On his father’s authority, said that his grandfather told that Al-‘As ibn Wa’il left his will that a hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf. His son Hisham emancipated fifty slaves and his son Amr intended to emancipate the remaining fifty on his behalf, but he said: I should ask first the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He, therefore, came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah, my father left in his will that a hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf and Hisham has emancipated fifty on his behalf and fifty remain. Shall I emancipate them on his behalf? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Had he been a Muslim and you had emancipated slaves on his behalf, or given sadaqah on his behalf, or performed the pilgrimage, that would have reached him.
(Ibn Qudamah’s version has: His grandfather’s brother or uncle reported:) – the narrator Mu’ammal said: – He (his grandfather Mu’awiyah) got up before the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) who was giving sermon: and he said: Why have your companions arrested my neighbours? He turned away from him twice. He (his grandfather Mu’awiyah) then mentioned something. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) then said: Let his neighbours go. (Mu’ammal did not mention the words “He was giving sermon.”)