Grading: The chain of this hadith is "sahih". (In the chain) Abu al-Rabi' al-Zahrani is "Sulayman bin Dawud" and Jarir is "Ibn Abd al-Hamid".

Reference / Source: Abu Dawud (3963) narrated it from Ibrahim bin Musa, and al-Nasa'i (4909) from Ishaq bin Rahawayh, both from Jarir bin Abd al-Hamid, with this same chain. Al-Nasa'i did not mention the statement of Abu Hurayrah.

Reference / Source: Ahmad (13/ 8098) narrated it in the same way by way of Khalid bin Abd Allah al-Wasiti, from Suhayl.

Details of the narration: And it will come later at number (7231) by way of Sufyan al-Thawri, from Suhayl bin Abi Salih. And it will come after it and at number (7232) by way of Umar bin Abi Salamah, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, without the sentence "That I give a whip in charity". And Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) will mention this phrase as "marfu'" at number (2891).

Note / Clarification: Sufyan al-Thawri (who narrated this hadith from Jarir in al-Bayhaqi 10/ 58) said: It means "if he does the same deeds as his parents". This statement of Sufyan is also narrated as "marfu'" from the hadith of Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) (Ahmad 41/ 24784), but in its chain is "Ibrahim bin Ishaq" (Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin al-Fadl), who is "matruk" (abandoned). The Mother of the Believers Aishah refuted Abu Hurayrah, as will come at number (2891).

Technical note / Defect ('illah): Al-Nasa'i (4904, 4905) narrated it from Mujahid, from Ibn Abi Dhubab, from Abu Hurayrah, as marfu': "The child of fornication will not enter Paradise". There is disagreement among those narrating from Mujahid in identifying his shaykh, and some have dropped the intermediary. Al-Daraqutni said: The more correct view is the one that mentions Ibn Abi Dhubab. Ibn Abi Dhubab is trustworthy. But there is also disagreement among those narrating from Mujahid as to whether it is "marfu' or mawquf". Al-Hakam bin 'Utaybah (al-Nasa'i 4906) and al-A'mash (al-Tarikh al-Kabir of al-Bukhari) narrated it as mawquf, so its being "mawquf" is more apparent. If it is accepted as authentic, then, according to al-Tahawi, it refers to a person so immersed in fornication that it becomes his identity, just as one says "Ibn al-Sabil" (son of the road) or "Banu al-Dunya" (sons of the world). It does not mean the child born of fornication (an illegitimate child).

Note / Clarification: "Umatti'u": that I give benefit (give in charity), even if it is something as trivial as a whip from which benefit is derived.