A man whose son has abandoned prayer, despite his repeated orders to pray, and the son did not respond; what is the father's responsibility?

The questioner : My final question is: What is the ruling on a man who has a son who abandons prayer, and he calls him to prayer, he calls him to prayer, but to no avail?

The Shaykh : How old is Amr?

The questioner : Elderly.

The Shaykh : How old is Amr?

The questioner : I mean, he is eighteen or nineteen years old.

The Shaykh : Eighteen. Well, surely his father, when Amr was between eight and eighteen, did not order him to pray, either because the father himself might not have been praying, God knows, or he was praying but was negligent in applying the noble Prophetic command: I can hardly imagine a father and mother who raise and educate a child, whether male or female, within the bounds of the Shari'ah rulings, including ordering him to pray when he is seven years old in the best manner. His father would take him to the mosque, he would get accustomed to prayer, to wudu', to ritual purity, and so on. If he reaches the age of ten and is not praying, they should beat him for it. Neither the father nor the mother should be lenient or merciful toward their son in this matter, why? Because the Shari'ah has commanded them to do so. If this child reaches the age of maturity, the age of legal accountability, then it is no longer possible to manage his situation with commands and prohibitions, why? Because previously he was not ordered and not prohibited. Therefore, we place all the blame on the fathers who complain about their sons after they reach the age of legal accountability, where the father has no Shari'ah-based command over him, although obedience is obligatory. At that point, the old Arabic proverb is said: Now that he has reached this age of eighteen years and he does not pray, and by Allah, if you hit him, he will hit you; if you kill him, he will kill you. And so, you feel this, so you can do nothing except say "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (There is no power nor strength except with Allah), except to complain about the matter to someone you trust among your friends, but to no avail, why? This child was like a tender, soft sapling that you planted, and you started to see it leaning east, west, north, south, while you wanted it to grow upright and straight on its trunk. So you left it and neglected it, whereas every time you saw it bending a little, you would straighten it like this, and like this, until it stands straight on the path as you wish. At that point, it would be pleasing to you to look at it and enjoy it, whether by looking at it or eating from its fruits. But after it has reached the age of stability, leaning right or left or otherwise, how can we fix this tree? It is finished; in the summer, you have lost the milk. The important thing is that if one is afflicted with such a son, and he has fulfilled his obligation of ordering him to pray and beating him for prayer as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded, then he is not held accountable by Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Then he is like Noah (peace be upon him) and his son who was undutiful to him and said to him, "Board with us." He said, "I will take refuge in a mountain that will protect me from the water." The summary is that he is excused, and the important thing is that he has cleared himself of violating the Shari'ah. But if he was, in reality, as he believed, the one who was negligent, and he is the cause of this son's misguidance, disobedience, and non-response to his father's order to pray after he reached this age of eighteen, then this is what is required. Finally, he has nothing left but to supplicate to Allah the Mighty and Majestic for him, that He may guide him to the straight path.