How To Encourage Praying To Your Children

By Hooria Tahir | 09, May, 2022
How To Encourage Praying To Your Children

As Muslims, we know to submit ourselves to Allah entirely. - So, teaching our children to do the same is only valid. Once we see that our young ones have reached the right age and can be more aware of their faith in Allah, we must encourage them to pray. 

For many parents, this can seem challenging. You never want to force anything onto your kids as it will only make them resent it. - Making it more difficult for some individuals to guide their little ones suitably.  

Something as significant as prayer should be encouraged to children in a gentle and loving way so that they may perform it wholeheartedly. It is why one must use the optimal techniques to achieve this. Guiding children to pray is significant.

As Muslims, following all of Allah’s commands justly is the way to enter Paradise. And performing the obligatory five prayers throughout the day is the best way to do so. 

Younger ones are not used to such concepts, and so, as parents, it is our job to guide them and show them the right path. 

If you’re looking for good ways to help your children learn about Salah without overdoing it, keep reading! We have listed some of the best techniques and ideas to help your children pray and find their path to Allah. 

 

Guiding your children toward Salah/Salat

Teach the importance of prayer by storytelling  

a father and daughter praying together

Image Credit: Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

As parents, it is no secret that we lead by example. Allah has made it our duty to guide our little ones and teach them all there is to know about our faith and why we follow it. There are several ways to do so. 

We begin advising our children from a very young age, teaching them what’s right and wrong. The same should be applied when it comes to prayer. Making it known to our children how vital prayers are is achievable in many ways. 

You can tell them stories about The Prophet (PBUH) and how He prayed during hardships. Stories like these can really influence our children and guide them on how prayer is helpful to us. 

It can spark their interest from a young age. Hence, making it easier to learn more about prayer and Islam as a religion. 

 

Pray in front of them.

a girl praying

Image Credit: Ramin labisheh on Unsplash

Many of us experienced the feeling of when our own parents used to pray when we were younger. It most definitely sparked our curiosity and made us want to learn more about the concept of prayer. In fact, many kids follow in the steps of their parents. 

Praying in front of your children often will allow them to see you up close and want to imitate your actions. Kids always look up to their parents and follow exactly what they do. Many children, even at younger ages, like to imitate Sajdah. 

Start praying more in front of your kids even if they’re not concentrating. The more you do it, the more interesting it will be for them. 

 

Show lenience and patience.

kids in front of a colorful building

Image Credit: hossein azarbad on Unsplash

We must remember that teaching anything to a child takes time. We must not rush it and especially not force it. 

Yes, Allah has made it permissible for parents to show strictness when they have achieved the age of seven years old. However, this does not mean we should encourage praying in a poor way. 

Instead, observing lenience, in the beginning, is the route to go. Show your children that this is more than just a duty to Allah. - And instead, more of a hobby. Young children do not know any better, and it is best to guide them in a gentle manner. 

Being too harsh, especially in the beginning, may make them resentful of prayer, and we certainly don’t want that. Teaching children to pray may certainly become a tedious job, but you should always maintain patience. 

 

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