991 - Muhammad ibn 'Ali informed me, saying: Abu Bakr al-Athram narrated to us that he asked Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] about the hadith which is narrated: "Free her, for she is a believer." He said: "Not everyone says in it: 'For she is a believer.' They [others] say: 'Free her.'" He said: "Malik heard it from this shaykh, Hilal ibn 'Ali, and he does not say: 'For she is a believer.' He said: "And some of them have said: 'For she is a believer,' meaning that when she affirms that, her status becomes the status of a believer. This is its meaning."
٩٩١ - وَأَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ: ثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْأَثْرَمُ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي يُرْوَى: أَعْتِقْهَا؛ فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ، قَالَ: " لَيْسَ كُلُّ أَحَدٍ يَقُولُ فِيهِ: إِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ، يَقُولُونَ: أَعْتِقْهَا. قَالَ: وَمَالِكٌ سَمِعَهُ مِنْ هَذَا الشَّيْخِ هِلَالُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، لَا يَقُولُ: فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ، قَالَ: وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ، فَهِيَ حِينَ تُقِرُّ بِذَلِكَ فَحُكْمُهَا حُكْمُ الْمُؤْمِنَةِ. هَذَا مَعْنَاهُ "
