Command your children to perform the prayer when they are seven years old

'Amr bin Shu'aib reported on his father's authority that his grandfather (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

Our children are the comfort of our eyes, perhaps they will be our intermediaries before Allah on the Day of Judgment, they are an extension of our good deeds after death. They are to complete what we started in our lives. Therefore, we have to raise them up properly so that we care about their physical, spiritual and mental education, and instill in them the love of Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to do so in many hadiths.

In this commandment he stressed on teaching the children to pray because the prayer is the most important practical pillar of Islam, it is the close connection between the slave and his Lord the Almighty. It has many virtues some of which we knew, yet there are virtues we did not know.

Taining the child to pray; means that the child will learn how to cleanse his skin, to maintain his personal hygiene through ablution, to avoid the impurities that may be attached to his body, or the garment he wears, or the place where he prays then to purify himself from the impurities in case he is spoiled with it.

As well he will learn how to read the Quran and how to praise and exalt his Lord, in addition to the other types of the words of remembering Allah. In the prayer his heart is connected to his Creator more than it is connected to his parents. This connection between him and his Lord will be deepen so that he loves his Lord and feels tranquility when he mentions his name, his soul will be connected to the prayer until it fills his time, and he finds in it a pleasure that he does not find in any thing else.

The child may not understand the rules and does not know their usefulness before he reaches seven years old, therefore the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: " Command your children to perform Salat (prayer) when they are seven years old " That is to command them decessively with wisdom and fair preaching along with encouraging them in an easy way without discussing the details.

We must take care to study the ways in which the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) speaks to us in his commands, prohibitions and all of his instructions so as not to miss understanding any meaningful letter in the sentence.

In this Hadith, there is another significant matter: to separate between the boys and girls in the bedding, to make a separate bed for each of them if possible.

If this is not feasible, then the parents shall make the head of the first child on one side, and head of the other child on the other side.