Sunan Abi Dawud 1681
سنن أبي داود#1681Hasanحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَادَةَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أُمَّ سَعْدٍ مَاتَتْ فَأَىُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ " الْمَاءُ " . قَالَ فَحَفَرَ بِئْرًا وَقَالَ هَذِهِ لأُمِّ سَعْدٍ .
Narrated Sa'd ibn Ubadah: Sa'd asked: Messenger of Allah, Umm Sa'd has died; what form of sadaqah is best? He replied: Water (is best). He dug a well and said: It is for Umm Sa'd
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
Al-AlbaniHasan
Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul HamidHasan
Shuaib Al ArnautDaif
Zubair Ali ZaiDaif
In-book reference: 9:126