In one narration the words are: So-and-so al-Thaqafi told me; he says: We made requests of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding three things, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not grant us a concession in any of them. We asked him to return Abu Bakrah to us, since he was formerly a slave and had accepted Islam before us. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No! He is freed by Allah Almighty, and then after that freed by the Messenger of Allah. After this, the narrator mentioned the hadith as before. Ahmad recorded all these narrations, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب العتق / 7269