Desk Report :
Prayer is the best form of worship. Through prayer, a close relationship is established between the servant and Allah. Prayer is obligatory for every healthy and adult man and woman. Prayer is not obligatory for minor children. However, they should be encouraged to pray from a young age. Prayer training should be provided. Surah and recitation should be taught. It was narrated from Hisham ibn Saad (may Allah have mercy on him) on the authority of Mu’adh ibn Abdullah ibn Habib al-Juhani (may Allah have mercy on him). He said, “Once we came to Mu’adh ibn Abdullah.” At that time, he asked his wife, ‘When should young children be instructed to pray?’ His wife said, ‘A man of ours asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this, and he said, ‘When young children are able to distinguish between their right and left hands, then they should be instructed to pray.’ (Abu Dawud: 497)
In the eyes of the Sharia, prayer is obligatory for every child after reaching adulthood. If children neglect prayer, they are punished. It was narrated from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb (may Allah have mercy on him) on the authority of his father and grandfather. He said, The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘When your children reach the age of seven, then you should instruct them to pray, and when they reach the age of ten, then you should punish them if they do not pray. And they (boys and girls) will have separate beds.’ (Abu Dawud: 495)
Parents need to play a major role in raising their children to be prayerful and exemplary. Above all, they themselves must be careful about prayer. Children follow their elders. Therefore, it is difficult to teach children without performing prayers themselves.
