In our society, using violence to discipline children is considered a legitimate right of parents and teachers, which justifies the use of physical punishment for training.
Consequently, violent behavior becomes an integral part of a person’s psyche, leading them to solve problems using violence. In certain situations, mild corporal punishment may sometimes seem permissible to emphasize the seriousness of a case. However, even such mild punishment from compassionate parents is enough to instill a warning. Nevertheless, violence is never justifiable.
Teaching children discipline, manners, and necessary skills requires effort but does not necessitate physical punishment. Resorting to reform through violence is a mistake in training. What is actually required for such reform is behavioral reformation.
Religious justification for torturing children is attributed to a tradition allegedly associated with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), stating that a ten-year-old should be punished for not offering mandatory prayers. This narration lacks authentic proof.1 This tradition contradicts acceptable norms of knowledge, reason, and the nature of the religion.2 If prayer is mandatory only for adults, it becomes inconceivable to understand the wisdom behind punishing a ten-year-old for not praying. Moreover, psychologists can explain the impact of harsh treatment in childhood on behavior and the connection with religion.
Considering the kindest personality of the Holy Prophet, who always preached religion kindly, calmly, and rationally, issuing a command to use violence and mental pressure to force people to offer prayers—the conscious act of worship—is perplexing.
Violence is embedded in our feudal culture. The use of violence against subjects to subdue them has remained an integral part of our culture. We frequently observe diverse manifestations of violence. Idioms and proverbs in our regional languages reflect justifications for violence. Consider the following poetic verses of Baba Bullay
Shah:
When a child’s parents or guardians inform a teacher that they are free to exercise any physical punishment as long as they only need to save the child’s bones, they actually justify violence. People proudly recount how much they were beaten by their parents and teachers during childhood. It indicates that in our society, physical punishment is not the last resort but a preferred method. Children trained by violence develop traits of fear, insecurity, hypocrisy, lies, dishonesty, cowardice, rudeness, and the pursuit of interests and goals by force.
If the society seems to be at an unbearable level of moral decay, considering it right to solve problems by violence and force, then there is a deep involvement of the narrative of reform through violence. A large number of people believe that the only effective way to bring about positive change in the country is to lay the foundations of reconstruction by eliminating corrupt politicians, advocating for their execution.
Those who favor dictatorship also share the same psychology. They see the solution to the country’s problems in an autocratic ruler who corrects everything with an iron fist. Vandalism of public and private property by various groups to meet their demands and violent clashes during political elections and religious gatherings are manifestations of this violence.
Even the field of medicine is not immune to this cruel psychology of violence.
Doctors consider it acceptable to fulfill their demands by holding patients hostage during strikes. Lawyers group together to justify attacks and violence against opponents. The police consider torturing detained suspects justifiable. The public finds it acceptable to risk people’s employment and even lives to have their demands fulfilled.
Four books came from the divine, accompanied by a stick.
The books failed to do what the stick did so effectively.
ا ڈ ن ڈ اھ ت ل ںوتا ،ںا ی ھ ت ل ںوتا ںاب ا تک را
ا ڈ ن ڈ ا ت یک جک ب س ،ا ت یک ہ ن جک ںاب ا تک را
The violent mindset is unaware of the psychological and social science factors that lead to real change in individuals and society, as well as the time required for such change. The psychology of violence does not acknowledge the tragic historical experiences of the consequences caused by forceful and destructive change.
Change driven by fear and anxiety is negative and unsustainable. A sustainable change can only come through addressing the conscience of individuals, which requires ample time.
Nothing is more effective than creating a good environment and the personal role of parents and teachers in shaping positive behavior in children and preventing negative habits. Violence against children is a horrific act whose consequences are borne by the entire society, including individuals and families. The law should play an effective role in preventing violence against children. The first step in this regard is the proper mental training of the police themselves.
References:
- The text of the hadith report is as follows:
Amr Ibn Shoaib reports from his father who reports from his grandfather that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said,“Command your children to offer prayer when they are seven years old, punish them if they do not offer prayer when they are ten years old, and separate them in bed.
In hadith literature, this narrative has been narrated from only two Companions:
1. Sabra bin Ma’bad al-Jahni (may Allah be pleased with him).
2. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him).
All the narrations narrated from the first companion, Sabra bin Ma’bad al-Jahni, are weak because of a weak narrator, ‘Abd al-Mālikbin al-Rabī’ al-Jahni. The ruling on this narration from scholars of hadith is: “the chain of narrators is weak as it includes ‘Abd al-Mālik b. al-Rabi’i al-Jahni who is known for reporting weak narrations.”
The narration ascribed to the second companion, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) is disconnected. It was first narrated in Al-Madūnah al-Kubrā of Imam Malik. (1/132). This narration is narrated by Ibn Wahb, who was born in 125 AH, while both of the Companions from whom he is quoting died before 65 AH. That is, his meeting with them is not proven. Imam Malik, despite being aware of this tradition, did not include it in al-Mu’aṭ̣ ̣ṭā.
This narration from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was first published in the book of Hadith authored by Ibn Abū Shaybah.
In all these narrations, a narrator is ‘Saw1r bin Dāwūdwho is not trustworthy for many hadith scholars of Jarh and Ta‘dīl. For example, Hāfiz Dhahabi has declared him ḍa‘īf.
In the same way, the narration is not reliable according to the author of Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb. He claims that the narrator is weak but some people still consider him reliable. No one considers his opinion reliable except Ahmad bin Hanbal.
Therefore, on the basis of this one narrator alone, all the narrations narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) about the issue can be considered ḍa‘īf. This is the reason why many contemporary scholars of Hadith have not accepted this tradition on the basis of isnād.
Moreover, it is not clear in the narration whether ‘Amr binShu‘ayb is narrating from his own grandfather through his father or his father is narrating from his grandfather (‘Amr ibn Shayb anAbīhi an-Ja’dah). In the first case, it will be irsāl (hurried) in the tradition and, in the second case, it will be inqiṭā‘ (disconnection).
Ibn Abi Shaybah has also quoted this whole thing separately as a statement of a tābi‘ī (successor of a Prophet’s companion), which strengthens the argument that it was not a hadith at all. It was merely a statement of a follower.Here is the report from al-Muṣannif: Wakī‘ says that Sufyan heard from Abi Rajah who heard from Maqhul, “When your children are seven years old, command them to pray, and when they turn ten years old, beat them for not praying.
It was probably the influence of a Companion or the ijtihadi opinion of atābi‘ī, which resulted in reportage of this narrative. This conclusion is also supported by another tradition of MusnadBazār. Imam Shawkāniī has also pointed out the same thing in his book “Nīlal-Awṭār” and said that, in another narration, it is clear that this whole narration was found written on a paper after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in which the words of a person were mentioned without the reference of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It indicated permission of beating 9-year-old children for not praying. The text is:
It was narrated from ‘Ubaydullah bin AbīRāfi’, who reported his father to have said:
We found a piece of paper next to a sword after the demise of the Prophet (PBUH).
The paper contained the following word: “In the name of Allah, the Most beneficent, the Most Merciful.Separate the beds of siblings after the age of seven, and, in my opinion, punish your children for not praying when they reach the age of nine.”
This is why Bukhārī and Muslim did not accept this hadīths in their hadith collections (Ṣaḥīḥ). (The content is based on research article “Beating Children for Not Praying” by Muhammad Hassan Ilyas, published in Monthly Ishraq, August, 2021.
- The same as above