31/1. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3686 — Treat Children Equally
Different Versions Of The Report Of Nu'man Bin Bashir Concerning Presents
Treat Children Equally: A Direct Hadith on Parental Fairness
Sunan an-Nasai : 3686
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3686
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا حِبَّانُ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ فِطْرٍ، عَنْ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ صُبَيْحٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ، يَقُولُ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ انْطَلَقَ بِي أَبِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُشْهِدُهُ عَلَى عَطِيَّةٍ أَعْطَانِيهَا فَقَالَ " هَلْ لَكَ بَنُونَ سِوَاهُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " سَوِّ بَيْنَهُمْ " .
An-Nu'man Narrated from:
An-Nu'man said, when he was delivering a Khutbah: "My father took me to the Messenger of Allah to ask him to bear witness to a gift that he had given me. He said: 'Do you have any other children besides him?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Treat them equally.'"
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3686In-book reference : Book 31, Hadith 15English translation : Vol. 4, Book 31, Hadith 3716
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3686
This Hadith records a direct instruction about parental fairness. While delivering a sermon, An-Nu'man recalled that his father had taken him to the Messenger of Allah to witness a gift. The Prophet asked whether the father had other children. When the answer was yes, he said, “Treat them equally.” The wording is short, but the point is easy to understand. The father was asked to look beyond the child standing in front of him and consider all his children together. The Hadith therefore supports the search phrase “treat children equally in Islam” with a clear statement from the text itself. It does not discuss unrelated family matters. It stays focused on equal treatment when a parent gives a gift to a child.
What we learn from this hadith
- Parents should consider all their children when giving a gift.
- The Prophet gave a direct instruction to treat the children equally.
- A gift to one child should be compared with what the others receive.
- Fairness in this event was addressed before the gift was formally witnessed.
