Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ بْنِ سَرِيعٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَغَزَوْتُ مَعَهُ فَأَصَبْتُ ظَهْرًا فَقَتَلَ النَّاسُ يَوْمَئِذٍ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا الْوِلْدَانَ وَقَالَ مَرَّةً الذُّرِّيَّةَ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ جَاوَزَهُمْ الْقَتْلُ الْيَوْمَ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا الذُّرِّيَّةَ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّمَا هُمْ أَوْلَادُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ أَلَا إِنَّ خِيَارَكُمْ أَبْنَاءُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلَا لَا تَقْتُلُوا ذُرِّيَّةً أَلَا لَا تَقْتُلُوا ذُرِّيَّةً قَالَ كُلُّ نَسَمَةٍ تُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ حَتَّى يُعْرِبَ عَنْهَا لِسَانُهَا فَأَبَوَاهَا يُهَوِّدَانِهَا وَيُنَصِّرَانِهَا.
English Translation
Al-Aswad ibn Sari' said: 'I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and fought with him, and we gained the upper hand. The people that day killed until they killed children.' When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard about this, he said: 'What is wrong with people that the killing today went so far as to kill children?' A man said: 'O Messenger of Allah, they are only the children of the polytheists.' He said: 'Indeed, the best of you are the children of polytheists.' Then he said: 'Do not kill children! Do not kill children! Every soul is born upon the natural disposition until its tongue expresses on its behalf, then its parents make it Jewish or Christian.'