My Daughter was 12 years old and salaah was like a heavy burden on her. One day I told her to perform her salaah and I watched her go off. She took her musalla and threw it on the ground. I asked her if she read her salaah and she replied, “yes.” I was devastated as I knew she was lying to me. I watched her closely and knew that she hadn’t performed her salaah. Believe me, without feeling I slapped her across her face. I know I shouldn’t have reacted with aggression but I was upset with her attitude. The situation has troubled me and I cried and I repented to Allah Ta’ala to forgive me. The slap, the talks, the reminders, all did not benefit my child in the least.
One day, one of my friends told me that she once went to visit one of her friends. Her friend was not very pious, but when the azaan was called out, she noticed her children rushing for salaah without any reminders or quarrels.
Quite shocked at what I saw, I asked her how her children perform salaah on their own without quarreling or a reminding them. She said to me, “My secret is that before I got married I make this Dua daily until today.
After she advised me to also read this dua, I also began reciting it daily. My Sisters and Brothers! Since I began to recite this dua, my daughter is now the first to perform her salaah without any reminders or quarrels. She gets up for Fajr Salaah without any alarms. Her brothers are now also eager to perform salaah without any difficulties. In fact now we have to ask her to wake us up for salaah.
I know You are now eager to know what dua this is.
This dua is in Surah Ibraheem [14], ayah # 40
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِیۡ مُقِیۡمَ الصَّلٰوۃِ وَمِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ ٭ۖ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ
O my Lord! make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! and accept Thou my Prayer. “Rabbi-Ajal’ni muqeema salaati, wa min Dhurriyyati, rabbana wataqabbal duaa”
Start today, do not wait until you get married and until you have kids – “prevention is better than cure.”
Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net