Muwatta Malik 1472
موطأ مالك#1472Da'ifThese are the words of a Companion, not of the Prophet ﷺ. The chain is graded on its own terms.
وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ عَنِ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ سُئِلَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ، تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ رَقَبَةٌ هَلْ يُعْتِقُ فِيهَا ابْنَ زِنًا فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ نَعَمْ ذَلِكَ يُجْزِئُ عَنْهُ .
Malik related to me that he had heard that al-Maqburi said that Abu Hurayra was asked whether a man who had to free a slave, could free an illegitimate child to fulfil that obligation. Abu Hurayra said, "Yes. That will give satisfaction for him
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:
In-book reference: 38:9