64/53. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4303 — The Child Belongs to the Bed
Chapter
The Child Belongs to the Bed Hadith and Lineage
Sahih Bukhari : 4303
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4303
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ حَدَّثَنِي يُونُسُ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ كَانَ عُتْبَةُ بْنُ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ عَهِدَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ سَعْدٍ أَنْ يَقْبِضَ ابْنَ وَلِيدَةِ زَمْعَةَ، وَقَالَ عُتْبَةُ إِنَّهُ ابْنِي. فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَكَّةَ فِي الْفَتْحِ أَخَذَ سَعْدُ بْنُ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ ابْنَ وَلِيدَةِ زَمْعَةَ، فَأَقْبَلَ بِهِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، وَأَقْبَلَ مَعَهُ عَبْدُ بْنُ زَمْعَةَ، فَقَالَ سَعْدُ بْنُ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ هَذَا ابْنُ أَخِي، عَهِدَ إِلَىَّ أَنَّهُ ابْنُهُ. قَالَ عَبْدُ بْنُ زَمْعَةَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَذَا أَخِي، هَذَا ابْنُ زَمْعَةَ، وُلِدَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ. فَنَظَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى ابْنِ وَلِيدَةِ زَمْعَةَ، فَإِذَا أَشْبَهُ النَّاسِ بِعُتْبَةَ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " هُوَ لَكَ، هُوَ أَخُوكَ يَا عَبْدُ بْنَ زَمْعَةَ ". مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّهُ وُلِدَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " احْتَجِبِي مِنْهُ يَا سَوْدَةُ ". لِمَا رَأَى مِنْ شَبَهِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ. قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " الْوَلَدُ لِلْفِرَاشِ وَلِلْعَاهِرِ الْحَجَرُ ". وَقَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ وَكَانَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ يَصِيحُ بِذَلِكَ.
A'isha Narrated from:
`Utba bin Abi Waqqas authorized his brother Sa`d to take the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a into his custody. `Utba said (to him). "He is my son." When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) arrived in Mecca during the Conquest (of Mecca), Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas took the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a and took him to the Prophet (ﷺ) `Abd bin Zam`a too came along with him. Sa`d said. "This is the son of my brother and the latter has informed me that he is his son." `Abd bin Zam`a said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This is my brother who is the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a and was born on his (i.e. Zam'as) bed.'Allah's Apostle looked at the son of the slave-girl of Zam`a and noticed that he, of all the people had the greatest resemblance to `Utba bin Abi Waqqas. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then said (to `Abd), " He is yours; he is your brother, O `Abd bin Zam`a, he was born on the bed (of your father)."(At the same time) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said (to his wife Sauda), "Veil yourself before him (i.e. the son of the slave-girl) O Sauda," because of the resemblance he noticed between him and `Utba bin Abi Waqqas. Allah's Apostle added, "The boy is for the bed (i.e. for the owner of the bed where he was born), and stone is for the adulterer."(Ibn Shihab said, "Abu Huraira used to say that (i.e. the last statement of the Prophet in the above Hadith 596, publicly.")
[1] Sauda was the daughter of Zam‘a and the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. The son=(1) The adulterer is to be stoned to death (if he or she is a married one) according to Islāmic Law.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4303In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 336USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 596
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4303
This Hadith focuses on lineage, family claim, and caution. Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas brought the son of Zam‘a’s slave-girl and said that his brother Utba had claimed him. Abd bin Zam‘a answered that the boy was his brother because he was born on Zam‘a’s bed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم looked and saw a strong resemblance to Utba, yet he ruled that the boy belonged to Abd bin Zam‘a because he was born on the bed. At the same time, he told Sauda to veil herself from him because of the resemblance. The famous line in the text is: the boy is for the bed, and stone is for the adulterer. The Hadith teaches that claims are handled by a clear rule, while caution is also observed.
What we learn from this hadith
- A family dispute was judged by the stated rule of birth on the bed.
- Physical resemblance was noticed, but it did not replace the ruling mentioned in the text.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also ordered caution for Sauda because of the resemblance.
- The Hadith warns that adultery gives no rightful claim in this case.
