Sunan Abi Dawud 497
سنن أبي داود#497Da'ifحَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْمَهْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي مُعَاذُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ خُبَيْبٍ الْجُهَنِيُّ، قَالَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لاِمْرَأَتِهِ مَتَى يُصَلِّي الصَّبِيُّ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا يَذْكُرُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ " إِذَا عَرَفَ يَمِينَهُ مِنْ شِمَالِهِ فَمُرُوهُ بِالصَّلاَةِ " .
Narrated Mu'adh ibn Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani: Hisham ibn Sa'd reported: We entered upon Mu'adh ibn Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani. He said to his wife: When (at what age) should a boy pray? She replied: Some person of us reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about it; he said: When a boy distinguishes right hand from the left hand, then command him to pray
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: 2:107