Children should Pray Too

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Order your children to pray at the age of seven and discipline them for it at the age of ten and separate between their beds.” [Abu Dawud]

Zaid al-Ayami used to say to children, “Come and pray and I will give you some hazelnuts.” The children would come and pray and then gather around him to get the nuts. He was asked why he did that and he said, “I buy some nuts for them for five dirhams and they get used to praying.”

This was a person who understood the value of prayer and hence of getting children used to praying!

Our primary job as care-givers is to inculcate the values of Islam in our children, including getting them used to prayer and questioning them if they come late for it. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) says: “O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire whose fuel is men and stones.” [Quran: Surah at-Tahreem, Ayat 6]