Short answer
Yes. Physical, sexual or emotional abuse of a child is haram and a major sin by every school, and it is a grave oppression of the weak. Being a parent or guardian gives no right to harm. Stopping it, including reporting it to the authorities, is a duty and not a breach of family privacy.
Harming a child without right is zulm (oppression) and haram. Sexual abuse adds the major sins of indecency and, where it applies, zina. A guardian's authority to discipline is limited to what benefits the child and never extends to injury, terror or humiliation.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah says that those who harm believing men and women without cause carry slander and a clear sin. The Prophet ﷺ said there is to be no harm and no returning harm, and that whoever does not show mercy to the young is not one of us. Allah forbade oppression on Himself and made it forbidden among people. A child is the weakest of people, so wronging a child is among the worst forms of oppression.
What counts as abuse:
- Hitting that causes pain, marks or injury, any blow to the face, or punishment from anger. See hitting children.
- Any sexual contact, exposure or grooming. This is a crime and a major sin.
- Constant insults, threats, humiliation, or cursing a child. See yelling at your child.
- Neglect of food, health, safety or schooling.
Covering faults does not cover abuse. The sunnah of hiding a Muslim's sins applies to past private sins, not to ongoing harm to someone else. If you know or suspect a child is being harmed, protect the child first: contact the police or child protection services, and tell a trusted imam or teacher. Mosques, madrasahs and Islamic schools must have proper safeguarding rules.
For survivors: the sin belongs to the abuser, never to the child. Islam does not require you to stay silent or to stay close to someone who harms you. Seek help from people you trust and from qualified counsellors. See Islam and mental health.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:58
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا ٱكْتَسَبُوا۟ فَقَدِ ٱحْتَمَلُوا۟ بُهْتَٰنًۭا وَإِثْمًۭا مُّبِينًۭا ﴿٥٨﴾
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.
Harming believers without cause is a manifest sin.
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:31
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَٰدَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَٰقٍۢ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْـًۭٔا كَبِيرًۭا ﴿٣١﴾
And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.
The Quran protects children's lives from their own parents.
Sunan Ibn Majah 2340
Graded sahih... لا ضرر ولا ضرار ...
"There is to be no harm and no returning harm."
The general rule forbidding harm.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4943
Grading to be checked... من لم يرحم صغيرنا ويعرف حق كبيرنا فليس منا ...
"Whoever does not show mercy to our young and recognise the right of our elders is not one of us."
Mercy to children is part of the faith.
Sahih Muslim 2577
Sahih... يا عبادي إني حرمت الظلم على نفسي ...
"O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and made it forbidden among you."
Abuse is oppression, which Allah has forbidden.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hudud, chapter on ta'zir. Limits on a guardian's discipline: no injury and no blows to the face.
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Hudud, chapter on ta'zir. A guardian is liable for harm caused beyond permitted discipline.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.