Is the following incident authentic:
It was the day of ‘Eid. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was on his way for the ‘Eid Salah.He noticed all the children dressed in new clothes besides one child who had no clothes. He was an orphan. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) took him to the home of Fatimah (radiyallahu ‘anha) and requested clothes for the orphan child. After clothing him He took him to the Eid Salah on his shoulders and made him sit on his lap there. The other children wished to be in his place.
Answer
I am unable to locate this Hadith in any authentic Hadith book.
One should be cautious and abstain from quoting a Hadith (like the one in question) when the Hadith is untraceable in any original Hadith source, until its authenticity can be verified.
The closest narration I could locate is as follows:
Sayyiduna Bishr ibn ‘Aqrabah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) says:
“My father was martyred in a Battle he fought alongside Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed by and saw me crying. He said, ‘[Stop crying], Will you not be happy if I am your father and ‘Aaishah your mother”?
(At Tarikhul Kabir of Imam Bukhari, vol. 2 pg. 55, Shu’abul Iman, Hadith: 10533)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar