Fulfilling the Trust in Commanding One's Children to Pray and Stand in Night Prayer

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, I am a man who commands my family to pray the obligatory prayer, and I am strict with them in this matter. However, sometimes I find my son sleeping and being lazy, and some of them lie to me at times out of fear of being beaten. I see myself as falling short in this, especially regarding standing in night prayer and memorizing the Qur'an. Do you think I have fulfilled the trust, O Shaykh, by commanding my children to pray and being strict with them?

Answer:
And peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. There is no doubt that the father bears a great responsibility toward his children and his family.
So he must fulfill what Allah has placed upon him and be patient. Patience is necessary; it is not enough that you wake them up, and when they wake up and talk, you leave them alone. They must get up while you are with them, get up for the ablution and the prayer, and you should accompany them to the mosque with you. Be patient with this, once, twice, and then they will become accustomed to it. But if they become accustomed to your laxity and your lack of diligence, and you are content with just waking them up, then they will grow up with laziness, lying, and what you mentioned about them being late after you. So be patient with them. With Allah's permission, once or twice, they will get used to it and know your seriousness. The important thing is that they know your seriousness from you. If they know your seriousness and firmness, they will be firm. If they know your leniency and laxity, they will be lazy and lax. So you must be patient and seek reward from Allah. As for the matter of night prayer and voluntary fasting, there is much good in it. Do not deprive yourself of standing in night prayer, even if it is a little, and let it be in the last part of the night, and conclude it with the witr prayer.
Do not deprive yourself of this. Likewise, the recommended fasting: fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, three days of every month, the days on which fasting is recommended such as the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and fasting in the month of Muharram, the most emphasized being the ninth and tenth. And any increase in fasting is an increase in good. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good,