Among the prophetic traditions frequently cited in discussions of the religious training of children is the report, “Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, and beat them for it when they are ten.” This study examines the authenticity of the principal ḥadīths invoked as evidence for such a ruling, analysing their chains of transmission, the reliability of their narrators, and their coherence with the most firmly established teachings of Islam. Two ḥadīths are commonly cited in this context; both are presented and critically evaluated here.
The first is the ḥadīth of Sabrā b. Maʿbad al-Juhanī. Abū Dāwūd narrates in the Book of Prayer, in the chapter concerning when a boy is to be instructed to pray: “Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā, meaning Ibn al-Ṭabbāʿ, narrated to us, Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Malik b. al-Rabīʿ b. Sabrā, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Command the child to pray when he reaches seven years of age, and when he reaches ten years of age, beat him for it.’”
Al-Tirmidhī also transmits this report through ʿAlī b. Ḥujr from Ḥarmalah b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. al-Rabīʿ b. Sabrā, from his uncle ʿAbd al-Malik b. al-Rabīʿ b. Sabrā, and he remarks, “The ḥadīth of Sabrā b. Maʿbad al-Juhanī is ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.” Al-Ḥākim includes the narration in al-Mustadrak, asserting that it meets the criteria of Muslim, since Muslim relied upon narrations of ʿAbd al-Malik b. al-Rabīʿ from his forefathers, even though neither al-Bukhārī nor Muslim included this particular report.
The second commonly cited ḥadīth is the report of ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb, narrated by Abū Dāwūd in the same chapter: “Muʾammal b. Hishām, meaning al-Yashkurī, narrated to us, Ismāʿīl narrated to us, from Sawwār Abū Ḥamzah, from ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: ‘Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, beat them for it when they are ten, and separate them in their beds.’” Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal also transmits this material from Wakīʿ through Sawwār b. Dāwūd.
Both reports require close scrutiny. In the first chain, the transmitter ʿAbd al-Malik b. al-Rabīʿ is the subject of substantial criticism by the leading ḥadīth authorities. Ibn Maʿīn states that “the narrations of ʿAbd al-Malik from his father from his grandfather are weak.” Ibn Ḥibbān describes him as “extremely objectionable in ḥadīth,” stressing that he narrates material without corroboration, while Ibn al-Qaṭṭān says that his reliability is unproven. Although Muslim includes a single narration from him, that report appears only as a supporting narration in the context of temporary marriage at the Conquest, and there is no indication that Muslim regarded him as sufficiently sound for primary transmission. The designations of ṣaḥīḥ or even ḥasan therefore do not withstand the methodological standards applied by the major critics.
In the second ḥadīth, the chain of ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb through his father and grandfather is itself subject to well-known disputes among the scholars, most of whom maintain that such chains do not attain the level of sound authenticity. In addition, this particular chain includes Sawwār b. Dāwūd, whose reliability is extremely weak. Biographical sources record that Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal considered him a Basran shaykh “with no harm in him,” though he noted that no other ḥadīth is transmitted from him besides this one. Al-Dāraqutnī states that his narrations lack corroboration and that he is only to be considered, not relied upon. Al-Bazzār comments, “He was not strong,” and al-Bayhaqī affirms, “He is not strong.” Al-ʿUqaylī weakens the ḥadīth altogether, stating that it has no corroboration and that the narrations of ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb are not transmitted through any fully established chain. Given the convergence of the critical tradition on Sawwār’s weakness, and the contested nature of the chain as a whole, the second report cannot be accepted as authentic.
Beyond issues of transmission, both ḥadīths conflict with established theological and legal principles. A pre-pubescent child is unanimously regarded in Islamic jurisprudence as not legally accountable (ghayr mukallaf). It is therefore logically and doctrinally inconsistent to prescribe physical punishment for the neglect of an obligation that is not yet binding upon him.
Such a prescription also contradicts the authoritative portrayal of the Prophet’s conduct. The Qurʾān describes him as “kind and merciful to the believers” (al-Tawbah 128). Muslim narrates from ʿĀʾishah that the Prophet ﷺ never struck anything with his hand, not a woman, not a servant, except in the context of legitimate combat in God’s path, and that he never sought retribution for personal harm. Al-Bukhārī and Muslim relate from Anas that he served the Prophet ﷺ for ten years, during which the Prophet never reprimanded him, never uttered even a mild expression of displeasure, and never questioned his actions in a blameworthy manner. These rigorously authenticated accounts demonstrate a consistent pattern of gentleness and patience, incompatible with the idea that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded parents to strike young children.
While there is no sound evidence for striking children due to neglect of prayer, the principle of teaching them to pray is firmly established and reflects a continuous practice within the Muslim community. Abū Dāwūd relates a more reliable report from Muʿādh b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Khubayb al-Juhanī, in which the Prophet ﷺ, when asked when a child should pray, replied: “When he can distinguish his right hand from his left, command him to pray.”
Numerous reports in Ibn Abī Shaybah’s Muṣannaf attest to early Muslim practice in this regard. ʿUmar instructed a woman not to compel her reluctant child to pray until he could understand it. Ibn Masʿūd urged parents to ensure their children maintain the prayer. Ibn ʿUmar stated that a child should be taught to pray when he can distinguish his right from his left. Ibn ʿAbbās recommended waking a child for prayer, even if only for a single prostration. Other early authorities, such as Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, Maymūn b. Mihrān, Abū Isḥāq, and Ibn Sīrīn, likewise emphasised gradual education according to the child’s capacity. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn even permitted children to combine prayers if this would prevent them from missing the prescribed prayers altogether, considering the development of the habit more important than strict observance of timings.
The cumulative evidence from sound transmissions and early practice demonstrates that Islamic pedagogy concerning children’s prayer is founded not on compulsion or physical punishment, but on encouragement, gradual instruction, and compassionate guidance.
The two ḥadīths that prescribe beating at the age of ten suffer from substantial weaknesses in their chains of transmission and contradict the most authentic portrayals of the Prophet’s mercy and behaviour. The firmly established Islamic tradition instructs parents to introduce prayer to children when they attain sufficient understanding and to cultivate within them the habit of worship through gentleness and patience, in harmony with the ethical character of Islam.
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