In the name of Allah the Merciful Merciful!

Hashem said: « » Surah "Taha", 132 verses.

Our children are the treasures of our hearts, the amanat entrusted to us, and Allah, Mighty and Great, handed over our children under our protection, and we are responsible for them. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) says: « Each of you is a shepherd and each of you will be asked for his flock». (From authentic hadith given by Bukhari).

From Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, it is quoted that she said: “ The Messenger of Allah said: “If Allah wished good for the inhabitants of the house, then he brings gentleness (kindness) to them » . (Hadith quoted by Ahmad. Hadith status - "authentic").

And in another hadith: « Truly, kindness does not dwell in any thing, without decorating it, and does not disappear from any thing without dishonoring it.». (Hadith authentic. Brought by Muslim and Abu Daud).

It is imperative that you raise your son on the right creed, and on perfect worship, and on noble qualities, and on becoming a useful part of society — this is the greatest work a father has to do. However, the father's mission does not end there.

Here is an easy-to-understand Holy Verse that is a firm direction:

« And order your family to perform namaz and do it yourself patiently». (Surah "Taha", 132 verses).

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) says: “… And the coolness of my eyes was prepared for me in prayer». (From a hadith quoted by Nasai with good isnad).

And in another hadith: « The head of this case [which will allow a person to enter Paradise and remove him from Fire - approx. transl.] - Islam, and its pillar is prayer ». (From an authentic hadith quoted by Tirmidhi).

And the testament of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the time of his death: « Prayer and what your hands have mastered!» (From the authentic hadith quoted by Ibn Majah).

And the second righteous caliph ‘Umar, when he was pierced [with a dagger on morning prayer- approx. transl.], uttered only these words: "Did the Muslims perform al-Fajr (morning prayer)?"

Stages of teaching a child to pray

It has great importance for his future iman (faith). And the childhood of a child is definitely not one of the stages of his adulthood. Truly, childhood is a stage of preparation and training up to the stage of adulthood. A child under the age of seven, and up to seven years, and after seven years is not responsible for praying according to Sharia. However, it is necessary for him to cultivate the etiquette of Islam and to accustom himself to the rituals of worship, so that by reaching the age of puberty, prayer becomes an integral part of his being.

The stages in a father's raising his children on the path of prayer that we should mention are as follows:

1. Standing (next to) with worshipers

In early childhood, at the very beginning of the awakening of the child's consciousness, the father or mother demand from the son that he simply stand next to them in prayer.

Quoted from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which he said regarding the child: « If he distinguishes the right side from the left, then tell him to pray» . (From the hadith of the degree "Hasan" quoted by Abu Dawud).

At the beginning of the awakening of your child's consciousness, it would be nice if you called him so that he would stand next to you in prayer. And even if he gets ahead of you in bowing down to earth, and if he can withstand one rak'at and leave prayer, you should continue to teach him to stand in prayer.

This child does not understand the provisions of prayer, he can walk in front of the prayer, and he can shout in front of the prayer, and he can sit in front of the prayer - there is no reprimand for him, and he is not responsible for anything. However, at the very beginning of the awakening of the child's consciousness, so that he would stand next to you in prayer.

And who prevents you from taking him with you to the mosque and looking after his condition there, and so that he stays with you in the mosque, so that he loves the houses of Allah, He is Almighty and Great, and that he loves to fulfill this religious duty?

Concrete Truth: From Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, it is quoted that he said: “ “If one of you has prayed in his mosque, then let him allocate a part of his prayer for his home. Indeed, Allah is the One Who will turn his prayer in the house with good ». (Reliable hadith. Cited by Muslim).

It is a sunnah for you to perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque, and additional prayers (sunnats) at home, so that the house does not become like a grave. Make the obligatory prayer in the mosque and perform two sunnah rak'at and vitr at home, so that the house is filled with prayer that would attract the attention of young children.

In another hadith from Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, it is stated that he said: “ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Select for your homes from your prayers, and do not liken them (at home) graves ».

