Beating Children for Not Praying

In some books of hadith, it has been narrated in relation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that if children do not pray by the age of ten, they should be beaten until they start offering prayers.

The narration conveying this message is as follows:

“Amr bin Shu’aib narrated from his father, who narrated from his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When your children reach seven years old, instruct them to pray, and when they reach ten years old, beat them for not praying, and separate their sleeping beds.”¹

عن عمرو بن شعيب، عن أبيه، عن جده، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه

وسلم: ’’مروا أولادكم بالصلاة وهم أبناء سب ع سنين، واضربوهم عليها وهم أبناء

) ۴۹۵ عشر سنين، وفرقوا بينهم ف ي المضا ج ع‘‘. (سنن ابو داؤد ،رقم

In this article, we will try to understand this narration in light of the standards of authenticity established by the scholars of hadith.

This narration has been transmitted through only two companions in the hadith collections:

1. Sabrah bin Ma’bad al-Juhani 2. Abdullah bin Amr

Regarding the first companion, Sabrah bin Ma’bad al-Juhani, all the narrations transmitted in this context are considered “weak” by the scholars of hadith. The main reason for the weakness of these narrations is a narrator named Al-Rabi’ al-Juhani. The ruling of the scholars of hadith on this narration is as follows:

‘Its chain of narration is weak due to the presence of Abdul Malik bin Al-Rabi’ Al-Juhani, who is weak in hadith.’

These narrations are recorded in Musnad Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and Sunan Tirmidhi.

As for the second companion, Abdullah bin Amr, the earliest source in which this narration is found is “Al-Mudawwana al-Kubra” by Imam Malik. The words of this narration are:

“Malik said: Instruct children to pray when they lose their milk teeth. Sahnun narrated from Ibn Wahb, who narrated from Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As and Sabr al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When your children reach seven years old, instruct them to pray, and when they reach ten years old, beat them for not praying, and separate their sleeping beds.”²

Here, both companions are mentioned together, suggesting that the incident is the same. However, the issue with this narration is that it is narrated by Ibn Wahb, whose birth was in 125 AH, while the two companions he narrates from had both passed away before 65 AH.

Thus, this is also a disconnected narration, and due to the break in the chain, it is not acceptable. This is why, despite being aware of this narration, Imam Malik did not include it in his “Muwatta.”

The earliest book in which this narration from Abdullah bin Amr appears is the “Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah.” The words of this narration are:

وقال مالك: تؤمر الصبيان بالصلاة إذا أثغروا. قال سحنون، عن ابن وهب، عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص، وسبرة ال جهن ي أن رسول الله

ﷺ قال: ’’مروا الصبيان بالصلاة لسب ع سنين، واضربوهم عليها

)۱۳۲ /۱(.‘‘لعشر سنين، وفرقوا بينهم ف ي المضا ج ع

“Daud bin Suwar narrated from Amr bin Shu’aib, who narrated from his father, who narrated from his grandfather that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When your children reach seven years old, instruct them to pray, and when they reach ten years old, beat them for not praying, and separate their sleeping beds.”³

This chain of narration is the one that has been adopted in later books, and some scholars have accepted it, declaring it “hasan li ghairihi” ⁴ (good due to corroboration), thus making it widely known. It was accepted as an authentic saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The general ruling of scholars on this narration is:

‘Its chain of narration is sound for corroboration and testimony, and its narrators are trustworthy and reliable, except for Suwar bin Daud al-Mazini.’

However, in our view, a closer examination of these narrations in light of the standards of the chain of narration raises a few questions:

First, all of these narrations include ‘Suwar bin Daud,’ about whom many scholars of hadith criticism are not satisfied. For instance, Hafiz Dhahabi declared him weak. Similarly, the author of “Taqreeb at-Tahdhib” also does not consider him reliable, stating:

‘He is weak but his narrations are considered, though only Ahmad thought well of him.’

Thus, solely due to this one narrator, all the narrations in this chain transmitted from Abdullah bin Amr can be deemed “weak.” This is why many contemporary scholars of hadith have not accepted this narration as authentic.

The second question that arises from these narrations is regarding Amr bin Shu’aib, who narrates either from his father about his grandfather, or his father narrates from his grandfather (عمرو عن جده عن ،أبيه عن ،شعيب بن). The narration does not clarify this. If it is the first case, then the narration has a gap (mursal), and if it is the second, then there is a disconnection.

The third point is that in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, where this narration first appears, Ibn Abi Shaybah also separately narrates this entire statement as a saying of a Tabi’i (a follower of the companions). This strengthens the possibility that this was not a hadith at all, but rather a saying of a Tabi’i. “Musannaf” itself contains the following:

عن داود بن سوار، عن عمرو بن شعيب، عن أبيه، عن جده، قال: قال

نبي الله ﷺ: ’’مروا صبيانكم بالصلاة إذا بلغوا سبعا واضربوهم

(۳۳۹۴ عليها إذا بلغوا عشرا وفرقوا بينهم ف ي المضا ج ع‘‘.(رقم

حدثنا و كي ع، عن سفيان، عن أ ب ي رجاء، عن مكحول، قال: ’’يؤمر ا لصب ي بها إذا

)۳۴۰۲ بل غ ا لسب ع ويضرب عليها إذا بل غ عشرا‘‘.(رقم

“Waki’ narrated from Sufyan, who narrated from Abu Raja, who narrated from Makhool that when your children reach seven years old, instruct them to pray, and when they reach ten years old, beat them for not praying.”⁵

Thus, due to the weakness in the chain and the above-mentioned flaws, this narration cannot be accepted.

This was probably the personal opinion of a companion or the reasoning of a Tabi’i that was transmitted. This is also supported by another narration from “Musnad Bazar,” which Imam Shawkani, a great scholar of hadith, pointed out in his book “Nayl al-Awtar.” He indicated that there is another narration where it is clearly mentioned that this entire narration was found written on a piece of paper after the Prophet’s death, without being attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Instead, it was attributed to someone else who believed children could possibly be beaten at the age of nine.

The narration is as follows:

“Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi narrated from his father that after the death of the Prophet (pbuh), we found a paper near the Prophet’s sword on which it was written: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Separate the beds of brothers and sisters at the age of seven, and beat your children for not praying when they, as I recall, reach the age of nine.⁶’”

Conclusion

By accepting this narration, some scholars interpret beating children for not praying as mere disciplinary training. However, in our humble opinion, the attribution of this narration to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not proven, and it is a “weak” narration.

This is why even Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim did not include this hadith in their collections.

Besides the issues with its chain of transmission, this narration also seems to contradict the established principles of knowledge and reason, as well as the overall spirit of religion. When prayer becomes obligatory only upon reaching puberty, beating a ten-year-old for not praying is incomprehensible. Furthermore, psychologists can explain how this kind of strictness in childhood can affect one’s disposition and relationship with religion. On the other hand, how

عن عبيد الله بن أبي رافع، عن أبيه رضي الله عنه، قال: وجدنا صحيفة

في قراب سيف رسول الله ﷺ بعد وفاته فيها مكتوب: ’’بسم الله

،الرح ٰمن الرحيم، فرقوا بين مضا ج ع الإخوة والأخوات لسب ِع سنين

)۳۳۳۲ واضربوا أبناءكم عل ى الصلاة إذا بلغوا أظنه تسعا‘‘.(رقم

could someone like the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), known for his kind and gentle nature, who spent his entire life teaching religion with patience, reasoning, and gentleness, give a command that could lead to physical punishment, psychological pressure, and forced religious practices? Allah knows best.