Advice to parents who do not care about raising their children in prayer

Question:
May Allah reward you. The sender, Muhammad Abdullah, says: I am a committed young man, and I have brothers who do not pray. My father and mother are observant of prayer, fasting, and voluntary acts of worship, but they do not care about my brothers' prayer. When I tell them that my brothers are not praying, they say, "Every person is responsible for their own sin, and guidance is in the hand of Allah." They are careful about us regarding our studies, work, food, and sleep, but they are not concerned with prayer and have not trained us in it since we were young. If one of us falls short in prayer, they do not hold us accountable or reprimand us. When the adhan is called, my father goes to the mosque knowing that all my brothers are in the house, and my mother goes to her room to pray, knowing that all my brothers are in the house. When I tell them that my brothers have not prayed, they say to me, "You go out and leave them." This is the case with Fajr as well. I have told them many times that my father wakes them up to go to school but does not wake them to go to the mosque. Even on vacation days, he does not care about their prayer. What is the ruling on my parents' action? And what do you advise them? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
You have done well, may Allah reward you with good, for your concern in this matter, for forbidding what is wrong, and for your zeal for your brothers. You are doing a good deed. As for parents who neglect the matter of their children, specifically regarding their prayer, this is a great defect and a neglect of a great obligation that is due to them. Indeed, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has charged them with raising their children, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Order your children to pray ." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, So it is obligatory for the parents to oversee their children by ordering them to pray and compelling them to pray. If a child reaches the age of ten and does not pray, it is obligatory for them to beat him, by the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, they have neglected a great obligation. Even if they are observant of prayer themselves, that is an obligatory thing that is necessary, but their neglect of their children is a squandering of another obligation for which they will be held accountable. As for their saying, "It is not your concern; you pray and leave them," this is a false statement and is not permissible. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, So, if not with his hand, then with his tongue . Allah the Exalted says, And among the greatest protections for the family from the Fire is ordering them to maintain prayer and compelling them to pray. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), piety. And He said regarding Isma'il (peace be upon him) that he , , and he used to order his family to prayer and zakah. So it is obligatory for the parents, and for Muslims in general, to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, especially regarding relatives. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said, So it is a great obligation for the parents toward their children, and they must not leave them to squander prayer and sit in their houses, for they are responsible for them before Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. And if they want dutifulness and good from their children, they must raise them in religion and good character. For raising is not limited to raising the body with food, drink, clothing, and financial support. The raising that is more important than this is the raising of the souls, the raising of the hearts, to the obedience of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. This is the beneficial raising, the useful raising. As for limiting it to raising the bodies, this leads to evil and leads to deviation if it is not accompanied by the raising of the hearts and the raising of the souls to the obedience of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Yes.