✅Answer:

1 سُئِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مَتَى تَجِبُ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ إِذَا عَقَلَ الصَّلَاةَ وَ كَانَ ابْنَ سِتِّ سِنِين

📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 168

It was asked of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): 'From what age is the funeral prayer obligatory for him?' He said: 'When he understands prayer and is six years old!'

2 زُرَارَة قَال: مَاتَ إبن لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ فَأُخْبِرَ بِمَوْتِهِ فَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَغُسِّلَ وَ كُفِّنَ وَ مَشَى مَعَهُ وَ صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ وَ طُرِحَتْ خُمْرَةٌ فَقَامَ عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ قَامَ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ وَ انْصَرَفْتُ مَعَهُ حَتَّى إِنِّي لَأَمْشِي مَعَهُ فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُصَلَّى عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا وَ كَانَ ابْنَ ثَلَاثِ سِنِينَ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ يَأْمُرُ بِهِ فَيُدْفَنُ وَ لَا يُصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ وَ لَكِنَّ النَّاسَ صَنَعُوا شَيْئاً فَنَحْنُ نَصْنَعُ مِثْلَهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ: فَمَتَى تَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ فَقَالَ إِذَا عَقَلَ الصَّلَاةَ وَ كَانَ ابْنَ سِتِّ سِنِينَ

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 207

Zurarah said: 'A boy of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) passed away, and the news was given to the Imam. So he ordered for him to be washed and shrouded, and he walked with him and prayed over him, and a prayer rug was spread out, and he stood upon it until he was finished with his affair. Then the حضرت returned and I returned too, and as I was walking with him, he said: 'Be aware that the prayer is not prayed over a child like this, and that child was 3 years old, and Ali (peace be upon him) used to order that children like this be buried and he would not pray over them, but now the people (i.e., the public) do a thing and we (out of dissimulation) do the same thing!'

Zurarah said: I said: 'When is it obligatory to pray the funeral prayer over him?' He said: 'When he understands prayer and is 6 years old!'

3 عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى يَقُولُ لَمَّا قُبِضَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ قَالَ يَا عَلِيُّ قُمْ فَجَهِّزِ ابْنِي فَقَامَ عَلِيٌّ فَغَسَّلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ حَنَّطَهُ وَ كَفَّنَهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ بِهِ وَ مَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَتَّى انْتَهَى بِهِ إِلَى قَبْرِهِ فَقَالَ النَّاسُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّه نَسِيَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِمَا دَخَلَهُ مِنَ الْجَزَعِ عَلَيْهِ فَانْتَصَبَ قَائِماً ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَتَانِي جَبْرَئِيلُ بِمَا قُلْتُمْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنِّي نَسِيتُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ عَلَى ابْنِي لِمَا دَخَلَنِي مِنَ الْجَزَعِ أَلَا وَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ كَمَا ظَنَنْتُمْ وَ لَكِنَّ اللَّطِيفَ الْخَبِيرَ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ وَ جَعَلَ لِمَوْتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ لَا أُصَلِّيَ إِلَّا عَلَى مَنْ صَلَّى

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 208

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) said: 'When Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of God (prayers of God be upon him and his family), passed away, he said: 'O Ali, get up and prepare my son (for burial).' So he washed Ibrahim, anointed him, and shrouded him, and then he brought him out, and the Messenger of God (prayers of God be upon him and his family) walked with him until he reached the grave!'

The people said: 'The Messenger of God (prayers of God be upon him and his family) forgot to pray over him because of the grief that afflicted him!'

So he stood and said: 'O people! Gabriel brought me what you said! You think that I forgot to pray over my son because of the grief that afflicted me! Be aware that it is not as you think! But the Lord, the Subtle, the All-Aware, has made five prayers obligatory for you and has appointed one 'takbir' for every prayer for the deceased, and He has commanded me not to pray (the funeral prayer) except over one who has prayed!'

4 صَلَّى أَبو جعفر عَلى ابْنٍ لَهُ صَبِيٍّ صَغِيرٍ لَهُ ثَلَاثُ سِنِينَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَوْ لَا أَنَّ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ لَا يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى الصِّغَارِ مِنْ أَوْلَادِهِمْ مَا صَلَّيْتُ عَلَيْه

📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 167

Shaykh Saduq said: 'Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) prayed the funeral prayer over his three-year-old son, then he said: 'If the people would not say: 'Banu Hashim do not pray over their young children,' I would not have prayed over him!''

✅ In numerous narrations, the age of six has been set as the limit for the obligation of the funeral prayer, and the funeral prayer is not prescribed for a child under the age of 6. Of course, the jurists of the general public have considered the funeral prayer for a child from the very beginning of his birth, and therefore the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) were forced to practice dissimulation in their actions and rulings. The few narrations that suggest the necessity of the funeral prayer for a child who at least cried and wailed at birth are in agreement with the general public and, as stated by the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), are not to be acted upon.