هُوَ حُرٌّ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ
“He is free for Allah's sake.”
Abu Masʿud responded to the warning with concrete action rather than words alone. حُرٌّ is the predicate meaning “free”; لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ conveys doing something for Allah's pleasure.
True reform involves acknowledging a wrong, stopping it, and restoring the affected person's right where possible. An appeal to “discipline” cannot automatically excuse abusive conduct.
The event concerns enslavement in its historical setting; its ethical warning also speaks to situations where one person holds power over another.