What personal examples of awe or peace in prayer can parents share honestly? 

Parenting Perspective 

Children often learn the feeling of prayer before they understand its meaning. When parents share their own genuine moments of awe, calm, or closeness that they have felt during Salah, it helps a child to see prayer as something real, not just as an abstract ritual. These small testimonies do not need to be grand; they simply need to be authentic. 

When a child hears a parent describe a moment when their heart felt still, or when tears came unexpectedly, they can begin to understand that Salah is not just a series of movements, but a meeting with the divine. An honest reflection can teach them that every believer, even an adult, is on a continuous journey of rediscovering that meeting. 

Share Simple, Everyday Moments 

You do not need to share deep mystical stories. You can speak about simple, relatable experiences. For example, ‘Once I prayed outside after it had been raining, and the air felt so fresh. I felt very peaceful talking to Allah.’ Or you could say, ‘Yesterday during sujood, I felt so calm after having been upset, like my heart could finally breathe again.’ These small examples can help a child to realise that a sense of awe does not always arrive with a clap of thunder; sometimes it arrives quietly, in our ordinary prayers. 

Describe Your Feelings, Not a Lecture 

Instead of turning your experience into a piece of advice, you can simply describe what you felt. You could say, ‘I was feeling worried, and when I started to pray, I felt as though Allah was listening to me.’ Or, ‘During Fajr this morning, when everything was so silent, I felt grateful that Allah had woken me up to talk to Him.’ This can invite a sense of emotional honesty into your conversation. The peaceful tone of your voice can become the lesson itself; your children will remember the warmth of the moment, not just the words that you said. 

Connect a Sense of Awe to the Senses 

Children are often best able to connect with things through sensory imagery. You can try to describe moments when your Salah felt alive to your senses. 

• ‘When I bowed, I could hear my own heartbeat, and it reminded me that Allah is the one who gave it life.’ 

• ‘During sujood, the floor felt cool and comforting, as though Allah was close to me.’ 

• ‘When I heard the Adhan echoing, it felt as though the whole world had paused for a moment.’ 

These sensory details can teach a child that a sense of awe is not something that is far away; it is hidden in the details of the prayer itself. 

Be Honest About a Lack of Focus 

Sharing your struggles can also help to build a sense of trust with your child. You might say, ‘Sometimes when I pray, my mind wanders, but then I remember that I am standing before Allah, and that feeling makes me peaceful again.’ This honesty can show your child that a sense of connection is not about a constant perfection. It is a rhythm of losing our focus, returning to it gently, and finding a sense of calm again. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam encourages believers to feel deeply in their prayer, not just to perform the actions, but to truly connect. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions described moments of awe that arose not from a sense of effort, but from a sense of presence. Sharing your own small moments of peace continues that tradition of a heartfelt honesty within the family. 

The Experience of Tranquillity in the Noble Quran 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Fath (48), Verse 4: 

‘It is He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their faith. And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth, and ever is Allah Knowing and Wise…’ 

This verse reminds us that the peace we feel in our prayer is not something that we have created ourselves; it is a gift from Allah. When parents are able to share their moments of calm after Salah, they are teaching their children that this sakinah, or tranquillity, is a divine sign, the heart’s quiet proof of its connection to the divine. 

The Prophet’s Awe and Tears in Prayer 

It is recorded in Sunan Nisai, Hadith 1010, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ spent a night weeping in prayer while repeating the verse: 

‘If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, indeed You are the Mighty, the Wise.’ 

This Hadith shows that a sense of awe can be found in our sincerity; the Prophet ﷺ was moved not by the length of his prayer, but by the depth of his reflection. Sharing even our own small emotional moments can mirror this Prophetic model, showing that a sense of awe and of peace are the signs of a heart that is alive in its remembrance of Allah. 

When parents are able to speak honestly about what has touched their hearts in prayer, the quiet moments of the morning, the tears of gratitude, the sense of peace that can come after a difficult day, they are inviting their children into a living experience of their faith. Years later, when that child may feel the same stillness in their own prayer, they will remember your words and will whisper to themselves, ‘This must be what my parents felt.’ That feeling of recognition, quiet, deep, and sincere, is how a love for Allah Almighty can take root and can be passed down across the generations.