And when a small child sees his father and his mother praying in the house, he follows them because of his innate predisposition (to Islam), fitrah.

2. Teaching Simple Prayer Positions

Up to the age of seven, a child should be taught the simple rules of ablution: the need to beware of impurities (najasa), and washing, and behavior while dealing with needs, and the need to maintain cleanliness of the body and clothing, with an explanation of the connection between prayer and purification (taharat).

The information is given very simple, selective, only the basics of knowledge. Teaching should be gentle, empathetic, full of tenderness and compassion.

Then, who has not reached the age of seven, one should teach "Fatiha" and some short suras, as a preparation for prayer, and teach him small ablution (wudu ') and exercise him in this matter, as the noble companions did, may Allah be pleased with them, with their sons.

And until the age of seven, we begin to teach him prayer and encourage him to perform one obligatory prayer during the day or more, especially the morning prayer before leaving for kindergarten.

And we do not require all obligatory prayers to be completed before a child is seven years old.

And we remind the fathers to have the children accompany them to Friday prayers after they teach them the rules of being in the mosque. This is also very important.

3. Teaching Persistence in Prayer

As for the stage after seven and before ten years, here comes the turn of this noble hadith: “ From Abdullah bin Amir bin Al-‘Asa, may Allah be pleased with them both, it is quoted that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Command your children to pray when they reach the age of seven, and punish (beat) them for leaving it when they are ten years old, and separate (then) between them in beds ». (Brought by Abu Daud with good isnad).

We should teach the child this hadith before he realizes that he has already attained a degree of consistency with regard to prayer. Therefore, some educators advise that the day a child reaches the age of seven should be a big event in his life and one of a kind.

A respected brother and a wise father taught me that every time one of his sons reached the age of seven, he organized a great celebration in his honor and prepared himself to accept the instruction of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace: « Command your children to pray when they reach the age of seven, and punish (beat) them for leaving it when they are ten years old, and separate (then) between them in beds».

And he requires the child to pray with gentleness and kindness, with love and mercy, without rudeness, without beating until the age of ten. And this is from the instruction of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) regarding this stage.

After reaching the age of seven, the child should learn the rules of perfect ablution, and he should learn how to pray the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and some individual dua in namaz. We need to encourage him to fear the Almighty (hushu '), to the presence of the heart and to a small amount of movement in prayer.

We must remind him of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “ According to Umama bin Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, it is stated that once he performed a prayer in two rak'at and made it short. And Abdurrahman said to him: "O Abu-l-Yakzan, I see that you made them easier for yourself?" And he replied: “Indeed, I have distanced myself from myself by this instigation of the shaitan. Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Verily, a man makes a prayer, and perhaps there is no (reward) left for him for it, except for a tenth part, or a ninth part, or an eighth part, or a seventh, or sixth », - until you have finished counting". (Reliable hadith. Cited by Abu Dawood and Ahmad in his Musnad).

When we teach a child that if the prayer is negligent in prayer, he receives only a tenth of the reward for it, or a fourth, or a fifth, and so on, ‒ then soon he will do it in the best way.

4. Hinting at the punishment for leaving prayer

We should repeat in the presence of the child, even before he reaches ten years of age, that at the onset of the age of ten he will be asked for leaving prayer, and will be subject to reproaches, and will be punished for leaving prayer. In order for this noble hadith to be a restraining principle for him and an incentive to observe prayer.

However, be sure that if you yourself cherished your prayer, you yourself and your spouse, and were an example for your son and for your daughter in respect of prayer, be sure that this little child will be attached to prayer and will cherish her, especially if you encouraged him morally and financially.

There is a father who beat his son if he did not pray. And there is a father who rewards his son financially for every prayer done on time. And there is a big difference between the method of intimidation and the method of intimidation. And the method of inducement is perhaps more useful for young children than the method of intimidation.

After the child reaches the age of ten, it is necessary that the father supervises the fulfillment of all obligatory prayers by his son, and it is necessary to determine the measures of punishment and disciplinary responsibility for him, and instill in him that prayer is a religious duty and that leaving it is great disobedience.

