Sunan Abi Dawud 4493
سنن أبي داود#4493Sahihحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ عُمَرَ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ - عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِذَا ضَرَبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَتَّقِ الْوَجْهَ " .
Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you inflicts a beating, he should avoid striking the face
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-AlbaniSahih
Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul HamidSahih
In-book reference: 40:143