It is not permissible for the father to beat his child, except for the sake of discipline and correction. This must be limited to the need to achieve this purpose. It must be applied gradually with reasoning and should not exceed the need for the sake of revenge and retaliation or due to belittling the child because of his weakness. One must be careful to discern between the welfare of the child and his own emotions such as anger or frustration. The narrations of the Imams (peace be upon them) report that it is permissible to beat the child five or six hits, while emphasizing on leniency. One should not exceed this number unnecessarily.It is not permissible for the father to beat his son or daughter after they reached the religiously recognized age of adulthood. He must limit his means of discipline by advice and suggestion.
