Prayer, my meeting with Allah

The second pillar is prayer: الصَّلَاة aṣ-ṣalaat.

Praying means having a meeting with Allah. We stop playing, working or looking at a screen, and we turn to Allah to talk to Him, thank Him and ask for His help.

Allah says to Musa (Moses): وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي wa aqimi ṣ-ṣalaata li-dhikrii "And establish the prayer to remember Me." (meaning of part of verse 20:14)

The Prophet ﷺ gave a beautiful picture: "If a river flowed in front of your door and you washed in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on you?" The companions said: "No!" He said: "That is like the five prayers: through them, Allah wipes away mistakes." (Bukhari 528, Muslim 667)

When we pray, we face the Kaaba in Makkah: that is the qibla. Before praying, we wash in a special way: wudu. You will learn wudu and the movements of the prayer in the next course, "Wudu and prayer", in shaa' Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ asked parents to teach their children the prayer from the age of 7 (Abu Dawud 495 [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]). So you can start practising now!

Little activity: next time your parent prays, watch calmly, or stand next to them and do as they do.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Prayer is the pillar we live every day. Five times a day, it reminds us that Allah is more important than whatever we are doing. That is why the call to prayer begins with "Allaahu akbar": Allah is greater. The picture of the river teaches us that prayer cleans our heart, as water cleans our body. And Allah says that prayer keeps us away from what is ugly and bad (29:45). We do not pray just any way: the Prophet ﷺ said: "Pray as you have seen me pray." (Bukhari 631) That is why we learn the movements carefully, in the next course.

Lessons to draw from it • When I hear the call to prayer, I stop my game: Allah is greater. • After a mistake, I can always come back to Allah: prayer cleans the heart. • I practise praying with my parents, little by little.

Key points to remember • Prayer (ṣalaat) is the second pillar. • "Establish the prayer to remember Me" (20:14). • The five prayers are like a river that washes us five times a day (Bukhari 528, Muslim 667). • We pray facing the Kaaba (the qibla), after wudu.

The main message Prayer is my meeting with Allah, five times a day: it cleans my heart and reminds me that Allah is greater.