Oh, dear brothers and sisters, the Almighty said: « And if someone honors the ceremonial signs of Allah, then this comes from fear of God in the hearts». (Surah "Hajj", 32 ayah).

5. Teaching How to Atone for Forsaking Prayer

At this stage, it is necessary to encourage the child to do good deeds if he missed the obligatory prayer: doing any work, fasting, alms from his modest means,‒ in order to rectify an omission in this religious duty by fulfilling the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): according to Abu Zarr, who said: “The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “... Follow the sin, do a good deed that will erase by itself (this is a sin) ». (From the hadith of the degree "Hasan", which was quoted by Tirmidhi).

Allah, Mighty and Great, speaks on behalf of Ibrahim, peace and blessings be upon him: « God! Make me stand up for prayer and my offspring!» (Surah "Ibrahim", 40 ayah).

And Allah, Mighty and Great, teaches us du'a (supplication), and He says: « Those who say: “Our Lord! Grant us cool eyes in our spouses and in our offspring and make us a model for the God-fearing!» (Surah "Discrimination", 74 ayah).

6. To draw the child's attention to the importance of prayer:

If your son wanted to ask your permission to go to bed before the night prayer, you should remind him that there are only a few minutes left before the adhan for the night prayer. Tell him: "Oh, my son, pray first, and then you will go to bed."

If the son asked his father to go for a walk or visit one of his relatives before the evening prayer (Maghrib), you should tell him: "First read the evening prayer, then let's go!"

And from the ways of awakening in children the feeling (importance) of prayer - to voice all meetings, tying them to the times of namaz: "We meet after 'asr (evening namaz)", "We will come to visit you after the evening namaz (maghrib)", etc. ...

When a father connects his meetings and the meetings of his family with obligatory prayers, it lays in the child's consciousness that prayer is something very big and very important in the life of a Muslim.

And the father is responsible for teaching the son different types additional prayers (navafiles): namaz "ad-dukha", night prayer, namaz Avvabin [between evening and night prayer - approx. transl.], namaz of need (salat-l-hajj), prayer of gratitude (salat ash-shukr). It is also instilled in the son in early age.

And teach your son the courage to call his buddies to prayer, interrupting the walk. Teach him courage, which is also manifested in the fact that if you can say: "Come, let us perform the midday prayer (zuhr)." This also comes in the learning process. And also teach your son that there is no other way but to end conversations for the sake of collective prayer in the mosque. Make prayer the most important thing in your son's life!

7. Come to the mosque in advance

When you take your son with you on Friday ahead of the appointed time, then this habit is instilled in him for the rest of his life.

One day I wanted to meet with a brother about scientific work. He also made an appointment for me at half past five in the morning in his office. I was very surprised by this! And he told me: “When we were little, our father took us to the mosque before the morning prayer. And this habit has stayed with me for fifty years already! " He wakes up before Fajr time and does namaz, then does morning prayer, and then goes to his office.

I have noticed that when he takes care of his morning prayer (Fajr), and when he takes care of Friday prayer and coming to it well in advance, the same habit is instilled in his child. As for the father who comes to the mosque with his son just before the end of the Friday sermon (khutba), ‒ that father, without noticing it, instills in his son a negligent attitude to attend the khutba.

When you ‒ oh father ‒ you strive to ensure that your children are present at holiday prayers, and at prayer for asking for rain, this takes root in the minds of children, and holiday prayer and, possibly, prayer for the dead become an integral part of their essence and their lives. And when your son receives moral encouragement in the form of praise and material - in

the form that he loves, for order in the performance of prayers, and when there is a relationship between school and home, and when those who are with him at school are interested in whether the son is praying at home, ‒ all this also helps to awaken in the child a sense of responsibility for performing prayers.

