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Is it permissible to hit children for grammatical errors and for not performing the prayer after the age of 12 or the age of puberty?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded that children be disciplined for prayer when they reach the age of ten years, and this includes the period after this age until puberty. As for striking an adult for discipline, jurists have differed on this matter. Some have permitted it, citing the actions of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, with his daughter Aisha, and the actions of Ibn Umar with his son Bilal. However, the Shafi'is, in their most authoritative view, hold that it is not permissible.

If the striking is for discipline, it has guidelines, including: it should not be severe, it should be proportionate to the need, it should not exceed three lashes, it should be done with the hand and not with a stick, and it should not lead to a greater harm.

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

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