Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2587
sahih

Narrated 'Amir:

I heard An-Nu`man bin Bashir on the pulpit saying, "My father gave me a gift but `Amra bint Rawaha (my mother) said that she would not agree to it unless he made Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as a witness to it. So, my father went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, 'I have given a gift to my son from `Amra bint Rawaha, but she ordered me to make you as a witness to it, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) !' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, 'Have you given (the like of it) to everyone of your sons?' He replied in the negative. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Be afraid of Allah, and be just to your children.' My father then returned and took back his gift."

حَدَّثَنَا حَامِدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ أَعْطَانِي أَبِي عَطِيَّةً، فَقَالَتْ عَمْرَةُ بِنْتُ رَوَاحَةَ لاَ أَرْضَى حَتَّى تُشْهِدَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَعْطَيْتُ ابْنِي مِنْ عَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ رَوَاحَةَ عَطِيَّةً، فَأَمَرَتْنِي أَنْ أُشْهِدَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَعْطَيْتَ سَائِرَ وَلَدِكَ مِثْلَ هَذَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ لاَ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ، وَاعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ أَوْلاَدِكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ فَرَجَعَ فَرَدَّ عَطِيَّتَهُ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 51, Hadith 21
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 47, Hadith 760 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Every guardian is enjoined to be fair and treat those under his care on an equal footing. A father is a guardian and he is responsible for those under his care, i.e., his wife and children, and establishing the enjoined equality between them entails that he should not favor any of his children over the others in terms of gift-giving, giving some and denying the others. In this hadeeth, Al-Nu‘maan ibn Basheer Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) related that his father Basheer gave him a gift, which was a male servant. His mother Umm Al-Nu‘maan had asked his father for that servant, as recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim. ‘Amrah bint Rawaahah, his mother, (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her husband that she would not agree to such a gift unless he made Allah's Messengerﷺ as a witness to it, aiming to make it binding. So, Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Allah's Messengerﷺ and related to him the matter and that his wife ordered him to make the Prophet ﷺ as a witness to it. He ﷺ asked him, “Have you given (the like of it) to everyone of your children?” He (may Allah be pleased with him) replied in the negative. Allah's Messengerﷺ said, 'Fear Allah, and be just to all your children (i.e., treat them all on an equal footing).' The aim of such a command was to foster mutual accord and affection between siblings, eliminating the causes of discord and hatred, and helping them show the enjoined dutifulness towards their father. Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) obeyed the Prophet’s ﷺcommand, returned, and took back his gift to establish equality between all his children. The hadeeth urges parents to establish equality between children in terms of gift-giving. .
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