When Hani came as a delegate to the Prophet ﷺ with his people, the Prophet ﷺ heard them addressing him by the kunya Abu Hakam. So the Prophet called him over and asked, "Indeed, Allah is the Judge (al-Hakam), and to Him belongs all judgment. So why are you given the kunya Abu Hakam?"He replied, "It is not that, but whenever my people differ over something, they come to me, and I judge between them, and both parties are pleased with my decision."The Prophet said, "How excellent this is."Then he asked, "How many children do you have?"He said, "I have Shurayh, Abdullah, and Muslim, the sons of Hani."The Prophet asked, "Which of them is the eldest?"He answered, "Shurayh."The Prophet said, "Then you are Abu Shurayh." And he prayed for him and his children.The Prophet ﷺ also heard some people calling one of their men Abd al-Hajar (servant of the stone), so he asked him, "What is your name?"He replied, "Abd al-Hajar."The Prophet said, "No, you are Abdullah."Shurayh said that when Hani was about to return to his homeland, he came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Tell me of something that will guarantee me Paradise."He replied, "Speak kindly and feed others generously."
أنه لما وفد إلى النبي ﷺ مع قومه، فسمعهم النبي ﷺ وهم يكنونه بأبي الحكم، فدعاه النبي فقال: إن الله هو الحكم، وإليه الحكم، فلم تكنيت بأبي الحكم؟ قال: لا، ولكن قومي إذا اختلفوا في شيء، أتوني فحكمت بينهم، فرضي كلا الفريقين. قال: ما أحسن هذا. ثم قال: ما لك من الولد؟ قلت: لي شريح، وعبد الله، ومسلم بو هانئ. قال: فمن أكبرهم؟ قلت: شريح. قال: فأنت أبو شريح. ودعا له ولولده. وسمع النبي ﷺ قوما يسمون رجلا منهم: عبد الحجر، فقال النبي ﷺ: ما اسمك؟ قال: عبد الحجر. قال: لا، أنت عبد الله. قال شريح: وإن هانئا لما حضر رجوعه إلى بلاده أتى النبي ﷺ فقال: أخبرني بأي شيء يوجب لي الجنة؟ قال: عليك بحسن الكلام، وبذل الطعام.
Bukhari narrated it in Adab al-Mufrad (811), Ibn Hibban (504), Abu Dawud (4955), Ibn Hibban (490), Hakim (23/1), and Tabarani in Al-Kabir (22/180), all of them through routes from Yazid bin Miqdam bin Shurayh, from his father Miqdam, from his father Shurayh, from his father Hani bin Yazid, who said, then he related it.The wording given is that of Bukhari and Ibn Hibban in the first reference, while the others abridged it. Its chain of transmission is hasan on account of Yazid bin Miqdam, for he is "truthful," and Hakim graded it sahih.