Hitting Children in the Face – In Light of the Sunnah

Providing appropriate discipline to children, as part of their moral development, is one of the foremost responsibilities of parents towards their children. Adopting a complacent attitude in this regard is perhaps the biggest contributor to bad behaviour as the child grows, and in many cases, the effects of this complacency become somewhat irreversible and unmanageable as the child develops. In light of this, Islamic teachings are very particular to ensure children are nurtured in the most wholesome manner and that negative behaviour is not allowed to ferment in an unregulated environment, but rather corrected under the watchful eye of parents.

At the same time, Islam reminds parents that they are ultimately accountable to Allah and will thus be questioned by Him regarding their duties towards their children. Just as parents have rights over their children, children are just as entitled to their rights over parents. And as with any other duty, disciplining children also has parameters which must be adhered to. Parents do not have the right to trespass the clear bounds under the pretext that they are “disciplining” their child.

Amongst the restrictions which the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) clearly put in place was to forbid any form of hitting the child in the face. In fact, a closer look at the sayings of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) in this regard demonstrates that this is not something exclusively for children, but rather applies for all human beings, and even animals. However, very sadly, the prohibition of hitting the face or head is a concept which many parents and guardians totally disregard, and instead choose to exercise a parental “right” which Allah and the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) never granted them in the first place.

We present hereunder a number of hadiths in this regard, followed by the statements of leading hadith masters:

HADITH ONE

عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الضرب في الوجه وعن الوسم في الوجه

Jabir (radhiallahu anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) forbade hitting the face and branding the face (Muslim, 2116).

COMMENTARY

In a variant hadith of Sunan Abu Dawud (2564), the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) passed by a donkey whose face had been branded. On seeing this, he said, “Has it not reached you that I have cursed the one who brands or (he said) hits an animal’s face?” Branding (wasm) is to make a mark by burning, to mark grade, type or ownership etc.

Nawawi comments that hitting the face is prohibited in all valued animals such as humans, donkeys, horses, camels, mules, sheep and others, but it is worse in the case of humans. He further explains that this is because the face is the assemblage of beauty, alongside being subtle; the effects of hitting become apparent therein and at times disfigure it; and it sometimes damages the faculties.


HADITH TWO

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا قاتل أحدكم أخاه فليجتنب الوجه

Abu Hurairah (radhiallahu anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “When one of you fights his brother, he should refrain from the face” (Muslim, 2616)

COMMENTARY

The same hadith has been narrated by Bukhari (2421) and similarly by Abu Dawud (2293) without the wording “his brother”. In variants of the same narration in Muslim, the word “hit” and “slap” have been used in place of “fight”. The purport of all these narrations is that under no circumstances is one allowed to hit the face.

Abu’l-Abbas al-Qurtubi states under the hadith of Muslim, “The meaning of fighting is to hit, and this is how it is narrated in some narrations. We say that the meaning of fighting is to defend oneself, and the meaning of brotherhood here – and Allah knows best – is human brotherhood, because all people are the children of Adam (alayhis salaam). This is proven by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) saying: ‘for Allah created Adam in his form’, i.e., the facial form of the person being hit. Hence, it is as though the person slapping the face of any of the children of Adam (alayhis salaam) actually slapped the face of his father Adam (alayhis salaam). Based on this, it is forbidden to slap the face of a Muslim or unbeliever.” (Al-Mufhim, 6/597)

Nawawi clearly states that hitting the face of a child is included in this. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani states, “Nawawi has not stated the ruling of this prohibition. The apparent ruling is that it is forbidden (haram). This is supported by the narration of the companion, Suwayd ibn Muqarrin, who saw a person slapping his slave and said, ‘Do you not know that the face is forbidden [or sacred]?’”

Aside from the clear prohibition in the hadiths above, the psychological effects on the morale of the child are extremely negative, and in cases where hitting the face or head becomes the default practice to correct the child, it can lead to long-term effects on the development of the child’s brain.

We pray Allah gives us the understanding to comply with the teachings of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) in this regard, and to be brave enough to shun such practices which go against the spirit of mercy which Islam came to spread. Amin ya Rabb al-Alameen.

وصلى الله على أفضل المعلمين والمربين نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين