Question Summary:
Authenticity of the Hadith regarding the virtue of looking at the parents’ face

Question Detail:

Could you please confirm whether the following is an authentic hadith. I’ve read somewhere that it is a fabrication.
Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The pious offspring who casts a single look of affection at his parents receives a reward from Allah equal to the reward of an accepted Hajj.” The people enquired: “O Prophet of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), if someone casts a hundred such glances of love and affection at his parents, what then?” The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Yes, indeed, even if one does so a hundred times a day, he will get a hundred fold reward. Allah is far greater than you imagine and is completely free from petty narrow mindedness.” [Sahih Muslim]

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The Hadīth in reference has been narrated through three different chains of narrators:
1)     Imām Ibn-e-Abi Dunya narrates it in his book; Makārim-ul-Aqlāq:
حدثنا الحسن بن يوسف بن يزيد نا بقية بن الوليد عن عمار بن عبد الملك عن بحر السقاء عن الحكم بن أبان عن عكرمة عن بن عباس قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ما من رجل بار ينظر إلى والديه أو والدته نظرة رحمة إلا كتب الله تلك النظرة حجة متقلبة مبرورة قالوا يا رسول الله وإن نظر في اليوم مائة مرة قال الله أكبر من ذلك [1]
However, majority of its the narrators are unreliable.[2] Therefore, this narration is unreliable.
2)     Imām Bayhaqi has also narrated it in Shu’ab-ul-Īmān with a different chain of narrators:
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ فِي التَّارِيخِ، أنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَامِدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي مَكِّيُّ بنُ عَبْدَانَ، نا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، نا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، نا نَهْشَلُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " مَا مِنْ وَلَدٍ بَارٍّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى  وَالِدَتِهِ نَظْرَةَ رَحْمَةٍ إِلَّا كَانَ لَهُ بِكُلِّ نَظْرَةٍ حَجَّةٌ مَبْرُورَةٌ "، قَالُوا: وَإِنْ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ؟ قَالَ: " نَعَمْ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَأَطْيَبُ " مَنْصُورُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ هُوَ وَالِدُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ السُّلَمِيِّ النَّيْسَابُورِيِّ [3]
This chain contains a narrator by the name of Nahshal Ibn Saeed regarding whom Imām Dhahabī states: [4]
قال إسحاق بن راهويه: كان كذابا
“Ishāq Ibn Rahway stated that he (Nahshal) was extremely untruthful.”
Therefore, this narration is also unreliable.
3)     Imām Dhahabī has narrated the Hadith in Siyaru A’lām-in-Nubalā:
قَرَأْنَا عَلَى عِيْسَى بنِ يَحْيَى، أَخبركُم مَنْصُوْرُ بنُ سَنَد، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو طَاهِرٍ السِّلَفِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ أَحْمَدَ الحَافِظُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ عُمَرَ الوَاعِظ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ العَسَّال، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ رُسْتَه، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا زَافِرُ بنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنِ المُسْتَلِم بن سَعِيْدٍ، عَنِ الحَكَمِ بنِ أَبَانٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: "مَا مِنْ وَلَدٍ بَارٍّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى وَالِدِهِ نَظْرَةَ رَحْمَةٍ إِلاَّ كَانَتْ لَهُ بِكُلِّ رَحْمَةٍ حَجَّةٌ مَبْرُوْرَةٌ"، قِيْلَ: وَإِنْ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مائَةُ رَحمَةٍ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ، إِنَّ اللهَ أَطْيَبُ وَأَكْثَر [5]
This chain contains a narrator by the name of Muhammad Ibn Humaid regarding whom Imām Dhahabī quotes from different Muhaddithīn:[6]
عن يعقوب القمي، وابن المبارك [من بحور العلم] وهو ضعيف. قال يعقوب بن شيبة: كثير المناكير ...... وقال صالح جزرة: ما رأيت أحذق بالكذب من ابن حميد ومن ابن الشاذكونى.......
“….he is unreliable, …….he  has many unacceptable narrations, ……I have not seen anybody more artful in lying than Ibn Humaid and Ibn Shaadhkūnī…...”
Therefore, all these narrations are extremely weak. In fact, Allāmah Suyuti and Allāmah Ibn ‘Arrāq have classified it as a fabrication. Both have narrated the Hadīth in their books on fabricated Ahādīth; Az-Ziyādāt ‘Al-al-Mawdhū’āt[7] and Tanzihu-sh-Sharī’ah[8] respectively.
However, this is only regarding such Ahādīth which mention the virtue of receiving the reward of Haj upon every glance. Other Ahādīth mention a similar virtue but in relation to serving ones parents:
عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال أتى رجلٌ رسولَ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال إني أشتهي الجهاد ولا أقدر عليه قال هل بقي مِن والديك أحدٌ قال أمي قال فاَبْلِ الله في برها فإذا فعلت ذلك فأنت حاج ومعتمر ومجاهد.[9] 
Sayyidunā Anas (radiyallahu’anhu) reports that a man came to Rasulullāh (Sallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) and said, “I wish to participate in Jihād, but I cannot afford it.” Rasulullāh (Sallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) enquired if any of his parents were alive, to which he said: “Yes! My mother is alive.” Rasulullāh (Sallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said, “Show Allāh how you serve her. If you do so (duly) you will be like a: Hājī, a Mu’tamir (one doing ‘Umrah) and a Mujāhid (One striving in Allāh’s way).”
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Nabeel Valli
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net