8. Teaching the Quran, the words of prayer and the remembrance of Allah

And when the baby learns to repeat the day and night azkars (words of remembrance of the Most High) and knows that Allah, He is Exalted and Great, says: « And stand namaz, verily, namaz protects from abominations and reprehensible. But the remembrance of Allah is much more important!» (Surah "Spider", 45 ayah), ‒ these words of prayer and remembrance of Allah, du'a after namaz, du'a before namaz, du'a accompanying the adhan, ‒ all this fills his existence and becomes familiar to him.

And when you call him to memorize the Holy Quran at an early age, and learning as a child is like carving an inscription on a stone, ‒ this is a golden chance to encourage your son to memorize the Qur'an. And when you remind him of this noble hadith: "... and the Koran will say:" Oh, Lord, forgive his sins! " And he (the slave) will wear a crown of honor. Then he (the Koran) will say: “Oh, Lord, add to him! Oh Lord, be pleased with him! " And He will show His Contentment. And it will be said to him (the slave): “Read it! And read beautifully! " And his benefit (or "any of his good deeds") will be increased with each ayah read». (From the authentic hadith quoted by Hakim in the collection "Mustadrak").

When you teach your son the position of the Hafiz of the Qur'an, the position of the one who reads the Qur'an, the degree of the one who studies the Qur'an, the degree of the one who teaches the Qur'an, ‒ along with this, the child's zeal in memorizing the Koran increases.

9. Use pedagogical techniques

When you draw your child a table for performing prayers, and he hangs signs in each room in which a prayer is read. And when you install on his computer the program concerning the performance of prayer, and the basics of small ablution (wudu ') and prayer ... And when in his presence you repeat the words of the adhan after the muezzin, and when he says: “Haya’ ala-l-falyah! Haya ‘ala-l-falyah! ("Hurry to salvation! Hurry to salvation!"), You say: "There is no Power and Power, except for Allah!" his mind.

And when you teach him the words of supplication when leaving the house for prayer ... And when you teach him the words of supplication when entering the mosque and the words of supplication when leaving it ... And when you teach him the words of supplication when relieving himself ... All this will benefit him life in the future.

And when you warn him that the one whose prayer is like the pecking of a raven is stealing from his prayer, teaching the hadith: from Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him, it is quoted that he said: “ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The worst of thieves is a thief who steals from his prayer." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, how does he steal from his prayer?" He said: “He does not complete either his waist bow, or his bow to the ground, or he does not straighten his spine in either a waist or an earthly bow. ». (The hadith was brought by Ahmad and Tabarani. And all of its transmitters are trustworthy). - By doing so, you instill in your son the spirit of responsibility for the prayer (performed).

10. Gentleness, reassurance and stimulation

From Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-‘Asa, may Allah be pleased with them both, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: « Those who show mercy are those to whom the Merciful will show mercy. Be merciful to those on earth ‒He who is in heaven will be merciful to you!» (From a reliable hadith quoted by Abu Daud and Tirmidhi).

Everyone who is engaged in raising children is obliged to move away from a large number of orders, he needs to reward the child for the manifestation of good qualities morally, such as a manifestation of his contentment, or reward him financially for doing good deeds.

If the child makes a mistake, you should tell him: "This case is wrong" - instead of telling him: "Truly, you are mistaken!" Be kind to him, clarify the truth to him. If he repeats his mistake many times, you can forbid him something that he loves. And this will be in preparation for his persistence in prayer.

The Position of Teaching Children to Prayer

This is a divine order. And each order in the Holy Quran is regarded as wajib (action that must be performed).

Explain to your children, before they pray, who they appear before and with whom they are having a secret conversation. Teach them that prayer (is performed) is for Allah alone, and not for any of His slaves.

Teach them that if they cleanse their food (from the forbidden), and if their father fed them from property earned in legal ways, this will contribute to the presence of fear of the Almighty in prayer.

Teach them that when they read the Qur'an and do it in the best way, Allah is pleased with them and will honor them in this world (dunye) and in the next life (ahyrat).

Here are some prescriptions that originate from the words of the Most High: « Tell your family to perform namaz and do it yourself patiently!» Surah "Taha", 132 verses.

And Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

Dr. Muhammad Ratibun Nabulsi

Translation: Asia Shakiri

1. First category: small and sinless. They do not understand the ethics of conduct in the mosque and do not know anything about prayer. They have no understanding that a mosque is a place to worship Allah. There is also a danger that they will urinate in the mosque. 1 or playing inside and thus violating her sanctity. This category [usually] includes children 5-6 years old 2 .

Hukm for children of this category 3 - that it is not allowed to bring them to the mosque.

If the parents bring such a child to the mosque, and the child violates the sanctity of the house of Allah, then the sin will be on the parents, because these children are sinless. The keepers of the mosque can also prohibit such children from entering the mosque.

Sharia provides a framework for each act. This framework is what is called Dean 4 and we must stick to them.

[This is the category of children that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had in mind when he said: “ Keep the insane and [small] children away from your mosques5 ]

These children understand the status of the mosque and respect it to some extent. However, due to a lack of full understanding, they do not give her the respect she deserves. Such children can be brought to the mosque, but it is better not to do so [if these children are still likely to interfere excessively. This is already a question of the upbringing and innate inclination of the child. Scholars say there is tremendous benefit in having children attending mosques, especially in non-Muslim countries where they don’t see Muslims anyway, because it greatly contributes to their Islamic identity — the perception of themselves as Muslims].

Khukm in relation to this category: they should be brought to the mosque in order to instill in them the habit of performing jamaat on Friday prayer, since prayer becomes obligatory for them upon reaching the age of majority. And it also becomes a farz for them to commit juma. If you do not instill it before they reach maturity, you will have to accustom it after it becomes mandatory, because of this, they may not attend juma at all. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to bring teenagers to the mosque, having previously explained to them the rules of respect for this place at home. We need to teach them not to make noise in the mosque, since this is a sacred place where Allah is remembered.

Children's rows during namaz

Rows for children should be arranged immediately behind the men's rows, after they are full 6 ... This is the path of the Sunnah. Those who came after the beginning of the prayer should join the "children's" rows, on the right and left sides.

Pushing the kids away

Some latecomers begin to drag the children back if they see them in the prayer lines. Some take them by the ear and drag them back. Anyone who is late does so. This is common in many mosques. And this happens because today most people are late for prayer. For some reason, they think that it is not permissible to pray next to a child.

This is absolutely wrong. You need to get rid of this thought. You should stand next to the child, be it in the front row or in the last. You can stand to the left or right of him. This does not violate the prayer and does not affect it. All latecomers should stand in the back next to the children. It is not allowed to move children back behind oneself. This act is sinful. In doing so, we break their prayer and thus take on sin.

Being in the ranks of adults

If the children who came to the mosque for namaz are not brought up and run around the mosque, fooling around, laughing and chatting, then it is a good idea for them that they should be separated and be among adults. They don't need to create a separate row. Thus, they will not be able to interfere with the rest. Or if there are only one or two children in the mosque, then they are allowed to stand in prayer with adults, and this will not be karahat 7 .

Upbringing

We must also remember how the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) treated children. You can't be cruel or hitting children. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “ The one who does not feel mercy for the younger and does not respect the elders is not one of us.". Anas (radiallahu ankh) served the Prophet for 10 years, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) never rebuked him for what he did or for what he did not do.

Strongly scolding, reproaching or hitting a child is against the Sunnah. Moreover, scolding a child strongly will not give a lasting result. He may stop doing something for a while, but then repeat this act again.

The child should be taught with love and tenderness that a mosque is not a place for pranks and games. If you explain this to him gently [and do not reprimand], then he will respect you and, insha'Allah, will not repeat his mistakes another time.

Muslim men go to the mosque at least once a week to perform worship rituals. Mosques are the houses of the Almighty, and people who visit them become guests of the Creator.

When a person comes to visit someone, he tries to comply with the rules of decency adopted in this society. The situation is similar with mosques, when visiting which a believer must adhere to a number of religious and ethical norms.

