31/1. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3685 — Equal Treatment
Different Versions Of The Report Of Nu'man Bin Bashir Concerning Presents
Equal Treatment of Children: Why Not Treat Them All Alike?
Sunan an-Nasai : 3685
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3685
أَخْبَرَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنْ فِطْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُسْلِمُ بْنُ صُبَيْحٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ، يَقُولُ ذَهَبَ بِي أَبِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُشْهِدُهُ عَلَى شَىْءٍ أَعْطَانِيهِ فَقَالَ " أَلَكَ وَلَدٌ غَيْرُهُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . وَصَفَّ بِيَدِهِ بِكَفِّهِ أَجْمَعَ كَذَا أَلاَ سَوَّيْتَ بَيْنَهُمْ .
An-Nu'man bin Bashir Narrated from:
My father took me to the Prophet to ask him to bear witness to something that he had given to me. He said: 'Do you have any other children?' He said: 'Yes.' He gestured with his hand held horizontally like this, (saying): 'Why don't you treat them all equally?'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3685In-book reference : Book 31, Hadith 14English translation : Vol. 4, Book 31, Hadith 3715
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3685
This Hadith teaches equal treatment of children in a very brief exchange. An-Nu'man's father brought him to the Prophet and asked him to witness something he had given to the boy. The Prophet asked whether the father had any other children. When he said yes, the Prophet gestured with his hand and asked why he had not treated them all equally. The focus is clear: the gift to one child had to be viewed in relation to the other children. The narration does not give a long speech or a list of exceptions. It records a direct question that calls the parent back to fairness. For families, it is a reminder to compare how children are treated before a gift is finalized or publicly confirmed.
What we learn from this hadith
- Parents should look at how a gift affects all their children.
- The Prophet directly called the father toward equal treatment.
- A special gift should not be considered in isolation from the other children.
- Fairness can be checked before asking someone to witness a gift.
