سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ جُوَيْرِيَةٍ[2] لَيْسَ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهَا مَحْرَمٌ تَغْشَانِي فَأَحْمِلُهَا فَأُقَبِّلُهَا فَقَالَ إِذَا أَتَى عَلَيْهَا سِتُّ سِنِينَ فَلَا تَضَعْهَا عَلَى حَجْرِكَ[3].
“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about a girl who is not a relative to me who holds me and I carry her and kiss her. He (the Imam) said, ‘When she becomes six years old then you must not place her in your lap.’”
قَالَ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْجَارِيَةُ الْحُرَّةُ سِتَّ سِنِينَ فَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ تُقَبِّلَهَا.
‘When a free girl becomes six years old then it is not proper for you to kiss her.’”
أَنَّ بَعْضَ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ دَعَاهُ مَعَ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ فَأَتَى بِصَبِيَّةٍ لَهُ فَأَدْنَاهَا أَهْلُ الْمَجْلِسِ جَمِيعاً إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَمَّا دَنَتْ مِنْهُ سَأَلَ عَنْ سِنِّهَا فَقِيلَ خَمْسٌ فَنَحَّاهَا عَنْهُ[4]
“A certain person of banu Hashim once invited abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), along with a group of his people and a girl was brought in the gathering. People called her one by one and when she was brought near him (the Imam) he asked, ‘How old is she ? 5 It was said that she was five years old. He (the Imam) then aske