Was the pardoned prostitute a Kafir?

Question

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A prostitute had once been forgiven. She passed by a dog panting near a well. Thirst had nearly killed him, so she took off her sock, tied it to her veil, and drew up some water. Allah forgave her for that.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3143, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2245

Cited from https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2012/09/30/prostitute-forgiven-kalb/

According to the hadith above, a woman who committed sins was forgiven by Allah (SWT) due to quenching the thirst of a panting dog. Yes, she was forgiven, but how come she was? Did she commit kufr or not? Allah does not forgive a person who is a kafir and doesn't repent. Is she a monotheistic prostitute?

Answer 1

Zina and Kufr are different things, one does not imply the other. There is nothing in the given hadith that suggests that she was a Kafirah, rather a wording of the hadith explicitly states that she was from the Bani Israel, which suggests that she was a monotheist:

بينما كلب يطيف بركية، كاد يقتله العطش، إذ رأته بغي من بغايا بني إسرائيل، فنزعت موقها فسقته فغفر لها به

While a dog was circling a well, almost dying of thirst, one of the prostitutes of the Children of Israel saw it. She took off her shoe and used it to give water to it, and made it drink, and she was forgiven (by Allah) because of that.

^{— Bukhari and Muslim}

Answer 2

Just because she is a prostitute doesn't mean she is a kafira. She may sined but didn't do kufur.