Once a child prays the five, there is a whole second layer of salah waiting: the extra rak'ahs that build a house in Jannah, the night prayer, the prayer you make when you cannot decide something, and the quiet work of actually concentrating. These lessons assume the basics are in place and take a student further, with the evidence for each one shown.
Lesson 1 · Salah in jama'ah · ages 8-11
Praying together
Prayer in congregation is worth many times prayer alone, and the row itself is part of the worship.
1Multiplied reward
The Prophet ﷺ said prayer in congregation is twenty-seven times better than prayer offered alone.
2Straighten the rows
The Prophet ﷺ said to straighten the rows, for straightening them is part of the completeness of the prayer.
3Follow the imam
You move after the imam, never before him — the Prophet ﷺ warned sternly about racing ahead of the imam.
4Men in the masjid
Attending the masjid is emphasised for men; women may attend and pray at home with full reward.
5Family counts
Praying together as a family at home is congregation too — a parent leading two children is a jama'ah.
“Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven times superior to a prayer offered by a person alone.”
Sahih Muslim 650
“Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is part of perfecting the prayer.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 723
Do this before next time
Pray one salah in congregation every day this week — in the masjid or with your family at home.
Lesson 2 · Sunan ar-rawatib · ages 8-11
The twelve extra rak'ahs
Twelve voluntary rak'ahs spread through the day, and the Prophet ﷺ said Allah builds a house in Jannah for whoever prays them.
1The promise
Umm Habibah reported the Prophet ﷺ saying: whoever prays twelve rak'ahs in a day and night, a house in Paradise will be built for him.
2Where they go
In that narration: four before Dhuhr and two after, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, and two before Fajr.
3They repair the five
Voluntary prayers make up for the shortfall in our compulsory ones, so they are not extra credit for the very pious only.
4At home is better
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged praying voluntary prayers at home rather than in the masjid.
5Start with two
Do not attempt all twelve on day one. Take the two after Maghrib and keep them for a month.
“Whoever prays twelve rak'ahs in a day and night, a house in Paradise will be built for him: four before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, and two before Fajr.”
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 415
Do this before next time
Pray the two rak'ahs after Maghrib every day this week and mark them off on a chart.
Lesson 3 · Qiyam al-layl · ages 12-15
Night prayer and witr
The best prayer after the obligatory ones is the night prayer, and it is finished with an odd number of rak'ahs called witr.
1The best voluntary prayer
The Prophet ﷺ said the best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.
2Finish with witr
The Prophet ﷺ said: make the last of your prayer at night an odd number — witr can be one, three, five or more.
3How binding is witr?
Views on witr differ: some scholars treat it as close to compulsory, while most treat it as a strongly recommended sunnah.
4Quality over quantity
The Prophet ﷺ told 'Aishah he prayed a small number of rak'ahs but lengthened them — a few, done well, beats many rushed.
5A child-sized start
Two short rak'ahs before bed, then one witr. That is a complete night prayer.
Fa izaa qadaitumus Salaata fazkurul laaha qiyaamanw wa qu'oodanw wa 'alaa junoobikum; fa izat maanantum fa aqeemus Salaah; innas Salaata kaanat 'alal mu'mineena kitaabam mawqootaa
“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.”
“Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it. There is no expiation for it except that.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 597
Do this before next time
Set your own alarm for Fajr tonight instead of relying on a parent to wake you.
Lesson 6 · Khushu · ages 12-15
Praying with your heart
It is possible to complete every movement of salah and still not have been present. Khushu is the part nobody can see.
1It is the first quality of the successful
Allah opens Surah al-Mu'minun by describing the believers as those who are humbly submissive in their prayer.
2Ihsan in salah
The Prophet ﷺ described ihsan as worshipping Allah as though you see Him, and if you cannot, knowing that He sees you.
3Not thinking about the prayer
The Prophet ﷺ warned against the person who prays with no attention, and about Shaytan distracting a person in salah.
4Practical helps
Pray slowly, understand what you are saying, look at the place of sujood, remove noise and clutter in front of you.
5Wandering minds are normal
Everyone's mind drifts. Khushu is bringing it back each time it goes, not never drifting.
Fabimaa rahmatim minal laahi linta lahum wa law kunta fazzan ghaleezal qalbi lanfaddoo min hawlika fafu 'anhum wastaghfir lahum wa shaawirhum fil amri fa izaa 'azamta fatawakkal 'alal laah; innallaaha yuhibbul mutawak kileen
“So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him].”
Wallazeenas tajaaboo li Rabbhim wa aqaamus Salaata wa amruhum shooraa bainahum wa mimmaa razaqnaahum yunfiqoon
“And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend.”
“The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us the Istikhara in all matters as he taught us the Suras of the Qur'an.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1166
Do this before next time
Next time you have a real choice to make, pray two rak'ahs first and ask a parent's advice after.
Every ayah on this page comes from the Tanzil Uthmani text of the Qur'an with the Sahih International translation, and every hadith carries its collection and number so you can check it yourself. Back to the learning path
