The benefit of this ruling is that, once we judge him to be Muslim, we hold him to the obligations and legal consequences of Islam: he inherits from his Muslim relatives, and they inherit from him. If he says, “I did it mockingly,” we deem him an apostate. The difference between his being an apostate and his being an original disbeliever is that apostasy is not tolerated, whereas original disbelief is tolerated. Thus, the apostate is required to embrace Islam; if he does so, well and good, otherwise he is executed.

A child is instructed to pray upon completing seven years, and is struck for it upon completing ten. If he reaches puberty during the prayer, or after it while its time remains, he must repeat it.

His statement, “A child is instructed to pray,” is phrased in the passive because the one who gives the instruction is not specified. Everyone who has authority over this child should instruct him to pray, such as his father, brother, paternal uncle, or mother.

His statement, “upon completing seven years,” means upon completing seven years, not merely reaching the age of seven. Thus, he is not instructed until he has entered his eighth year. When we instruct him to pray, we also instruct him in the requirements of prayer, such as purification and the other obligations; this necessarily entails teaching him these matters.

His statement, “and is struck for it upon completing ten,” means for the prayer. “Upon completing ten” means upon completing ten years, so that he will perform it. This only applies when he neglects it; thus, he is struck until he prays, at every prayer time. The striking may be with the hand, a garment, a stick, or something else, provided that it is not harsh, since the aim is to discipline him, not to punish him.

His statement, “If he reaches puberty during it, or after it while its time remains, he must repeat it,” means that if the child reaches puberty during the prayer, or after it has ended but while its prescribed time remains, he must repeat the prayer. This may occur if we determine the precise hour of his birth. Clocks existed in the time of those before us, though they were not like the clocks of our time. Evidence that they existed is that Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri, when specifying the period for wiping over leather socks, mentioned minutes,