The Ruling on Striking a Child for the Purpose of Education

Our sister Umm al-Hasan asks, along with the female teachers, Your Eminence the Shaykh, about striking female students for the purpose of education, and for the purpose of encouraging them to perform their duties. She says: The reason for the striking is to encourage the student, male or female, to perform the duties required of them, and to accustom them to not being negligent in them?
Answer: There is nothing wrong with that. The male teacher, the female teacher, and the parent, each of them must pay attention to the children and discipline whoever deserves discipline if they fall short in their duty, so that they may become accustomed to noble character and so that they may be upright in what is required of righteous deeds. For this reason, it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: So if a boy is to be struck, and likewise a girl is to be struck when each of them reaches the age of ten and falls short in prayer, he or she is to be disciplined until he or she is upright in prayer. And so it is with the other duties in education, in household affairs, and in other matters. It is obligatory for the guardians of young males and females to pay attention to guiding and disciplining them, but the striking must be of a kind that carries no danger; a light striking that achieves the intended purpose without harm to either the male or the female. Yes.