DIY, Have fun with your child, make your own prayer rug

As Salaamu Alaikunna and good morning, I was asked by a few sisters to please put up a post today as I was intending to take a week off. Alhumdulilah, I love all of you sisters for the pleasure of Allah and only want to benefit us, so Insha Allah I have restated my intentions and I ask that Allah keep them pure and for his sake alone. Ameen.

SO as we all know today is my DIY craft day and I wanted to bring a different idea for crafts today. I would like us to do something with our younger children as they prepare to make salat a part of their everyday lives.
The Prophet(Salla Allahu Alaihi wa sallam) said: Order your children to pray at the age of seven. And beat them [lightly] if they do not do so by the age of ten.  And separate them in their bedding.

We all see our babies from as young as one year join the salat imitating us, it is a beautiful sight, It is one that I love to foster in my children and I am sure you all do as well. So I like to do things when they are younger to encourage this behaviour one thing that I saw about 7 years ago was an idea another sister had, which was to make prayer rugs with your children. It is a fun craft to do together and it is also a way to discuss the importance of prayer while doing it. Depending on the age of your child you can approach the salat with them according to their understanding and make it not only a craft time, but a learning time.
I came across this when studying and I would like to share it with you all.

The narrations found in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and elsewhere, describing the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) praying on a khumrah [small mat] and a haseer [large mat] show the permissibility of praying on other than the bare ground. A few of the scholars held the opinion that the prayer may only be offered on the bare ground, so these narrations are a proof against their position. They do not provide a proof for the one who takes this action as part of his Deen, since the Companions did not take this as Deen. Rather, they understood it to be permissible, and thus prayed on mats, bedding, clothing, etc. whenever it made sense, for example: in the extreme heat to protect oneself from the heat of the ground.

 Furthermore, the scholars have stated that it is better for a person to pray directly on the ground if he is able. Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "The ahaadeeth and the aathaar (narrations from the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam and the Companions) show that they used to prefer placing their foreheads directly on the bare ground if they were able, and when necessary, like in extremely hot weather and the likes, they would pray with something between them and the ground, using something they had with them: a part of their clothing, turban, or cap..." [Majmoo' al-Fataawee (22/172)]

> However, if someone still holds that these ahaadeeth prove the legislated nature of praying on prayer rugs, then we can look again to Shaykh al-Islaam (may Allaah have Mercy on him) who responded to this argument from a number of angles:
>
> [1] The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did not pray on them consistently, rather he prayed on them only occasionally, and for a reason, like the extreme heat or the likes. [as opposed to those who make it their Deen and pray on them all the time]
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> [2] That which the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) prayed upon was small in size, just big enough for one's prostration or slightly larger, not like the full-body sized prayer rugs the people have.
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> [3] The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did not pray on them thinking to protect himself from najaasah (impurities), or just to be sure of the purity of his prayer area, as the people who advocate prayer rugs do.
>
> [4] It is not something the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) told the Companions to do, and thus they used to pray directly on the ground. So if it was recommended or "sunnah" to do it, then they would have done it.
>
> [5] The Prophet's masjid (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) had a dirt floor, and while he had access to the mats, bedding, and other things mentioned in the narrations, he did not take any of these things into the masjid to pray on them.
>
> [Summarized from Majmoo' al-Fataawee (22/175-179)]
>
> And it can be added:
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> [6] The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did not used to place one mat upon another, as the prayer rug advocates do, placing their rug on top of carpet or another rug.
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> [7] He did not have pictures of the ka'bah, other masjids, colored designs, Allaah's Names, etc. on the mat he used occasionally, unlike the prayer rug advocates. Instead, he would keep such visual distractions away from his prayer area, as he returned a garment that had markings on it for one that did not in order not to be distracted in his prayer, and it is reported that Ibn 'Umar used to remove visual distractions from the qiblah direction in the masjids, like swords and mus-hafs.
>
> [8] He did not have the pride that would keep one from placing his face on the bare ground, as he used to prostrate directly on it, even when it was moist and remained on his forehead. And many of the prayer rug advocates could never imagine doing such a thing.
>
> And Allaah knows best... >With keeping this in mind we ask that Allah purify our intentions and make this craft idea one that will be beneficial. Ameen

                                                       

                      Child-Size Prayer Rug

Materials Needed:

Fabric any kind

Fabric (one piece, 22 x 14 inches for each child

Puff Paint

Fringe

Ribbon



Fabric Glue

Directions:

Glue some ribbon onto the prayer rug with fabric glue.  Edge any raw edges of glued-on fabric with puff paint.  Then use the puff paint or fabric markers to write the child’s name on the rug or add any additional designs.  Glue a fringe onto each end of the fringe.  Let dry.

Enjoy the fun with your children and while crafting and teaching along the way, they won't even know they're learning!