Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Every child is born upon the natural disposition, but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah), but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian."

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The statement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): "Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah)" means: He is born upon that disposition which Allah the Exalted had ordained on the day when He brought forth the people from the loins of Sayyiduna Adam. The evidence for this is the statement of Allah the Exalted: "The disposition of Allah upon which He has created mankind, so there is no change in the creation of Allah." He says: There is no change in this creation for which He has created these people, whether it is for Paradise or for Hell, at the time when He brought them out from the loins of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), and He said: These people are for Paradise and these people are for Hell. Have you not considered: Regarding the boy whom Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) killed, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah created him naturally as a disbeliever." Even though he was between believing parents, Allah the Exalted gave His servant Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) knowledge about this, even though He did not give His interlocutor Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) knowledge about it. As we have explained in other places in our books.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates this statement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: "Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah), but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian. Just as among your camels, when a calf is born, do you find any among them with its ears cut off?" Then Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: If you wish, you may recite this verse (in support of this hadith): "This is Allah’s established way upon which He has created mankind, and there is no change in Allah’s creation."

Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says: The statement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: "His parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian," is among those matters about which we have already mentioned in our books that the Arabs sometimes attribute the action to the one who commands it, just as they attribute it to the one who actually does it. So here, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, used the terms 'make a Jew,' 'make a Christian,' or 'make a Magian' for the person who commands his child to follow any of these religions, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used the expression through the verb. This does not mean that the polytheists themselves make their children Jews, Christians, or Magians, and this is apart from Allah’s decree regarding His knowledge about His servants. This will be according to what we have mentioned elsewhere in our books. And this is in accordance with the statement of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: "The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, had his head shaved during the Farewell Pilgrimage." What is meant by this is: the one who shaved the head did this act with the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not do it himself. An example of this is the statement of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "When a person leaves his house for prayer, one of his steps erases a sin and the other raises his rank." What is meant by this is: Allah commands this to happen. It is not that the step itself erases the sin or raises the rank. And this is like the saying of the people: The ruler flogged so-and-so a hundred lashes. What is meant by this is: the ruler ordered it to be done. It does not mean that he did it himself.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the children of polytheists who die in childhood. He replied: "Allah knows best what they would have done."

The narrator named Hasan, quoting from Aswad bin Sari’, who was a poet—he was the first person to begin delivering sermons in this mosque—he relates: Once, the situation arose such that (the polytheists’) minor children had to be killed. When this news reached the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he said:“Are not the best among you the children of the polytheists? Every child that is born is born upon the natural disposition of Islam, until he begins to speak, then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.”

Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) says: The words of the narration:“Every child that is born is born upon the natural disposition of Islam”—this refers to the natural disposition which the people of Islam believe in, about which we have mentioned earlier that when Allah Almighty brought forth His creation (the human race) from the loins of our master Adam (peace be upon him), then a person’s acknowledgment of this natural disposition is a part of Islam, so at the time of belief, the attribution of this natural disposition will be made to Islam by way of proximity.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every child is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah), but his parents make him a Jew or a Christian, just as camels give birth to their young whole and sound. Do you find any among them that is mutilated?" The people asked: O Messenger of Allah! What is your opinion about a child who dies in infancy? The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Allah knows best what they would have done."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abu al-Qasim, peace and blessings be upon him, say: "Our Lord is amazed at those people who will be taken to Paradise in chains."

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The statement of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Our Lord is amazed at those people," is according to the common usage of people, because when someone is addressed, the words used are those that are commonly understood among people. And in this narration, what is meant by being chained is: Muslims will have captured these people from the lands of the polytheists, they will have been bound in chains, and then brought to the Islamic state, until they accept Islam and enter Paradise. In the narration transmitted from Sayyiduna Aswad bin Sari’, may Allah be pleased with him, this is also the meaning of the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him, statement: "Are not your best people the children of the polytheists?" By these words, it can also be meant: here the word "min" is considered omitted, and the meaning is: "Are not some among the children of the polytheists among your best people?"

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: "The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) found a woman killed during a battle, so he expressed disapproval over it and forbade the killing of women and children during battle."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Sa'b bin Jaththamah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed me of this: "Once, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed by me while I was at the place of 'Abwa' or perhaps 'Waddan.' I presented to him the meat of a wild donkey, but he returned it to me. When he saw signs of displeasure on my face, he said: 'We did not return it to you except that we are in the state of Ihram (ritual consecration).' The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked about the settlements of the polytheists where attacks are made at night and in those attacks their women and children are killed. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'They are from among them.' The narrator says: I also heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) say: 'The pasture is only the property of Allah and His Messenger.'"

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the statement of Sayyiduna Sa'b bin Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with him): He heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Pasture is only the property of Allah and His Messenger." The narrator says: I asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about the children of the polytheists: Should we kill them along with their people? The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes! They are part of them." (The narrator states) Then, on the occasion of the Battle of Hunayn, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing them.