Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 382
حَدَّثَنَا طَلْقُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْمَسْعُودِيُّ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَزَلَ مَنْزِلاً فَأَخَذَ رَجُلٌ بَيْضَ حُمَّرَةٍ، فَجَاءَتْ تَرِفُّ عَلَى رَأْسِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ: أَيُّكُمْ فَجَعَ هَذِهِ بِبَيْضَتِهَا؟ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أَنَا أَخَذْتُ بَيْضَتَهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: ارْدُدْ، رَحْمَةً لَهَا.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stopped at a place. A man took a redstart’s eggs, and the bird came fluttering above the Prophet’s head. He asked, ‘Which of you has distressed this bird by taking its eggs?’ A man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I took them.’ The Prophet said, ‘Return them, out of mercy for the bird.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic names a hummara bird; ‘redstart’ is one possible identification, so this is translated more generally as ‘bird’ rather than assigning a species.