Advice to fathers who are concerned with worldly matters over religion

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Question: Some fathers do not care about their children regarding religious matters. For example, they do not order them to pray, read the Qur'an, or keep the company of the righteous. We find that they order them to maintain their school attendance and get angry if their son misses it. So what is your advice, O honorable Shaykh?

Answer: My advice to fathers, uncles, and brothers is to fear Allah regarding the children under their care, to command them to pray when they reach the age of seven, and to beat them for it when they reach the age of ten, as the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) states that he said:

Order your children to pray when they are seven, beat them for it when they are ten, and separate them in their beds.

مروا أبناءكم بالصلاة لسبع واضربوهم عليها لعشر وفرقوا بينهم في المضاجع

Sunan ad-Daraqutni 3:5

It is obligatory for fathers and mothers, and for older brothers, to take charge of those under their care in prayer and other matters, to prevent them from what Allah has forbidden, and to bind them to what Allah has made obligatory. This is the obligation, for they are a trust in their hands. Allah the Exalted says:

O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا

[Al-Tahrim: 6], and Allah says :

And enjoin upon your family the prayer and be patient in it.

وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا

[Ta-Ha: 132]. And He says regarding His Prophet and Messenger Ismail (peace be upon him):

And mention in the Book, Ishmael. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a messenger and a prophet.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَبِيًّا ۝

[Maryam 19:54]

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا [Maryam: 54, 55]. So it is upon us to obey the command of Allah the Exalted and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to bind our families and children to the obedience of Allah and His Messenger in prayer and other matters, and to prevent them from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, such as neglecting prayer, drinking intoxicants, smoking, listening to musical instruments, and keeping the company of the wicked, and the like. And we must bind them to the company of the righteous.
Thus it is obligatory for the guardians to do this with the males and females under their care, and Allah the Exalted will question them about it on the Day of Resurrection, as He said: :

So by your Lord, We will surely question them all.

فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ۝

عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ [Al-Hijr: 92 - 93].
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The Imam is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock, and the man is a shepherd in his household and is responsible for his flock, and the woman is a shepherd in her husband's house and is responsible for her flock, and the slave is a shepherd in his master's wealth and is responsible for his flock.

كلكم راع، وكلكم مسئول عن رعيته؛ فالإمام راع وهو مسؤول عن رعيته، والرجل راع في أهل بيته ومسؤول عن رعيته، والمرأة راعية في بيت زوجها ومسؤولة عن رعيتها، والعبد راع في مال سيده ومسؤول عن رعيته

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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