In short: Anas ibn Malik had a younger brother, a small boy called Abu ‘Umair, who had a little bird (a nughayr). The Prophet ﷺ used to tease him gently: “O Abu ‘Umair, what did the little bird do?” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6129).
The story
Anas ibn Malik, who served the Prophet ﷺ for years, described how close the Prophet ﷺ was with ordinary people, so close that he joked with Anas’s little brother. The boy had a small bird he played with, and the Prophet ﷺ would ask him about it by name (Sahih al-Bukhari 6129).
He called the child by a kunya, “Abu ‘Umair”, the kind of name used for grown men, and spoke to him about the thing the child cared about most.
What we can take from it
- Children notice who takes them seriously. Ask them about their world, by name.
- Gentle humour is part of the Sunnah. He joked, and only ever said what was true.
- No one was too small for his attention.