أَخْبَرَنَا الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مِسْکِينُ بْنُ بُکَيْرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعَيْبُ بْنُ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ خَرَجَتْ امْرَأَتَانِ مَعَهُمَا وَلَدَاهُمَا فَأَخَذَ الذِّئْبُ أَحَدَهُمَا فَاخْتَصَمَتَا فِي الْوَلَدِ إِلَی دَاوُدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَضَی بِهِ لِلْکُبْرَی مِنْهُمَا فَمَرَّتَا عَلَی سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام فَقَالَ کَيْفَ قَضَی بَيْنَکُمَا قَالَتْ قَضَی بِهِ لِلْکُبْرَی قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ أَقْطَعُهُ بِنِصْفَيْنِ لِهَذِهِ نِصْفٌ وَلِهَذِهِ نِصْفٌ قَالَتْ الْکُبْرَی نَعَمْ اقْطَعُوهُ فَقَالَتْ الصُّغْرَی لَا تَقْطَعْهُ هُوَ وَلَدُهَا فَقَضَی بِهِ لِلَّتِي أَبَتْ أَنْ يَقْطَعَهُ
سنن نسائی · Hadith 5419
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said: “Two women went out with their two children, and the wolf took one of the children from them. They referred their dispute to Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم Dawud, peace be upon him, and he ruled that (the remaining child) belonged to the older woman. Then they passed by Sulaiman, peace be upon him, and he said: ‘How did he judge between you?’ She said: ‘He ruled that (the child) belongs to the older woman.’ Sulaiman said: ‘Cut him in half, and give half to one and half to the other.’ The older woman said: ‘Yes, cut him in half.’ The younger woman said: ‘Do not cut him, he is her child.’ So he ruled that the child belonged to the woman who refused to let him be cut.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020