Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 873 — The funeral prayer for a child

It is narrated from Maymun bin Mihran that he was with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) at a funeral when the people present began whispering among themselves that this was a child of zina (an illegitimate child). Meanwhile someone said that it is well known about such a person that he is the worst of the three. When this reached Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he rejected this notion, saying: "Certainly not; rather, he is the best of the three."
Clarification: The imams and commentators explain that the child is better than his fornicating parents because he is free and innocent of the intention of sin and of that shameful act, and the universal principle of the pure Shari'ah, 'And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another' (Surah Fatir: 18), makes it perfectly clear that no soul is made to bear the burden of another's sins.