Sunan Abi Dawud 5202
سنن أبي داود#5202Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ - عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ قَالَ أَنَسٌ أَتَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى غِلْمَانٍ يَلْعَبُونَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ .
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to some children who were playing: He saluted them
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
Shuaib Al ArnautSahih
Zubair Ali ZaiIsnaad Sahih
In-book reference: 43:430