Hadith #295
Arabic Text
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ يُولَدُ إِلَّا عَلَى هَذِهِ الْمِلَّةِ حَتَّى يُبِي
نَ عَنْهُ لِسَانُهُ فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُشَرِّكَانِهِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَكَيْفَ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا عَامِلِينَ
Isnad Chain
English Translation
It was narrated from Abu Hurayra (رضي الله عنه) — via Abu Mu'awiya, from al-A'mash, from Abu Salih — that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'No child is born except on this milla [natural religion] — until his tongue makes his [position] manifest. Then his parents make him a Jew, or a Christian, or a polytheist.' They asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what [is the ruling] for those who died before that [i.e., before speech]?' He said: 'Allah knows best what they would have done.'
Topics
Quran References
Reference: Musnad Ahmad, Book 17, Hadith 295
Sunnah.com ref: Musnad Ahmad 7133
Islam.wiki ID: IWH-43523