Is the Hadith “The Fruit of the Heart Is the Child” Authentic?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is the following Hadith authentic?

The Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “For every tree, there is a fruit, and the fruit of the heart is the child.” [Kanz al-Ummal]

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Hadith

Ibn ‘Umar (Allah bless him and give him peace) reports from the messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), he said,

“For every tree, there is a fruit, and the fruit of the heart is the child. Indeed, Allah (Most High) does not show mercy who does not show it to his child. I swear in whose hand is my soul; only a kind person will enter paradise. We enquired, O Messenger, we all show kindness. He replied that one’s kindness is not to show it to his companion but to show it to humanity.” [Haythami, Majma al-Zawa’id; Abu Ya‘la; Bazzar]

The above hadith is mentioned in Majma al-Zawa’id and graded as weak.

This includes showing mercy to both genders, a boy and a girl. And not only that, but to all humanity and living creatures. A story is mentioned: a man slaughtered a calf in front of his mother. Allah (Most High) numbed his hand. One day, he saw a bird fall from its nest. The parents were fluttering. He placed it back in its nest, showing mercy. Allah Most High showed him mercy and returned his hand to work. [Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir]

Acting on Weak Hadiths

According to the very words of Imam Nawawi,

“The ‘ulama have said, both the hadith experts and fuqaha say that it is permitted, rather recommended, to act in virtuous deeds, in acts of exhortation and warning, i.e., when something is encouraged or warned against it is permitted to act upon weak hadith as long as they are not fabricated.”

Related:

• Should I Act on a Weak Hadith? – SeekersGuidance
• Weak Hadith Archives – SeekersGuidance
• Should I Act on a Weak Hadith? – SeekersGuidance
• Can one act on a weak hadith? -Islam FAQ: Clear, Reliable Answers To Common Questions

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.