1. Enter the mosque from the right foot

Going to the mosque, one should remember that the first step in its door must be made with the right foot, since the Messenger of the Most High (sgv) instructed that “it is Sunnah to enter the mosque with the right foot” (Hakim).

2. Before entering, read a special prayer (dua)

3. Take off your shoes and put them away carefully

At the entrance to the mosques, as a rule, there are seats so that it is convenient for visitors to take off their shoes, which must be removed to a specially designated place for this (shelves, a separate wardrobe or a section of the floor). One of the hadiths quoted by Ahmad says that the Prophet (sgv) ordered the believers to cleanse the mosques of dirt. In addition, if a person leaves their shoes right in the aisle, it can make it difficult for other people to enter the mosque.

4. Greet those present

A Muslim, entering the house of Allah, should greet his brothers in faith, as the Messenger of the Lord (sgv) said: "Indeed, the closest people to Allah are those who greet others first" (Abu Daud, Tirmidhi). At the same time, it is advisable to use its full form when greeting, namely: "Assalamu alaykum ua rahmatullahi wa barakatuh". By using this kind of address, the believer earns himself more reward than the usual greeting.

5. Perform a prayer of greeting

Before sitting down, it is advisable for the believer to perform the prayer of greeting to the mosque, as advised by the Grace of the Worlds Muhammad (s.g.v.), according to the hadiths of Bukhari. This prayer consists of 2 rak'ahs, the procedure for performing which is no different from, with the exception of intention (niyata).

6. Do not pass in front of worshipers

If, upon entering the mosque, you find that one of the believers is performing namaz, then you should not pass in front of him if there is no obstacle in front of him. The Messenger of the Merciful and the Most Merciful (sgv) said: "If the one who passes before the one who prays knew about the severity of this sin, then instead of passing, he would prefer to stand 40" (Bukhari, Muslim). In this case, it is not known what the Prophet (s.g.v.) had when speaking about 40 - days, months, years, rak'ahs or namaz.

In the event that it is very urgent to go in front of the prayer, then it is allowed to put some kind of obstacle, which can be, for example, a jacket or a bag.

7. Do not cause discomfort to others

Remember that you are not alone in the mosque, which means that the rights of other Muslims should be taken into account. For example, if the mosque is very crowded, then there is no need to sit in a wrap-around, thereby depriving other believers of space.

8. Don't raise your voice

While in the mosque, Muslims should not talk loudly, especially on abstract topics that are not related to issues of worship, especially if at that moment an adhan or sermon is being heard, and the Koran is being read. During their stay in the mosque, believers can be busy with different things. Some can just sit and wait for prayer, others read the Koran at this time, others pray, others sit in social networks through gadgets. And by raising your voice, you can distract a prayer or a fellow believer reading the Koran.

The Prophet of God (sgv) warned about the appearance of such people: “Before the offensive, people will appear who will gather in mosques in groups, and they will be imam and they will have dunya (worldly affairs)! Do not sit with them, for the Most High does not need them! " (Hakim, Tabarani).

9. Do not trade

In addition, it is strictly forbidden to conduct trading activities in mosques. Unfortunately, a similar phenomenon occurs in some houses of worship. The Prophet (sgv) said: "Do not engage in trade in mosques, do not argue and do not raise your voices there ..." (Ibn Majah).

10. Listen carefully to the adhan, reading the Qur'an, or preaching

If during your stay in the mosque you hear the adhan or the reading of the Koran, or the sermon of the imam, then you need to listen silently, because, firstly, you will not interfere with listening to others, and secondly, you will not raise worldly conversations over the reading of the Koran. and, thirdly, if a person begins to listen attentively, then he has the right to claim the reward of the Lord of the Worlds.

11. Praying Properly

Obviously, a believer, while in a mosque, should pray in the prescribed manner so that his prayer will be accepted by the Almighty, and that for him he will receive a reward and deserve the forgiveness of sins. According to the hadith, the Prophet (sgv) instructed: "If the servant of Allah correctly performs namaz, the angels read a prayer for him as long as he is in the place where he performed namaz" (Muslim).

