31/1. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3682 — Justice Between Children
Different Versions Of The Report Of Nu'man Bin Bashir Concerning Presents
Justice Between Children: Why Unequal Gifts Were Rejected
Sunan an-Nasai : 3682
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3682
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْلَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَيَّانَ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ، قَالَ سَأَلَتْ أُمِّي أَبِي بَعْضَ الْمَوْهِبَةِ فَوَهَبَهَا لِي فَقَالَتْ لاَ أَرْضَى حَتَّى أُشْهِدَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . قَالَ فَأَخَذَ أَبِي بِيَدِي وَأَنَا غُلاَمٌ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أُمَّ هَذَا ابْنَةَ رَوَاحَةَ طَلَبَتْ مِنِّي بَعْضَ الْمَوْهِبَةِ وَقَدْ أَعْجَبَهَا أَنْ أُشْهِدَكَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ . قَالَ " يَا بَشِيرُ أَلَكَ ابْنٌ غَيْرُ هَذَا " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " فَوَهَبْتَ لَهُ مِثْلَ مَا وَهَبْتَ لِهَذَا " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " فَلاَ تُشْهِدْنِي إِذًا فَإِنِّي لاَ أَشْهَدُ عَلَى جَوْرٍ " .
An-Nu'man Narrated from:
My mother asked my father for a gift and he gave it to me. She said: 'I will not be contented until you ask the Messenger of Allah to bear witness.' So my father took me by the hand, as I was still a boy, and went to the Messenger of Allah.He said: 'O Messenger of Allah, the mother of this boy, the daughter of Rawahah, asked me for a gift, and she wanted me to ask you to bear witness to that.' He said: 'O Bashir, do you have any other child apart from this one?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Have you given him gifts like that which you have given to this one?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Then do not ask me to bear witness, for I will not bear witness to unfairness.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3682In-book reference : Book 31, Hadith 11English translation : Vol. 4, Book 31, Hadith 3712
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3682
This Hadith gives a direct lesson about justice between children. An-Nu'man was still a boy when his father took him to the Messenger of Allah to witness a gift. The Prophet did not approve it immediately. He asked whether the father had another child and whether that child had received a gift like the one given to An-Nu'man. When the answer was no, the Prophet refused to witness the gift and called the unequal treatment unfairness. The narration keeps the issue focused on a parent giving one child something while not giving the same to another. It teaches parents to review their choices before asking others to validate them. Fair treatment should be considered at the point of giving, not only after tension appears.
What we learn from this hadith
- Parents should check whether their gifts treat their children fairly.
- The Prophet asked about the other child before agreeing to witness the gift.
- Unequal treatment in this case was described as unfairness.
- Seeking a witness does not make an unfair gift acceptable.
