A Hadith About the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم Firm Rejection of Killing Offspring

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Ibnu Abi Shaybah, on the authority of al-Aswad ibnu Sari' رضي الله عنه, narrates the following:

عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ بْنِ سَرِيعٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ بَلَغُوا فِي الْقَتْلِ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا الْوِلْدَانَ» قَالَ: فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ: إِنَّمَا هُمْ أَوْلَادُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَوَلَيْسَ أَخْيَارُكُمْ إِنَّمَا هُمْ أَوْلَادُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، ...»

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “What is wrong with people²⁴, who go so far as to killing children?!”

A man replied: “Those are but children of polytheists.”

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم responded: “Are not the best amongst you children of polytheists? […]”

Another narration of this hadith, recorded in al-Amwal by Ibnu Zanjawayh, goes on to say:

فَخَطَبَ، يُعْرَفُ الْغَضَبُ فِي وَجْهِهِ، قَالَ: فَقَالَ: «مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ جَاوَزَ بِهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى الذُّرِّيَّةِ؟» ...

Thereupon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم turned to the people (from the pulpit i.e. in an address), his face darkened with anger, saying: “What is wrong with people, whose killing has reached the extent, that they would even kill children?!”

The same source also narrates another version of this speech:

مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ أَسْرَفُوا فِي الْقَتْلِ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا الْوِلْدَانَ

“What is wrong with people, who exaggerate to such an extent, that they would even kill children?!”

In his Sunan, Ad-Darimi narrates this hadith in a chapter called “About the Prohibition against killing women and children”. There it is reported:

مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ ذَهَبَ بِهُمُ الْقَتْلُ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا الذُّرِّيَّةَ؟ أَلَا لَا تُقْتَلَنَّ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ثَلَاثًا

“What is wrong with people, whose killing has driven them so far as to kill offspring!? Hark! The offspring must not be killed.” He said this three times.