12. Make dua

The faithful who are guests of their Creator, being in the mosque, should read the dua, asking the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the bestowal of benefits in both worlds.

13. It is undesirable to constantly sleep in the mosque for no reason.

In addition, it should be remembered that it is undesirable for believers to sleep in the "house of Allah" without a valid reason. An exception to this rule may be situations when a Muslim has lost his home or when he is on the road and decided to rest in a mosque.

Advantages of visiting mosques

- Getting more rewards- for each prayer in a Muslim prayer house, believers receive a reward that is many times greater than the reward for prayer at home. One of the hadiths says that the Almighty promised a reward for collective prayer, which is 27 times higher than the barakat for individual prayer (Muslim).

- Unity of the Ummah- by visiting mosques, we draw closer to our brothers in faith, which, in turn, contributes to the unity of the Muslim ummah.

- Visiting mosques- guests of Allah. As already mentioned, mosques appear, which means that those who visit them, those who respond to the invitation of the Lord, are His guests.

- The acquisition of knowledge- a believer can gain new knowledge about religion during a sermon or during Islamic courses.

It was a few years ago in Ramadan. I came to one of the Kazan mosques for taraweeh prayer and saw several children in the women's quarters. My joy was replaced by bitter disappointment already in the first minutes of prayer:

children screeched between the rows, tumbled, climbed on the backs of the worshipers, fought and several times hurt and strongly stepped on my head.

I think you will not be surprised if I say that the mothers of these children continued to pray as if nothing had happened (do not interrupt prayer because of such nonsense!). When it was all over, one of us exclaimed: "What a disgrace!"

No, these are not children. These are ill-bred children. This is that unpleasant case when a trip to the mosque with children is equated with the excuse "there is no one to leave with." Children are taken to prayer and literally thrown into the abyss of the prayer hall.

Try to make a remark to such mothers - you will literally be eaten alive, edifyingly repeating that a child from an early age needs to be shown prayer, mosque and Muslims. "Is it possible that even in Ramadan you will deprive these wonderful kids of such grace ?!"

What can I say? Children who are allowed to "rage" in the mosque are unlikely to feel any kind of grace. And how many angry thoughts addressed to them manage to “collect” their mothers during the minutes of prayer, because of which some of the worshipers find themselves wanting to go home as soon as possible?

"Automatic" introduction

“We are going to the mosque, behave yourself,” says the daughter's mother. What does "good" mean? - thinks the girl. Is it good to play? Is it good to have fun? Of course good. Indeed, in her children's understanding, it is good when it’s fun and the mother doesn’t swear. The girl is having fun, her mother is praying - and everything is fine ...

Indeed, sometimes one gets the impression that some of the parents are convinced that their children are already born with an understanding of how to behave in a mosque. Bringing the child here, they go to pray without showing or explaining anything. “They pray in mosques,” they say to the curious kid, and then let him think about how it happens.

Meanwhile, a child, even if at home he has already learned the basics of namaz, in unfamiliar walls may be embarrassed / confused / simply not want to pray with everyone. He can be frightened, agitated, he can be hurt by the remark of a stranger or strongly pushed in the back by another child. In the end, he may simply forget what to do, and leaving him alone in a large room with strangers is a lot of stress.

For some Muslim families, introducing children to Islam means dressing them up in a “Muslim costume”, participating in traditional feasts with them, and teaching them the words “bismillah” and “astaghfirullah”. All these simple traditions are put into a simple formula: "Because we are Muslims." This is logical, "because dad is dad and mom is mom."

Naturally, these parents do the same in other everyday situations. The child is left to himself and receives short, uninformative and sometimes rude answers to numerous questions. But the mosque is one of the most suitable "manuals" with which you can begin the "immersion" of a child in the rich world of Islamic traditions and rituals.

