Teaching Our Children Salah (Solat)

Make Your Children Love Salah (Solat)

A long time ago, there lived a wise man. His name was Luqman . One day he told his son:

“O my son, establish prayer…”  [Qur’an: Chapter 31, Verse 17]

How many times do you remember your parents saying the same?

Salah is the second pillar of Islam. It is an obligatory act for all Muslims and unlike the other four pillars, there is no exemption from it. Why do you think that is the case? Salah is the wire that connects us to Allah .

All the previous advice of Luqman  was centered around teaching his son how to build the connection. Salah is the act of switching on the button for the current to flow once the wires are all in place.

So what happens once the connections are in place and the flow of energy ebbs through the wires? It forms a wall around the believer that stops him/her from committing any bad deeds.

Allah  says in Surah Al-Ankabut:

“Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.”  [Qur’an: Chapter 29, Verse 45]

Just as we make sure that our children are properly protected to go out in the cold, we need to make sure that they are protected from the traps of Shaytan before they venture out in this world.

It is our duty as parents to help our kids build their connection with Allah  properly and be there for them when they switch it on, In sha Allah.

Here are some practical tips to help your child love and establish regular salah:

1.  Make dua for your kids to love salah

Ibrahim  knew the importance of salah in our lives. He  begged Allah  to not only help him in establishing prayer, but also his descendants who will come later. Allah  loved his dua so much that He recorded it for us in the Qur’an, so that you and I can ask Allah  through the same words to make us and our descendants among those who establish salah.

“My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication.” [Qur’an: Chapter 14, Verse 40].

2. Make salah an important part of your life

Time and time again, I have realized that no matter how much I plan my parenting goals, my major focus for the traits and habits that I want my children to develop are the ones that I focus on in my life. For example, the days on which I recite more Qur’an, I make sure that my children also don’t miss or skip it. So, it is very important to understand and acknowledge the necessity of salah in our own daily lives to explain it to our children. You forbid your child with determination to not play with matchsticks because you know with certainty the danger of fire. This “determination” is also what is required to help your children understand the importance of salah in their lives.

3. Teach your kids the duas for salah

Games, quizzes, and bedtime routines are great ways to teach our children the necessary duas for salah, preferably before they reach 7 years. This eases the progression to praying by themselves.

4. Invite your kids to pray with you

Invite your children to pray salah with you. Salah is a beautiful aspect of our religion. And also a major area of concern for Shaytan. Invitation without coercion stands a greater chance of making the children fall in love with salah. Telling them that salah is a time that we spend in the presence of Allah , talking to Him and sharing our feelings with Him encourages them to pray. Letting them know that Allah  answers back to us when we recite Surah Fatiha in salah, making them choose their hijabs, caps and prayer mats encourages the children to pray. Taking them to the mosque and making them stand with you in congregation to pray also helps in teaching them the basic actions in salah.

5. Start with one salah and then progress to the next one

First focus on getting your child to pray salah for one time properly, before moving on to the next one. For instance, my daughter loves to pray Isha, the night prayer, as she feels that she can stay awake longer! She was pretty disappointed when the time moved to 6 pm in winters!

6. Establish a reward system

Children love gifts. Allah  rewards us for salah, so we should follow suit and reward our kids when they start praying! Praising them, giving them extra points, and throwing a party for them when they establish a routine for salah all work to motivate them to pray regularly.

The family that prays together, may Allah  make them enter Jannah together. I recently heard a sister say that she tells her children when they seem reluctant to pray, that if In sha Allah they pray together, maybe Allah  will make them enter Jannah together. SubhanAllah! This is such a beautiful vision. The father can lead the prayer and sometimes, the teenage sons can take over as imam.

From Productive Muslim
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/luqman-parenting-lessons-part5/#ixzz3U5HiBqAe