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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.

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Discipline through punishment.

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Punishment is not something inherently reprehensible or forbidden,

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nor is it harmful to the character of an individual or a child,

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as some contemporary schools of thought in modern-day ignorance claim.

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For the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded that a child be disciplined for neglecting prayer.

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He said:

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"Command your children to pray when they reach seven years of age,

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and strike them for it when they reach ten."

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However, what we need to establish and emphasize is the following:

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First:

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Punishment, in both its physical and psychological forms, should not be

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the first resort for the educator.

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Rather, one should begin with reward,

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and if that proves ineffective,

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then move on to punishment,

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starting with the psychological before the physical.

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Second:

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Individual differences between one child and another must be taken into account,

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and the type and necessary dosage of punishment must be determined with wisdom.

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For there is a child who views being ignored as a deterrent punishment that deeply affects his conscience,

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so one should not exceed that punishment or move on to another,

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nor should the period of being ignored be prolonged if a little of it is sufficient.

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Yet there is another child who will not be deterred except by physical punishment,

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so one should use with him what is effective for him.

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Third:

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The educator should ensure that the punishment is also appropriate for the offense in terms of severity.

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He should not have a fixed dosage of punishment that he applies to every case indiscriminately,

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for that might embolden a child to commit a major transgression,

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as long as its punishment is the same as that of a minor one.

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Fourth:

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Likewise, it is better to threaten with punishment than to actually carry it out,

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because that preserves its lasting sense of awe in the child’s soul,

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unlike frequent implementation,

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which may cause the child to become accustomed to it and lose his fear of it.