I get ready to pray

Before starting the prayer, I check five things, like a pilot before take-off. Count them on the fingers of your hand!

1. Wudu: do I still have wudu? (previous lesson)

2. Cleanliness: my body, my clothes and the place where I pray are clean. Many people pray on a prayer mat (sajjaada), but we can pray on any clean floor.

3. Clothes: I wear clean clothes that cover the body well. Boys cover at least from the navel to the knees; girls cover the whole body except the face and hands. [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche] Allah says: يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ yaa banii aadama khudhuu ziinatakum 'inda kulli masjid "O children of Adam, wear your fine clothes for every prayer." (meaning of part of verse 7:31)

4. The qibla: I face the Kaaba, in Makkah. Allah says: فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ fa-walli wajhaka shaṭra l-masjidi l-ḥaraam "Turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque." (meaning of part of verse 2:144) At home, ask your parents which way the qibla is. A compass or an app can help.

5. The time: each prayer has its time. Allah says that prayer is prescribed for the believers at fixed times (4:103). • Fajr: from dawn until sunrise. • Dhuhr: after midday, when the sun starts to go down. • 'Asr: in the afternoon. [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche] • Maghrib: just after sunset. • 'Isha: at night, when it is dark. The call to prayer (the adhan) announces that the time has come. You can find the exact times for each day on the centre's website.

And finally, the intention (an-niyya): in my heart, I know which prayer I am going to make (for example: "I am praying Maghrib"). No need to say it out loud.

Little activity: set up your "prayer corner" at home with your parent: a clean mat, facing the qibla. Next to it, put up a sheet with the five checks.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation These five checks are called the conditions of prayer: without them, the prayer is not complete. They are not there to make life difficult, but so that our meeting with Allah goes well. The qibla brings together all the Muslims of the world: wherever we are, we all face the same House, the Kaaba (2:144). The time matters too: the Prophet ﷺ said that the deed Allah loves most is prayer made on time (Bukhari 527, Muslim 85). If we forget or fall asleep, we pray as soon as we remember. You are still young, so you practise: if you get the direction or the time wrong, it is not serious, you are learning. The Prophet ﷺ asked that children be taught the prayer from the age of 7 (Abu Dawud 495 [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]).

Lessons to draw from it • Before praying, I count my five checks on my fingers. • I wear clean, nice clothes to pray. • When I hear the adhan, I get ready straight away.

Key points to remember • Wudu, cleanliness, covering clothes, qibla, time: then the intention. • The qibla is the direction of the Kaaba (2:144). • Each prayer has its time (4:103); prayer on time is the deed Allah loves most (Bukhari 527, Muslim 85). • Fine clothes for prayer (7:31).

The main message I get ready for my meeting with Allah: clean, well dressed, facing the Kaaba, at the right time, with my heart ready.