990 - Yusuf ibn 'Abd Allah wrote to me that al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated to them that Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] said regarding the hadith "Free her, for she is a believer": Malik said, "He should not say, 'She is a believer.'" Abu 'Abd Allah said: "It is possible that this [hadith] was before the obligatory ordinances (fara'id) were revealed."
٩٩٠ - كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ يُوسُفُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ حَدَّثَهُمْ، أَنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: فِي الْحَدِيثِ «أَعْتِقْهَا؛ فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ» ، قَالَ مَالِكٌ: لَا يَقُولُ: إِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ. قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: «يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ⦗٥٧٥⦘ هَذَا قَبْلَ أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ الْفَرَائِضُ»
