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How can children aged three and fourteen be dealt with to wake them up for Fajr prayer, and is it permissible to hit them for this purpose?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible to hit children after the age of ten if they neglect prayer, provided that the hitting is controlled by the Sharia guidelines, and it does not have a specific age limit; rather, the criterion is its effectiveness.

Some jurists mentioned that the obligation for the father to hit is before the child reaches puberty. It is advisable to vary the methods of inviting children to prayer, by offering encouragement, motivation, and reward over intimidation, and instilling the meanings of faith. Sufyan was asked about hitting children for prayer, and he said: "Rather, bribe them." Al-Lakhmi said: This is good for those who are able; otherwise, they should be hit after attempting [other methods], and this is a protection from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, so that they may become accustomed to it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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