وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَقَعَدَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! إِنَّ لِي مَمْلُوكِينَ يَكْذِبُونَنِي وَيَخُونُونَنِي وَيَعْصُونَنِي، وَأَشْتُمُهُمْ وَأَضْرِبُهُمْ، فَكَيْفَ أَنَا مِنْهُمْ؟
Translation: ʿAʾishah reported that a man sat before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: “Messenger of Allah, I have people under my ownership who lie to me, betray my trust and disobey me. I insult and strike them. How will my conduct toward them be reckoned?”
The man described both the wrongs he believed others had committed and his own response. The key issue was not only whether they erred, but also whether his punishment exceeded what was just.
The account belongs to a historical context involving slavery. It cannot be used to permit cruelty or to justify instituting slavery today.