The reward of one whose child dies

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever has three children (die) who have not yet reached puberty, that is, the age at which sins are recorded, and he is patient (at their death) hoping for reward from Allah, Allah Almighty will admit that person to Paradise by His grace and His special mercy upon those children."
The basis of this hadith is in the two Sahihs; however, in this particular chain one narrator is unnamed, but supporting reports for it are found in abundance in other reliable books of hadith, which strengthen its content.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no two believers, husband and wife, whose three children die before reaching puberty, that is, the age at which sins are recorded, except that Allah Almighty will admit them both to Paradise because of His special mercy and grace upon them both."
[Takhrij: This hadith is sahih (authentic); Imam Ahmad narrated it in al-Musnad: 22177 and Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf: 11956].

It is narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that she said: "Whoever has three children die in his lifetime, and he is patient over this calamity and seeks reward from Allah Almighty alone, those children will, by the command and permission of Allah Almighty, become a screen and barrier for that person from the fire of Hell."
This report is mawquf (stopping at the Companion), and its chain is of hasan (good) grade.

It is narrated from Mutarrif bin Abdullah bin al-Shikhkhir that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Ansar (may Allah be pleased with them): "Whom do you regard as 'al-raqub' (the bereft one)?" They said: "The person who has no children." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That person is not (in the true sense) al-raqub; rather, the real al-raqub is the one who comes before his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, without having sent ahead any of his children (by their dying in his lifetime while he was patient and hoping for reward)."
This report is a strong mursal.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to a gathering of Banu Salimah and asked: "O Banu Salimah! Who in your view is 'al-raqub', that is, the person whose children die in his lifetime?" Then the narrator mentioned the whole incident like the previous hadith.
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Mubashshir (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her house while she was cooking hays (a sweet dish made of dates and ghee). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever has three children die who have not yet reached puberty, they will be a screen for him from the fire of Hell." She said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Will the same reward be given for the death of two children as well? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three." I said again: And if they are two? He (peace and blessings be upon him) again said: "Three." After that he (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent for a little while, then said: "O Umm Mubashshir! Two as well; O Umm Mubashshir! Two as well (meaning the same virtue will be attained on the death of two children too)."
Imam Abu Ya'la also related this narration through Imam Abu Bakr with these same words; and Ibn Ammar reported something similar to it in abridged form from Sayyidah Umm Mubashshir (may Allah be pleased with her) through the route of Abd al-Wahhab, al-Muthanna, Amr bin Shu'ayb and Sa'id bin al-Musayyib.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked (the Companions): "Whom do you count among you as 'raqub' (that is, the person deprived through his children's passing from the world)?" The Companions said: "(We consider him to be) the one who has no children." Upon this he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, (in reality he is not so); rather, (the truly deprived) raqub is the person who has not sent ahead of himself any forerunner (in the form of a child of his who died, for reward and intercession in the Hereafter)."
Imam Abu Bakr, Imam Abu Ya'la and Abu Hisham al-Rifa'i narrated this hadith through Abu Khalid, with the chain of Hisham bin Hassan, Muhammad bin Sirin and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and with her was a sick son of hers. She said: "O Messenger of Allah! Pray to Allah Almighty to grant this son of mine health and cure." He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Has any child of yours died (in childhood) who will be a forerunner (for you in the Hereafter)?" She said: Yes, they died in the state of Islam. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then he is a strong shield (for you against Hell), a strong shield."
This chain is hasan (good), because although Abu Ubaydah has been criticised, this same report is narrated with a sahih chain through Abu Zur'ah from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman bin Abi al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the person whose three children have died (before puberty) in the state of Islam and gone ahead of him (to the Hereafter) has taken refuge (from the fire of Hell) behind a strong and impregnable shield."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to look after the Ansar, visit their sick and ask about their circumstances. News reached us that the son of a woman of the Ansar had died and she was greatly distressed at his death. He (peace and blessings be upon him) went to her and urged her to fear Allah Almighty and to be patient. She said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am a woman who does not bear children, and I had no child other than him." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The real raqub is the woman whose children remain alive." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Any Muslim man or Muslim woman whose three children die, Allah Almighty will admit him to Paradise." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father be sacrificed for you, what if two children die?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The same glad tidings are for two children as well."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this report in his Musnad.

And with this same chain (it is narrated that): A man of the Ansar used to sit in the gathering of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and with him would be a son of his, five years old. Then that child passed away, and he began to remain deeply grieved over him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to him): "Would it please you that whichever gate of Paradise you go to, you find him (your child) at that very gate, calling you towards it?" He said: Yes! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then it is just as I am telling you."