You won’t be happy when your child grows up and becomes a successful young man in his work, excelling in his studies, loved among his friends, but he believes all this success came from his effort alone. He thinks his intelligence alone was enough, and forgets that there’s someone who granted him success, helped him, and opened closed doors for him.
What’s more painful is that this actually happens with many of our children, especially when they grow up in environments that elevate self-reliance, and root in them the idea that humans are masters of their own destiny without needing anyone, even their Creator.
And here lies the importance of planting the habit of making dua, as a way to remind them that every success needs Allah’s guidance, and that effort alone isn’t enough without His help and blessing.
✅ Because dua teaches your child real humility. When he raises his hands and asks Allah, he learns that no matter how much strength and intelligence he reaches, he remains in need, weak before the greatness of the Creator. This lesson alone is enough to protect him from arrogance and pride his whole life.
✅ Dua also gives your child a very powerful psychological weapon in times of hardship and difficulty. When life gets tight on him, when he fails at something, when he loses someone dear, when he goes through a mental crisis, dua will be his safe refuge, the place where he finds peace and reassurance.
✅ And most important of all, dua creates a deep personal relationship between your child and Allah. Not just rules he memorizes or orders he follows without spirit, but a living relationship, a relationship of love, trust, and certainty. He knows that Allah hears him, sees him, and cares about his affairs.
How do we make dua a habit in our children’s lives?
✔️ Start with simple duas he understands
Don’t start with long, complicated duas your child doesn’t understand their meaning. Start with simple ones, close to his daily life. Dua before sleep, dua before food, dua when leaving the house, dua when riding in the car.
✔️ Explain to him the meaning of each dua in simple words
When you tell him to say “Bismillah” before food, tell him we mention Allah’s name because He’s the one who gave us this food, He’s the one who made the earth grow crops and trees, and that mentioning His name makes the food blessed and beneficial for our bodies.
This connection between dua and its meaning and daily life makes dua logical in the child’s mind, not just words he repeats without understanding.
✔️ Turn his requests into educational opportunities for dua
This is one of the strongest and most impactful methods. When your child comes to you and asks you for something, don’t just tell him yes or no. Turn it into a beautiful educational opportunity.
Tell him: I’ll try to do this, God willing, and ask him to make dua to Allah to make the matter easy and complete it. Teach him to raise his hands and say: Oh Allah, grant me this thing, Oh Allah, make this matter easy for me.
And when what he asked for happens, remind him to thank Allah. Tell him: Did you see? You made dua to Allah and He answered you, thank Allah for this blessing.
This repetition, this direct connection between dua and the result, increases his certainty that Allah hears and answers.
✔️ Make dua connected to moments of happiness, not just sadness
Many parents fall into the mistake of teaching their children dua only in times of hardship, illness, and fear. This in turn makes the child connect dua with problems, makes it something he resorts to only when necessary.
Instead, make dua connected to beautiful moments too. Before he plays his favorite game, tell him: Make dua to Allah that you enjoy playing. Before he eats the candy he loves, tell him: Thank Allah who gave you this thing.
✔️ Share with him your personal stories about answered dua
Children are affected by stories much more than direct advice, especially when these stories are real and true.
✔️ Make dua out loud in front of him and be a living role model
Children learn by imitation more than they learn by words. If they see you making dua, they’ll make dua. If they see dua as a natural part of your daily life, it becomes part of theirs.
Make part of your duas out loud. When you leave the house, say in a voice he hears: Oh Allah, I entrust You with my family and my home. When you start work, say: Oh Allah, bless this work for me and make it easy. When you eat, say: Praise be to Allah who fed us and gave us drink.
✔️ Encourage him to make his own dua notebook
Buy him a notebook and tell him: This is your special notebook, you write in it everything you wish for and ask Allah to make it happen for you.
And after a while, go back together to this notebook and read the old duas. You’ll see together how many duas came true, how many wishes Allah fulfilled.
✔️ Teach him that dua isn’t just for requests
Teach your child to make dua thanking Allah for existing blessings. Teach him to make dua for his family and friends. Teach him to make dua for Muslims everywhere. Teach him to make dua of praise and gratitude to Allah even without asking for anything.
This variety in types of dua makes the relationship with Allah a rich and multidimensional relationship, not just a relationship of benefit where the child asks for what he wants only.
The best investment in your child is investing in his relationship with Allah. And dua is one of the strongest means to achieve this goal, because it creates a living permanent connection between your child and his Lord, a connection that grows and strengthens every time he makes dua and senses Allah’s closeness to him.
But this journey isn’t always easy, especially if you live in an environment that doesn’t help you achieve this goal. Sometimes you need an expert hand to extend help to you, someone who shares this great responsibility with you and helps you plant these values in your child’s heart.
And this is what you’ll find with Rattel School teachers, who strive with all their energy to build a solid bridge between children’s hearts and Allah. They plant in children’s hearts the love of Allah and attachment to Him, they teach them the meaning of certainty and reliance, and they adjust their compass to stay directed toward Allah in every step of their lives.
At Rattel School, we offer courses in Arabic, Quran, and Islamic sciences for beginners, designed specifically for Muslim children abroad.
Start today and book two free sessions for your child from the following link: