800 – Al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr reported: “His father took me to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘I have given this son of mine a slave boy who belonged to me.’ The Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Have you given all your children a similar gift?’ He replied, ‘No.’ The Prophet said, ‘Then take it back.’

In another wording: “My father went to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to have him witness my donation. He said, ‘Have you done the like of this for all your children?’ He answered, ‘No.’ The Prophet said, ‘Fear Allah and deal justly with your children.’ So my father went back and revoked that donation.” Agreed upon.

A version recorded by Muslim adds: “Appoint someone other than me to witness this. Would you be pleased if they were all equally dutiful to you?” He replied, “Certainly.” The Prophet said, “Then do not do it.” (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• naḥalta: from naḥl, meaning to give something willingly and without compensation; here it refers to a gift that a man singles out for one of his children.
• ghulāman: a young male slave.
• a-kulla waladika naḥaltahu: the initial hamzah is interrogative; kull is in the accusative, understood as the object of an omitted verb “naḥalta.” Some grammarians prefer to read it in the nominative, taking kull as the subject.