Hadith 5106

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ . ح وحَدَّثَنَا يُوسُفُ بْنُ مُوسَى ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ ،عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا ، قَالَتْ : كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ " يُؤْتَى بِالصِّبْيَانِ ، فَيَدْعُو لَهُمْ بِالْبَرَكَةِ " ، زَادَ يُوسُفُ : وَيُحَنِّكُهُمْ ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ بِالْبَرَكَةِ .
Narrated Aishah, Ummul Muminin: Boys used to be brought to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he would invoke blessings on them. Yusuf added: "and soften some dates and rub their palates with them". He did not mention "blessings".
Hadith Reference سنن ابي داود / أبواب النوم / 5106
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: إسناده صحيح، صحيح بخاري (6355) صحيح مسلم (286)
Hadith Takhrij « تفرد بہ أبوداود، (تحفة الأشراف: 16854، 17241)، وقد أخرجہ: مسند احمد (6/46) (صحیح) »
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
The call to prayer (adhan) in the ear of the child can be given by any member of the household.
The hardship and insistence that a prominent and righteous person should be called for this task, or that the child should be taken to such a person, is unnecessary.
However, regarding the practice of tahneek (chewing a date and placing it in the infant’s mouth), this inference can be made.
But the person of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was undoubtedly blessed.
As for other righteous individuals of the ummah, one may have optimistic expectations, but it is not a prescribed (sunnah) practice.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 5106