخَذَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ عُودًا أَوْ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ مَا فِيهِ مِنَ الأَجْرِ مَا يَسْوَى هَذَا إِلاَّ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ لَطَمَ مَمْلُوكَهُ أَوْ ضَرَبَهُ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ  

I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he (Ibn Umar) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said: There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him (without any serious fault), then expiation for it is that he should set him free.  

مَا لِي فِيهِ مِنَ الأَجْرِ مَا يَزِنُ هَذَا إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ ضَرَبَ غُلاَمًا لَهُ حَدًّا لَمْ يَأْتِهِ أَوْ لَطَمَهُ فَإِنَّ كَفَّارَتَهُ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ  

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters with a slight variation of words.  

عَنْ فِرَاسٍ بِإِسْنَادِ شُعْبَةَ وَأَبِي عَوَانَةَ أَمَّا حَدِيثُ ابْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ فَذَكَرَ فِيهِ حَدًّا لَمْ يَأْتِهِ وَفِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ مَنْ لَطَمَ عَبْدَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الْحَدَّ  

I slapped a slave belonging to us and then fled away. I came back just before noon and offered prayer behind my father. He called him (the slave) and me and said: Do as he has done to you. He granted pardon. He (my father) then said: We belonged to the family of Muqarrin during the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him. and had only one slave-girl and one of us slapped her. This news reached Allah's Apostle ﷺ and he said: Set her free. They (the members of the family) said: There is no other servant except she. Thereupon he said: Then employ her and when you can afford to dispense with her services, then set her free.  

لَطَمْتُ مَوْلًى لَنَا فَهَرَبْتُ ثُمَّ جِئْتُ قُبَيْلَ الظُّهْرِ فَصَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ أَبِي فَدَعَاهُ وَدَعَانِي ثُمَّ قَالَ امْتَثِلْ مِنْهُ فَعَفَا ثُمَّ قَالَ كُنَّا بَنِي مُقَرِّنٍ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْسَ لَنَا إِلاَّ خَادِمٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَلَطَمَهَا أَحَدُنَا فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَعْتِقُوهَا قَالُوا لَيْسَ لَهُمْ خَادِمٌ غَيْرُهَا قَالَ فَلْيَسْتَخْدِمُوهَا فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَوْا عَنْهَا فَلْيُخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهَا  

You could find no other part (to slap) but the prominent part of her face. See I was one of the seven sons of Muqarrin, and we had but only one slave-girl. The youngest of us slapped her, and Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to set her free. 2097  

لَهُ سُوَيْدُ بْنُ مُقَرِّنٍ عَجَزَ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ حُرُّ وَجْهِهَا لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي سَابِعَ سَبْعَةٍ مِنْ بَنِي مُقَرِّنٍ مَا لَنَا خَادِمٌ إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةٌ لَطَمَهَا أَصْغَرُنَا فَأَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ نُعْتِقَهَا  

We used to sell cloth in the house of Suwaid b. Muqarrin, the brother of Nu'man b. Muqarrin. There came out a slave-girl, and she said something to a person amongst us, and he slapped her. Suwaid was enraged-the rest of the hadlth is the same.  

كُنَّا نَبِيعُ الْبَزَّ فِي دَارِ سُوَيْدِ بْنِ مُقَرِّنٍ أَخِي النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ مُقَرِّنٍ فَخَرَجَتْ جَارِيَةٌ فَقَالَتْ لِرَجُلٍ مِنَّا كَلِمَةً فَلَطَمَهَا فَغَضِبَ سُوَيْدٌ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ إِدْرِيسَ  

Don't you know that it is forbidden (to strike the) face. He said: You see I was the seventh one amongst my brothers during the lifetime of Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and we had but only one servant. One of us got enraged and slapped him. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to set him free.  

لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي وَإِنِّي لَسَابِعُ إِخْوَةٍ لِي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَمَا لَنَا خَادِمٌ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ فَعَمَدَ أَحَدُنَا فَلَطَمَهُ فَأَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ نُعْتِقَهُ  

Shu'ba informed that Muhammad b. Munkadir said to me: What is your name? The rest of the hadith is the same.  

لِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ مَا اسْمُكَ فَذَكَرَ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ  

I was beating my slave with a whip when I heard a voice behind me: Understand, Abu Masud; but I did not recognise the voice due to intense anger. He (Abu Mas'ud) reported: As he came near me (I found) that he was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he was saying: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; bear in mind. Abu Mas'ud. He (Aba Maslad) said: threw the whip from my hand. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Bear in mind, Abu Mas'ud; verily Allah has more dominance upon you than you have upon your slave. I (then) said: I would never beat my servant in future.  

أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ الْبَدْرِيُّ كُنْتُ أَضْرِبُ غُلاَمًا لِي بِالسَّوْطِ فَسَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنْ خَلْفِي اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ فَلَمْ أَفْهَمِ الصَّوْتَ مِنَ الْغَضَبِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنِّي إِذَا هُوَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِذَا هُوَ يَقُولُ اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ فَأَلْقَيْتُ السَّوْطَ مِنْ يَدِي فَقَالَ اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَقْدَرُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْكَ عَلَى هَذَا الْغُلاَمِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لاَ أَضْرِبُ مَمْلُوكًا بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا  

" There fell from my hand the whip on account of his (the Prophet's) awe."  

عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ بِإِسْنَادِ عَبْدِ الْوَاحِدِ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِهِ غَيْرَ أَنَّ فِي حَدِيثِ جَرِيرٍ فَسَقَطَ مِنْ يَدِي السَّوْطُ مِنْ هَيْبَتِهِ  

When I was beating my servant, I heard a voice behind me (saying): Abu Mas'ud, bear in mind Allah has more dominance over you than you have upon him. I turned and (found him) to be Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I said: Messenger of Allah, I set him free for the sake of Allah. Thereupon he said: Had you not done that, (the gates of) Hell would have opened for you, or the fire would have burnt you.  

فَسَمِعْتُ مِنْ خَلْفِي صَوْتًا اعْلَمْ أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ لَلَّهُ أَقْدَرُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْكَ عَلَيْهِ فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا هُوَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هُوَ حُرٌّ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَمَا لَوْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ لَلَفَحَتْكَ النَّارُ أَوْ لَمَسَّتْكَ النَّارُ  

I seek refuge with Allah, but he continued beating him, whereupon he said: I seek refuge with Messenger of Allah, and he spared him. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, God has more dominance over you than you have over him (the slave). He said that he set him free.  

أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَضْرِبُ غُلاَمَهُ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ قَالَ فَجَعَلَ يَضْرِبُهُ فَقَالَ أَعُوذُ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَتَرَكَهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَاللَّهِ لَلَّهُ أَقْدَرُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْكَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَأَعْتَقَهُ  

I seek refuge with Allah, I seek refuge with Messenger of Allah ﷺ.  

عَنْ شُعْبَةَ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ قَوْلَهُ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَعُوذُ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