an authentic chain of transmission, attributed to the Companion Abu Hurayrah. However, it has the effective ruling of a report attributed to the Prophet, since such a matter cannot be said merely on the basis of personal opinion; moreover, another route from him attributes it to the Prophet with the wording: “The children of the Muslims are in Paradise, and Abraham, peace be upon him, cares for them.”

Imam Ahmad narrated it (2/326) through ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Thabit, from ʿAtaʾ ibn Qurrah, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Sakhr, from him.

I say: This is a good chain of transmission. Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim, and al-Dhahabi declared it authentic, as previously mentioned under no. 605.

Note: Al-Suyuti cited the hadith heading this section, from the narration of Ahmad, al-Hakim, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Baʿth, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. Yet his attribution of the stated wording to Ahmad and al-Hakim therein is clearly lax, for, as you have seen, their wording differs from it. Indeed, he went still further in laxity—or rather, in negligence—for when he cited it with the alternative wording, “The children …,” he attributed it only to Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud in al-Baʿth.

1468 — “The children of the polytheists are the servants of the people of Paradise.”

Ibn Mandah narrated it in al-Maʿrifah (2/261/1), in suspended form: Ibrahim ibn al-Mukhtar narrated from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, from Sinan ibn Saʿd, from Abu Malik, who said: “The Prophet was asked about the children of the polytheists, and he said: ‘They are …’”

I say: This is a weak chain of transmission. Ibn Ishaq practised tadlis and narrated it using an ambiguous transmission formula. Ibrahim ibn al-Mukhtar was truthful but poor in retention. It is corroborated by what Abu Nuʿaym narrated in al-Hilyah (6/308), through the route of al-Tabarani—who also narrated it in al-Awsat with his chain of transmission—from al-Rabiʿ ibn Subayh, from Yazid al-Raqashi, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah about the children of the polytheists, who had no sins for which they could be punished …”