Sunan Abi Dawud
Sunan Abi Dawud 494
Arabic hadith text
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ الطَّبَّاعِ - حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ سَبْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مُرُوا الصَّبِيَّ بِالصَّلاَةِ إِذَا بَلَغَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ وَإِذَا بَلَغَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ فَاضْرِبُوهُ عَلَيْهَا " .
Translation
Muhammad ibn ʿIsa—meaning Ibn al-Tabbaʿ—narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn al-Rabiʿ ibn Sabrah, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Instruct a boy to pray when he reaches seven years of age, and when he reaches ten, strike him for it.’