Is there a Hadith about children taking their parents to Paradise with them?

Yes, there are several Hadith narrations about children taking their parents to Paradise with them.

The Hadith narrations regarding children taking their parents to Paradise with them are of varying authenticity. Some of them are authentic without doubt, and others of them are more questionable.

عَنْ أَبِي حَسَّانَ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ لِيَ ابْنَانِ، فَمَا أَنْتَ مُحَدِّثِي عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِحَدِيثٍ تُطَيِّبُ بِهِ أَنْفُسَنَا عَنْ مَوْتَانَا؟ قَالَ: قَالَ: نَعَمْ، صِغَارُهُمْ دَعَامِيصُ الْجَنَّةِ يَتَلَقَّى أَحَدُهُمْ أَبَاهُ – أَوْ قَالَ أَبَوَيْهِ -، فَيَأْخُذُ بِثَوْبِهِ – أَوْ قَالَ بِيَدِهِ -، كَمَا آخُذُ أَنَا بِصَنِفَةِ ثَوْبِكَ هَذَا، فَلَا يَتَنَاهَى – أَوْ قَالَ فَلَا يَنْتَهِي – حَتَّى يُدْخِلَهُ اللهُ وَأَبَاهُ الْجَنَّةَ

والدُّعْموصُ الدَّخَّالُ فِي الأُمور أَي أَنهم سَيّاحون فِي الجَنّة. (لسان العرب)

Abu Hassan said, I said to Abu Huraira (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) that my two children have died. Would you narrate to me a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which will soothe our hearts regarding our deceased? He said: Yes. ‘Their small children roam freely in Paradise. If one of them meets his father (or he said his parents) he will take hold of his clothing (or he said his hand), just as I take hold of the edge of your garment. And he (the child) will not stop until Allah (Most High) enters his father into Paradise’. (Sahih Muslim, 2635 -154).

This Hadith is in Sahih Muslim. Therefore, there is no doubt regarding the authenticity, it is certainly Sahih (see link below for details).

حَدَّثَنَا شُرَحْبِيلُ بْنُ شُفْعَةَ، عَنْ بَعْضِ، أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: ” إِنَّهُ يُقَالُ لِلْوِلْدَانِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ “. قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُونَ: يَا رَبِّ حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ آبَاؤُنَا وَأُمَّهَاتُنَا “، قَالَ: ” فَيَأْتُونَ ” قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: مَا لِي أَرَاهُمْ مُحْبَنْطِئِينَ، ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ “، قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُونَ: يَا رَبِّ آبَاؤُنَا “، قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُ: ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ “

Shurahbeel bin Shuf’ah narrated from one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘On the Day of Judgment it will be said to children, Enter Paradise. He ﷺ said, They will say, Our Lord, when our fathers and mothers enter. He ﷺ said, so they will arrive. Allah Mighty and Majestic will say, Why do I see them hesitating, Enter Paradise. They will say Our Lord, our parents. He (Most High) will say, Enter Paradise, you and your parents.’ (Ahmad 16971, Sahih).

This Hadith narration is authentic according to Imam Noorud-deen al-Haythami:

رواه أحمد ورجاله ثقات. (مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد)

(Imam) Ahmad narrated it, the narrators (in the chain) are all reliable. (Majma al-Zawaid).

رواه أحمد ورجاله رجال الصحيح غير شرحبيل وهو ثقة. (مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد)

(Imam) Ahmad narrated it, the narrators (in the chain) are all the narrators of the Sahih, except for Shurahbeel, he is reliable. (Majma al-Zawaid).

عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ السِّقْطَ، لَيَجُرُّ أُمَّهُ بِسَرَرِهِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ إِذَا احْتَسَبَتْهُ

(Sayidina) Mu’aadh bin Jabal (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The miscarried fetus will drag his mother to paradise using his umbilical cord, if she (was patient and) sought reward (for her loss).’ (Sunan Ibn Maja, 1609).

The authenticity of this Hadith narration is differed over. Some considered it to be weak and others consider it Hasan or close to Hasan. (Note: Imam Ahmad has this narration in his Musnad, 22090, with a similar chain, some scholars commented on that).

وفي سنن ابن ماجه أيضا عن معاذ مرفوعا والذي نفسي بيده إن السقط ليجر أمه بسرره إلى الجنة إذا احتسبته وفيه يحيى بن عبيد الله لا يعرف قاله الذهبي. (طرح التثريب في شرح التقريب)

In the Sunan of (Imam) Ibn Maja (there is a narration) from (Sayidina) Mu’aadh (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) from the Prophet ﷺ: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The miscarried fetus will drag his mother to paradise using his umbilical cord, if she (was patient and) sought reward (for her loss).’ In it (the chain of narrators) is Yahya bin Ubaydillah, and he is not known, as mentioned by (Imam) al-Dhahabi. (Imam Zayn al-Deen al-Iraqi, Tarh al-Tathreeb).

وَالَّذِي نَفسِي بِيَدِهِ إِن السقط ليجر أمه بسرره إِلَى الْجنَّة إِذا احتسبته رَوَاهُ أَحْمد وَالطَّبَرَانِيّ وَإسْنَاد أَحْمد حسن أَو قريب من الْحسن. (الترغيب والترهيب من الحديث الشريف)

‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The miscarried fetus will drag his mother to paradise using his umbilical cord, if she (was patient and) sought reward (for her loss).’ (Imam) Ahmad and (Imam) al-Tabaraani narrated it and the narration in Ahmad is Hasan or close to Hasan. (Imam Abd al-Adheem al-Mundhari, al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb).

رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ، وَالطَّبَرَانِيُّ فِي الْكَبِيرِ، وَفِيهِ يَحْيَى بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ التَّيْمِيُّ، وَلَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ وَثَّقَهُ وَلَا جَرَّحَهُ. (مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد)

It was narrated by (Imam) Ahmad and (Imam) al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and it has Yahya bin Ubaydillah in it (the chain of narrators). I did not find anyone who considered him sound or criticised him as a narrator. (Imam Noorud-deen al-Haythami, Majma al-Zawaid).

As seen above the fact that children take their parents to Paradise with them is well established in authentic narrations, and further details are provided in weaker Hadith narrations.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

-Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (14.03.2022)

See also:
Are all Hadith in Bukhari and Muslim Sahih?

See also (video):