With Ramadan 2024 about to arrive, Crescent Moon Bookstore highly encourages parents to introduce their children to the concept of Dua or supplication in Islam. This week, we explain how you can talk to your kids about this beautiful and enriching act of worship.
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As Ramadan inches closer, families worldwide prepare in different ways; some make it a point to memorize the Holy Quran, while others read Ramadan-themed books. Some parents sit down with children to learn more about the obligations of the Holy Month, like Sadaqah and its significance during Ramadan.
A vital component of our Ibaadah this month is Dua. Read on as we discuss how parents can teach their children all about it.
Psst…if you still have some Eid gift shopping to do, we have 10 of the top trending Eid gifts for kids right here!
What is Dua or Supplication in Islam?
As Muslims, Allah SWT blesses us to communicate with Him directly. He SWT allows this primarily through our five daily prayers and through Dua. Dua is a supplication or an invocation that one makes with Allah SWT at any time or place and in any condition and for anything one desires. The word Dua دعاء has several possible meanings. Essentially, dua can mean:
- Praising Allah SWT
- Beseeching Allah’s SWT help
- Calling upon Allah SWT
Irrespective of how you choose to call on Allah SWT, dua is a remarkable mercy that Allah SWT bestows upon us.
Why Should We Teach Our Kids to Make Dua
The Prophet Muhammad PBUH said,
“Dua is worship” (Abu Dawud)
The essence of making dua is to strengthen our bond with Allah SWT, the controller of all affairs. Teaching kids to call upon Allah SWT has a strong positive impact on their overall personality development. Some of them are:
Build a strong relationship with Allah: Regular Dua helps children nurture a connection with Allah SWT and know that He is always present with them.
Develop patience and gratitude: Making Dua fosters a sense of Sabr or patience in children for the things they long for and a feeling of gratitude or Shukr for the answered duas.
Nurture emotional stability: Children who know how to make dua are less likely to be overwhelmed in difficult situations and can handle their emotions more effectively than those who don’t lean into the power of dua.
Develop compassion for others: When kids don't know what they can do for others in trouble, the best way to align the fitrah (natural disposition) of compassion and care in children is to encourage them to make dua for others.
Promote reflection and mindfulness: Dua is an effective tool that urges children to sit down with their feelings and introspect on their actions. Dua also helps kids to be present and mindful in the moment of conversing with Allah SWT.
Create a sense of comfort during difficult times: Through dua and supplications, children can feel a sense of relief, comfort, and assurance when they face challenging tasks in their day-to-day routines.
How Can We Teach Our Kids to Lean on Dua
Like with everything else that we teach our kids when it comes to dua, it is best to lead by example. Let your kids see you harnessing the power of dua in your daily routine. A simple “Alhamdulillah” when you hear something positive is enough to inspire children to do the same.
Consider teaching kids duas from the Quran and Sunnah. Start off with simple ones for protection, health, and guidance, and add more as they grow.
Reading books of dua and creating a dua journal together can be positive reinforcements for children learning to make dua a consistent part of their lives.
Children should be encouraged to make dua for any and everything. It can be as small as a dua for reaching a destination on time or help for ease on a school test. Let them rely on dua to express their worries, fears, wishes, and feelings without hesitation.
In one hadith, Prophet Muhammad PBUH advises us by saying, “Ask your Lord for everything that you need, even a lace for your shoe if it breaks.”
Let this be the guiding principle for your kids to make dua.
Dua Hacks to Try This Ramadan with Kids
Ramadan is the perfect time to incorporate a habit of daily dua into your child’s routine. Here are some hacks you can try together as a family this month to maximize the chances of it being answered.
Make Dua after every Salah: Make sure to sit down with your kids after every fardh Salah whenever possible and make dua as angels ask for forgiveness as long as we sit on the musallah. (Bukhari)
Make Dua before Breaking of Fast or Iftar: A Hadith states that the dua of a fasting person when he breaks his fast is exceptionally potent. Encourage your children to join you at the iftar table and pray even if they aren’t fasting yet.
Make Dua during and after Taraweeh: Taraweeh is a special Salah that happens only during Ramadan. Visiting your local mosques to pray Taraweeh is a beautiful way to strengthen Islamic values in children. Make sure to teach them that making dua in Taraweeh is highly recommended.
Make Dua in Tahajjud: The time of Tahajjud is one of the most sacred times to make dua. This Ramadan, children who are old enough to be woken up for Fajr Salah can join you in Tahajjud and couple the power of the blessed month and the blessed part of the night as they make their supplications to Allah SWT.
Make Dua during the last ten nights and Laylatul Qadr: The last ten nights of Ramadan are among the best of the year. Duas made on Laylatul Qadr are witnessed by angels and rewarded immensely. This Ramadan, make it a point to introduce your children to this tremendous night.
Make Dua for others: When we make dua for others, the angels reply with the same for us. Therefore, always encourage your kids to make duas for their family and loved ones and for Muslims around the world.
What’s the Answer to “Why doesn't Allah SWT Grant my Dua”?
Where there is a child making dua, at times, there’s bound to be disappointment for unanswered duas. Here is how you can tackle innocent questions that your kids may pose:
Allah SWT loves to hear us ask of him. He is more eager to grant us our dua than we are to ask it. In a hadith, the Prophet PBUH says,
“There is no Muslim who makes dua in which there is no sin or severing of ties of kinship, but Allah will give him one of three things in return for it: either what he asked for will be given to him, or reward will be stored for him in the Hereafter or an equivalent evil will be diverted from him.”
(Narrated by Ahmad, 10749; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2199 )
In short, explain to your kids that the answer to our duas can be one of the following:
- Yes
- Yes, but when the time is right
- There is something better waiting for you
Allah’s SWT wisdom is far beyond our understanding. Our duas never go unanswered, so we must always stay optimistic and trust Allah SWT listens to us and responds with what is best for us.
With this, we pray that the month of Ramadan is a fruitful one where we can come closer to Allah SWT with our prayers and duas. Crescent Moon Bookstore wishes you a blessed Ramadan and Eid 2024.