The link between the two chapters is that, having spoken of what the household needs in terms of bodily nourishment, the author—may Allah have mercy on him—now speaks of what their souls require from their father or whoever holds authority over them. The very first, most binding, and most excellent of these requirements is the prayer. Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “And command your family to perform the prayer and be steadfast in it; We do not ask you for provision—We provide for you, and the (best) outcome is for righteousness” (Ta Ha 20:132). Thus He charged him with ordering his family to pray.
The term “family” (ahl) applies to everyone living in the house—wife, son, daughter, paternal aunt, maternal aunt, mother; everyone in the home is included. He is to command them all to pray, and he is to “be steadfast in it,” meaning that he must urge himself to patience. For this reason the verb carries the extra tāʾ in isṭabir, an additional letter that brings an added shade of meaning; its original form is istabir ʿalayhā (persevere in it).
Allah also relates about Ishmael, forefather of Muhammad ﷺ, that “he used to enjoin his family to perform the prayer and give the zakat, and he was pleasing to his Lord.” A person is therefore responsible for his family and for their upbringing, even when they are young, so long as they have reached the age of discernment. As for a child who has not yet reached that stage, he is instructed only in what his mind can grasp.
The author then cites the hadith of al-Hasan ibn ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them both). He once took a date from the charity dates and put it in his mouth, whereupon the Prophet ﷺ said, “kakh, kakh”—that is, this is not lawful for you—and ordered him to spit it out, saying, “Charity is not permitted for us.”
Charity is indeed unlawful for the family of Muhammad, for they are the noblest of people, whereas the obligatory and voluntary alms are, in effect, the impurities of people’s wealth. It is unfitting that the noble should receive the impurities of others, as the Prophet ﷺ said to his uncle al-ʿAbbas ibn ʿAbd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him), “Indeed we—”