[Machine] I was with Ash-Sha'abi (a scholar) when a man from the people of Khurasan came to him and said, "O Abu Amr, the people of Khurasan say that if a man frees his slave and then marries her, he is like a rider whose mount is tired. Is this true?" Ash-Sha'abi said, "Abu Burdah ibn Abi Musa informed me that his father said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There are three whose reward is given twice: a man from the people of the Book who believed in his prophet and then believed in the Prophet ﷺ and followed him, and a slave who fulfilled the rights of Allah and the rights of his master, and a man who had a female slave and he fed her and treated her well and taught her well. Then he set her free and married her."

Ash-Sha'abi then said to the man, "Take this hadith without doubt, for he used to travel to Medina for matters less important than this." Hushaim said, "They informed me in Basra, so I went to him and asked him about it."  

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الشَّعْبِيِّ فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَمْرٍو إِنَّ مَنْ قِبَلَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ يَقُولُونَ فِي الرَّجُلِ إِذَا أَعْتَقَ أَمَتَهُ ثُمَّ تَزَوَّجَهَا فَهُوَ كَالرَّاكِبِ بَدَنَتَهُ؟ فَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بُرْدَةَ بْنُ أَبِي مُوسَى عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ بِنَبِيِّهِ ثُمَّ أَدْرَكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَآمَنَ بِهِ وَاتَّبَعَهُ وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ أَدَّى حَقَّ اللَّهِ وَحَقَّ مَوَالِيهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَرَجُلٌ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ فَغَذَّاهَا فَأَحْسَنَ غِذَاءَهَا وَأَدَّبَهَا فَأَحْسَنَ تَأْدِيبَهَا فَأَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ «خُذْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ بِغَيْرِ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ كَانَ يُرْحَلُ فِيمَا دُونَ هَذَا إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ» فَقَالَ هُشَيْمٌ أَفَادُونِي بِالْبَصْرَةِ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْهُ؟  

[Machine] "I saw a man from the people of Khorasan come to him (the Prophet) and he said, 'O Abu Amr, those who came before us from the people of Khorasan used to say that when a man emancipates his slave and then marries her, he is like a passenger with his garment on.' Ash-Sha'bi said Abu Burdah informed me from his father that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'There are three who will have a double reward: a man from the people of the scripture who believed in his Prophet then believed in the Messenger, so he will have two rewards; a slave owned by someone who fulfills his right to Allah, Glorious is He and His right to his master, so he will have two rewards; and a man who had a female slave, so he fed her well and taught her good manners, then he freed her and married her, so he will have two rewards.'"  

رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَمْرٍو إِنَّ مَنْ قَبْلَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ يَقُولُونَ إِذَا عَتَقَ الرَّجُلُ أَمَتَهُ ثُمَّ تَزَوَّجَهَا فَهُوَ كَالرَّاكِبِ بَدَنَتَهُ فَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بُرْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ بِنَبِيِّهِ ثُمَّ أَدْرَكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَآمَنَ بِهِ وَاتَّبَعَهُ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ يُؤَدِّي حَقَّ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَلَا عَلَيْهِ وَحَقَّ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ لِمَوْلَاهُ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَرَجُلٌ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ فَغَذَّاهَا فَأَحْسَنَ غِذَاءَهَا وَأَدَّبَهَا فَأَحْسَنَ أَدَبَهَا ثُمَّ أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ»  

0 Abu! some of the people amongst us who belong to Khurasan say that a person who freed his bondswoman and then married her is like one who rode over a sacrificial animal. Sha'bi said: Abu Burda b. Abi Musa narrated it to me on the authority of his father that verily the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There are three (classes of persons) who would be given a double reward. One who is amongst the People of the Book and believed in his apostle and (lived) to see the time of Apostle Muhammad ﷺ and affirmed his faith in him and followed him and attested his truth, for him is the double reward; and the slave of the master who discharges all those obligations that he owes to Allah and discharges his duties that he owes to his master, for him there is a double reward. And a man who had a bondswoman and fed her and fed her well, then taught her good manners, and did that well and later on granted her freedom and married her, for him is the double reward. Then Sha'bi said: Accept this hadith without (giving) anything. Formerly a man was (obliged) to travel to Medina even for a smaller hadith than this. This hadith has been narrated by another chain of transmitters like Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaiba, 'Abda b. Sulaiman Ibn Abi 'Umar Sufyan, 'Ubaidullah b. Mu'adh, Shu'ba; all of them heard it from Salih b. Salih. (Using translation from Muslim 154a)   

يَا أَبَا عَمْرٍو إِنَّ مَنْ قَبْلَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ يَقُولُونَ إِذَا أَعْتَقَ الرَّجُلُ أمَتَهُ ثُمَّ تَزَوَّجَهَا فَهُوَ كَالرَّاكِبِ بَدَنَتَهُ فَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بُرْدَةَ بْنُ أَبِي مُوسَى عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ ثَلَاثَةٌ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ بِنَبِيِّهِ وَأَدْرَكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَآمَنَ بِهِ وَاتَّبَعَهُ وَصَدَّقَهُ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ أَدَّى حَقَّ اللهِ وَحَقَّ مَوَالِيهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَرَجُلٌ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ فَغَذَّاهَا فَأَحْسَنَ غِذَاءَهَا ثُمَّ أَدَّبَهَا فَأَحْسَنَ تَأْدِيبَهَا ثُمَّ أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ لِلْخُرَاسَانِيِّ خُذْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ بِغَيْرِ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَرْحَلُ فِيمَا دُونَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