Abnauna wa al-Salah

Abnauna wa al-Salah (Our Children and Prayer) is an Islamic treatise on parenting and religious upbringing written by Abd al-Malik bin Qasim, focusing on the responsibility of parents to instill the regular performance of prayer (Salah) in their children Abnauna wa al-Salah.

Purpose and Scope

The work addresses what the author identifies as a widespread absence of young people from mosques and congregational prayers Abnauna wa al-Salah. Highlighting that parents bear the primary duty before God for their family's religious adherence, the author emphasizes the parental obligation to awaken and guide children to pray—particularly the dawn prayer (Fajr) and afternoon prayer (Asr)—rather than neglecting this out of misplaced pity regarding cold or heat Abnauna wa al-Salah+1.

Key Themes and Arguments

The author frames the instruction of prayer through the prophetic model of gradual upbringing, noting the hadith instructing parents to command children to pray at age seven and to discipline them for omitting it at age ten Abnauna wa al-Salah. He observes that across the three-year span between ages seven and ten, a child is invited to prayer more than five thousand times, establishing a habitual routine that minimizes the need for physical discipline Abnauna wa al-Salah.

To reinforce his arguments, the author cites historical examples from the early generations (al-Salaf), such as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ checking on Ibn Abbas's prayer, and Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan instructing the educator Salih ibn Kaysan to supervise Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz's attendance at prayer Abnauna wa al-Salah. The text also quotes Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya regarding the liability of guardians who neglect their dependents' religious education Abnauna wa al-Salah+1.

The treatise outlines several key benefits of ensuring children attend congregational prayers at the mosque, including:

• Discharging the parents' religious liability and avoiding sin Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Gaining ongoing spiritual rewards for training them in worship Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Attaining divine protection for the child throughout the day Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Protecting the youth from falling into disbelief and hypocrisy Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Raising righteous offspring who will pray for their parents after death Abnauna wa al-Salah.

Practical Guidance

The book enumerates practical measures for parents to nurture the habit of prayer in their households, including:

• Serving as personal role models in maintaining punctuality and attendance at prayers Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Prioritizing religious obligations over worldly concerns, such as academic exams or homework Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Establishing habits that facilitate waking up on time, including avoiding late nights and setting alarm clocks Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Ensuring children are not improperly removed from front rows in the mosque, citing a fatwa by Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz that early-arriving boys are entitled to keep their spots Abnauna wa al-Salah+1.
• Providing tangible incentives, financial rewards, and encouragement Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Consistently supplicating for their children's guidance and having the children hear those prayers Abnauna wa al-Salah.
• Fostering righteous companionship and coordinating with local mosque imams to encourage and acknowledge youth who attend prayers Abnauna wa al-Salah+1.
• Factoring in proximity to a mosque when selecting family housing Abnauna wa al-Salah.