Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: Once we were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a boy came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. Here is an orphan boy, and he has an orphan sister and a widowed mother; so give us something to eat, may Allah Almighty give you food from what is with Him; (give us enough) that we are satisfied." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O boy! How well you have spoken! Go to our household and bring us whatever food you find with them." Then Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) brought twenty-one dates and placed them in the palm of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then raised both his palms towards his mouth, and we could see that he was praying for blessing in them. Then he said: "O boy! Seven are for you, seven for your mother and seven for your sister. Eat one date in the evening and one in the morning." The narrator says: When the boy got up and left the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) got up and went to him, placed his hand on his head and said: "May Allah Almighty mend your orphanhood and grant you a good guardian in place of your father." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Mu'adh! I saw what you did with that boy." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! (I did it) out of mercy for the boy." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), whoever among the Muslims becomes the guardian of an orphan, Allah Almighty records for him a rank in return for every single hair, grants him a good deed in return for every single hair, and erases one of his sins in return for every single hair." Imam Bazzar recorded this report in full; Imam Ahmad recorded its opening portion and then said: The narrator narrated it as a long hadith. Its chain contains a narrator, Fa'id Abu al-Warqa', and he is matruk (abandoned).