By Zaahied Sallie

One of the most visible forms of worship by a Muslim is when he or she performs the five daily prayers. Children learn and imitate our actions, and it is the Salah that children are often first to mimic.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that children should play until the age of seven. The child’s natural inclination to imitate and love for playing was the inspiration for my wife and I to write this book, titled We Love to Play Pray.

Our three children; Yusuf, Suhaib and Maryam, became the characters in this endearing story, with their mum taking a central role in nurturing this natural enthusiasm within them.

We approached the project slightly differently. We wanted to teach foundational truths and Islamic rituals through the child’s love for play. This way we enliven the spirit of the child and help them learn organically.

The story is fun, re-readable, explores the natural phenomena of the sun’s movements and its casting of shadows, inspires and enthuses the child and parent alike. The illustrations are captivating and will engage the child as much as the story.

A big thank you to Saaid Rahbeeni, our illustrator, for the visual life given to the story. Thank you for your patience and guidance. Writing a children’s book opened a whole new frontier for us. We would not have been able to do it without you.

As a family, we enjoyed writing this story and hope that parents will enjoy reading it to their children.