Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 13, Hadith 95
Narrated Zayd ibn Arqam: I was sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ). A man came from the Yemen, and said: Three men from the people of the Yemen came to Ali, quarrelling about a child, asking him to give a decision. They had had sexual intercourse with a woman during a single state of purity. He said to two of them: Give this child to this man (the third person) with pleasure. But they (refused and) cried loudly. Again he said to two of them: Give the child to the man (the third person) willingly. But they (refused and) cried loudly. He then said: You are quarrelsome partners. I shall cast lots among you; he who receives the lot, will acquire the child, and he shall pay two-thirds of the blood-money to both his companions. He then cast lots among them, and gave the child to the one who received the lot. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) laughed so much that his canine or molar teeth appeared.
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنِ الأَجْلَحِ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْخَلِيلِ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ، قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ ثَلاَثَةَ نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ أَتَوْا عَلِيًّا يَخْتَصِمُونَ إِلَيْهِ فِي وَلَدٍ وَقَدْ وَقَعُوا عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ فِي طُهْرٍ وَاحِدٍ فَقَالَ لاِثْنَيْنِ مِنْهُمَا طِيبَا بِالْوَلَدِ لِهَذَا . فَغَلَيَا ثُمَّ قَالَ لاِثْنَيْنِ طِيبَا بِالْوَلَدِ لِهَذَا . فَغَلَبَا ثُمَّ قَالَ لاِثْنَيْنِ طِيبَا بِالْوَلَدِ لِهَذَا . فَغَلَبَا فَقَالَ أَنْتُمْ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ إِنِّي مُقْرِعٌ بَيْنَكُمْ فَمَنْ قُرِعَ فَلَهُ الْوَلَدُ وَعَلَيْهِ لِصَاحِبَيْهِ ثُلُثَا الدِّيَةِ . فَأَقْرَعَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَجَعَلَهُ لِمَنْ قُرِعَ فَضَحِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى بَدَتْ أَضْرَاسُهُ أَوْ نَوَاجِذُهُ .
Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 13, Hadith 95
The above hadith is from the Sunan Abi Dawud collection of hadiths. Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, Sunan Abi Dawud is revered for its extensive and practical coverage of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Its structure is deliberately thematic, with the over 4,800 hadiths sorted into dedicated books addressing specific areas of daily life and worship. This includes detailed chapters on ritual purity (tahara), prayer (salah), alms-giving (zakat), pilgrimage (hajj), marriage (nikah), and commercial law. This logical organization has made it an indispensable primary source for scholars, jurists, and students seeking the Prophetic precedents that form the basis of Islamic law and ethical conduct.
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For more Hadith in Book 13: Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)