Excessive Punishment for Children is Not Beneficial

Hakim-ul-Ummat Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ashraf Ali Thanvi (R.A.)

He stated that excessive punishment is not beneficial for education and training. It leads to the following harms:

1. Out of fear of punishment, children forget what they have memorized.

2. The physical and mental faculties of children become weak.

3. Due to continuous beating, children get used to punishment and lose their sense of shame; after that, punishment has no effect on them.

4. Since children do not have the power to take revenge, malice (grudge) develops in their hearts. Then, this malice gives rise to jealousy.

5. Consequently, they begin to harbor thoughts of causing harm to others.

6. Following this, they fall into the habit of deceit and cunningness. All these (vices) are the offspring of arrogance (Kibr).

(Ma'arif-e-Ashrafiya, Page 106)