627 – Dawud ibn ‘Amr narrated to us; Marwan ibn Mu‘awiyah narrated to us; Fa’id al-‘Abdi informed us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Awfa, who said:

We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a boy came and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am an orphan; my mother is a widow and I have a sister who is likewise an orphan. Feed us from what Allah has fed you; may Allah grant you from His own bounty until you are pleased.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “How beautiful are your words, young man. O Bilal, go to our household and bring whatever you find.” Bilal returned with twenty-one dates and placed them in the Prophet’s palm. The Prophet ﷺ then motioned with his hand toward his mouth, and we thought he was calling the orphan. He ﷺ said, “Seven are for you, seven for your sister, and seven for your mother. Have a date for lunch and another for supper.”

(The narrator adds:) The lad was one of the children of the Emigrants. When he rose to leave, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal followed him, stroked his head and said, “May Allah mend your orphanhood, young man, and make you a worthy successor to your father ⦗830⦘.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, “O Mu‘adh, did you notice what you did with the boy?” He replied, “It was out of mercy for him, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ then said, “By Him in whose hand is my soul, no Muslim feeds an orphan, treats him well, and then places his hand on the orphan’s head, except that for every single hair Allah records ten good deeds, erases ten sins, and raises him ten degrees.”