Researcher Emphasizes Role of Parental Example in Teaching Children to Pray
Hojat-ol-Islam Habibollah Zamani, a religious expert, spoke in an interview with IQNA about how to cultivate religious commitment in children.
He focused on practical strategies rooted in child development psychology and Islamic teachings, stressing that family environment plays a decisive role.
Zamani said parents should use methods “that have the most influence in today’s society,” highlighting modeling as one of the most impactful approaches. “Modeling is considered a fast and effective method in developmental psychology,” he explained.
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He added that if parents embody Islamic ethics before teaching religious rituals, children will naturally imitate them.
“From ages one to seven, a child repeats actions without understanding the philosophy behind them,” he said, noting that this pattern also affects adults.
He cited a narration from Imam Sadiq (AS): “Invite people without using your tongues so they may see your piety, effort in worship, prayer and goodness, for these themselves are a call.”
Zamani said if the atmosphere of prayer fills the home, “children will find their role models in the family and build closeness with prayer,” leading to moral strength and avoidance of wrongdoing.
He stated that a child born into a home “filled with the remembrance and love of God” often needs no formal instruction on prayer.
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Zamani asked: “In a home where parents wake for night prayers and all members are committed to religious practices, how is it possible that the child turns away from God?”
He referred to a hadith in which Jaber ibn Abdillah al-Ansari asked the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) how to protect one’s family from Hellfire. The Prophet (PBUH) replied: “Do good deeds yourselves, remind them of God, guide them to what is right with kindness, and forbid them from what leads to corruption.”
Zamani said that when a child feels loved, they gradually find comfort in prayer.
A child’s natural curiosity, he said, provides opportunities for parents to teach belief and gratitude. For example, when a child asks who created sweet fruit or the stars, “we can gently lead them to the Creator” and teach that prayer is “the best form of thankfulness.”
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