The age of the mosque is not a hindrance

At what age should a child be introduced to the mosque? Someone will say: from the earliest. Someone will suggest starting at a conscious age. Someone will want to leave the choice with the child himself. In the Sharia, you will not find specific instructions, except for those concerning the age of obligatory prayer and other things. And this can mean that any option is correct.

However, I would like to draw your attention to some practical difficulties. For example, infant one should not be left alone, as he may start crying loudly, and the mother reading namaz will not be able to interrupt to calm him down. Does this sound like a natural recommendation to you? But I have met women who were convinced that the sounds of namaz by themselves "magically" soothe babies left alone. This is not true!

A one-year-old or two-year-old child should also not be left unattended, as he is unlikely to sit in one place, waiting for his parents. Yes, he will start crawling between the rows, grabbing strangers by the legs, laughing or crying, and the confidence of other mothers that a son or daughter, looking at adults, will immediately rush to repeat all the prayer movements, as it happens at home, serving them a disservice.

Older children should not be allowed to go far away from themselves and should strictly make sure that they are around all the time. And only when a child of five or six years old goes to prayer in the usual mosque for the tenth or even hundredth time, you can give him some freedom: let him stand in a row with those with whom he wishes, climb to another floor, go forward, closer to the imam, or organizes with friends his own "jamaat" behind the adults.

Mosque in pictures

When a child starts asking questions, it is very important to give him as much as possible. useful information... Better yet, seek answers with him. Using the example of the arrangement of mosques, their various architecture and ornaments, the peculiarities of the location of the halls in them, you can show your child the whole world! After all, every country and every major city today boasts a mosque, the history and appearance of which are worthy of becoming a separate subject for study.

What was the very first mosque in the world? It will not be difficult to find on the Internet and print photos of the al-Quba mosque in the suburb of Medina, in Saudi Arabia, albeit modern. What is the most big mosque in the world? The Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca is an occasion to remember the Hajj. Children will undoubtedly be interested in underground and underwater mosques in Turkey, and they may want to build a clay mosque in the town of Jenne in the African Republic of Mali themselves - from plasticine, dough or kinetic sand (if you don't mind).

In a mosque built or folded out of boxes and cardboard, you can sort out together with toys, where is the prayer room covered with rugs, where is the minbar, and where are the rooms for ablution. Let your dad or older brother tell you what is the best way to build a minaret - after all, it is from him that the adhan, the call to prayer, will sound. It's time to get acquainted with the compass in order to determine in which direction the toy Muslim will pray?

A mosque is not a temple

Unlike Christian churches, a mosque for Muslims is not only a place for worship. Children should know that they can pray in any clean place and that they do not have to go to the mosque for this. In the mosque itself, you can not only pray, but also hold lessons, meetings, holidays, you can eat and even play there, if all this does not interfere with adults and other children.

Now the child may well think independently about what are the rules of behavior in such a place. For example, can you prevent other people from praying? No, you can't, which means you can't run and make noise during prayer. Is it okay to litter in a mosque? Of course, not, because prayer is read here, and prayer should be read in a clean place.

There are mosques in Russia where lessons for children are held; where contests and competitions are held; where treats are prepared and gifts are handed out for the holiday. If a child associates a mosque only with prayer, then over time he will lose any interest in this center of the life of the Muslim community: after all, you can pray at home. Therefore, of course, it is important that active educational and social activities are carried out in the mosque, and children are active participants in it, and not just guests on rare days of big holidays.

Finally, I will give a simple example: in a small mosque in one of the cities in the Russian hinterland, local Muslims specially equip a children's room. They equip her with toys board games, bright children's furniture. So that the children who come here on weekends can run, play, make noise, and in between their active activities to receive the maximum of religious knowledge and skills necessary at their age.

Of course, after a couple of such visits by the children's ummah, the room has to be re-equipped ... But the children are sure: a mosque is always a holiday! In sha Allah, they will keep this feeling for their entire adult life.

Aisha Umm Adam, Musulmanka.ru

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