What is the ruling on using beating as a means of raising children?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to use beating as a means of raising children?
The Shaykh : I do not see that as permissible, given the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 495Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani). There is no doubt that the most important thing a child is raised upon is obedience to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and especially regarding the second pillar of Islam, which is prayer. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not allow a father to beat his son except when he reached the age of ten, then I believe it should be among the methods of Islamic upbringing that a child is not beaten before he reaches the age of ten, based on the hadith of which I mentioned a portion earlier, which you know in its entirety, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Abi Dawud 495Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani). There is no mistake a child commits that is greater than his turning away from prayer, and yet the hadith commands us to be gentle with him and to advise him well, and not to use beating against him until he reaches the age of ten.
This is my opinion, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : I do not see that as permissible, given the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old
واضربوهم عليها وهم أبناء عشرCommand your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.
مُرُوا أولادكم بالصلاة وهم أبناء سبع ، واضربوهم عليها وهم أبناء عشر ، وفرِّقوا بينهم في المضاجعThis is my opinion, and Allah knows best.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.