I am sharing with you today, why parents should teach their children about salah and how to encourage them to pray. A free lesson plan is available at the end of the post to help you get started.
What is salah?
Salah is the Arabic word for prayer; it is one of the five pillars of Islam, meaning it is an obligatory act that every Muslim must perform. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day at prescribed times. where we face the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah consists of standing, bowing and prostrating and concluding with sitting on the ground remembering only Allah. During each posture one reads certain verses, phrases, and prayers. Ritual purity is a precondition.
What is a parents role in Salah?
Parents are required to teach their children about praying by showing them how to perform the ritual purity before prayer and each step of prayer as well as the prayers one says. They need to remember that Allah has trusted them with their children. Parents should try to strive to raise their children to be God-conscious and capable of carrying the message of Islam to the future Ummah or community.
Role Modeling in Salah
Children imitate everything that that they hear and see their parents doing, so we can assume that if we are praying in front of them they will follow suit. It is important to encourage and build a strong foundation from an early age in order for the child to be ready around seven years old.
If your child sees you praying on time or reading Quran, they are more likely to imitate you. Some parents say when a child watches a parent making Salah they become curious and that opens the doors to explain and teach the ahadeeth at a level the child can understand.
Or I’ve heard other parents say performing Salah in front of their kids taught them that it was necessary and part of life’s routine, “just like eating”.. “Teach them how to make wudhu then they look forward to reading Salah, so this makes them feel like they’re washing their hands, feet and face for a purpose. Get them into a routine of wudhu first.”
Ways to encourage your child
- The best way to implement a habit into a child is to make him constantly do it.
- Invite him to pray alongside you or in a group with others
- Let them pick out a special prayer mat
- Show them the direction to pray and explain with pictures of the Kabah.
- Teach them about the five pillars and obligations of each Muslim.
- Encourage him to pray with you as way to say thank you to Allah for everything He has given you.
- Connect your child to the mosque and take them with you and train them in mosque etiquette.
- Give them a compass to find the Qiblah
- read books about making salah like the “I can” series by the Islamic Foundation, or ones from Goodword
- Make it fun, I have lesson plans on salah, you can download the first one about why we pray and it’s benefits below!
- Reward them with a salah celebration
- encourage and praise them when they do pray