my father wants to pray, afaik, but is worried, cuz wants to take it slow??

PS. he knows that making excuses is not good. But I guess he is afraid of prostrating because of his heart.. What can he do??

Wa alaykum assalam,

I hope your father is feeling better in'sha'Allah, may Allah swt grant him a swift recovery and protect him from any further illness. Ameen.

I honestly think that when a Muslim 'returns' to Islam after a while, it can be similar to 'reverting' to Islam in terms of relearning the deen. So when someone's heart is softened and they turn towards Allah swt, they want to begin worshipping Him in the best way possible as soon as they can, with their newfound faith.

Now that he has expressed this desire, just give your father all of the information relevant to salah. Either through youtube, books, speaking to him, whatever you prefer. Remember to not be too 'pushy' or make him feel as if he is being 'pressurised' to pray, he's at an age where he has experienced a great deal in life and more or less knows himself well, so being encouraging and gentle, yet firm, is the right way to approach this.

It reminds me a lot of my own father, I believe his is more or less similar to your father in his thinking, but I have sensed a change in him recently. Perhaps as life goes on he sees the wisdom of and benefit in worshipping Allah swt. With our parents, I wouldn't say this is wilful disobedience of Islam, it's just that sometimes they are genuinely ignorant of Islamic rulings because of the culture they have grown up in and have no idea - all they need is a guiding hand and our increasing support with time.

format_quote Originally Posted by Serinity

PS. he knows that making excuses is not good. But I guess he is afraid of prostrating because of his heart.. What can he do??

You know, when a lot of people begin praying they can find sujood the most difficult action to carry out. It is the ultimate expression of our submission to Allah swt, as the Lord of the Worlds.

Perhaps you should try to explain to him that when we submit ourselves entirely to and worship Allah swt alone, it is the greatest form of freedom, it is not degrading in any way. By prostrating to Allah alone, we free ourselves from all the bonds of the dunya (whether it be bonds towards wealth, career, people, ect).

There's a reason salah is the key to success - because through it we learn what our priorities are in life. In the Qur'an we are told the purpose of our existence is to worship Allah - and when you begin praying you really feel that.

Just tell him to read more about salah, and to actually act upon this feeling he has and read salah for himself. He'll feel it in'sha'Allah.

he is in such condition that stressing him would be quite detrimental. I hope he, In shaa' Allah, gets stronger soon.

The Doctors said it is not because of smoking.. Diabetes? Lack of excerise? (I doubt it - he bicycled everyday) Stress? Drinking too much water?

Either way, may the doctors be wrong, and may Allah heal him and make his heart soft.

I am just in a dilemma, how do I teach him? in regards to prostration? Bowing? Idk his heart condition, but the doctors said that it is not as strong as it had been, and they doubt it will become as strong again - I pray Allah proves them wrong, and that this weakness is only temporary. Ameen.

But now as it is, he is in a weakened state. How do I teach him??

In shaa' Allah, he can prostrate and bow, and this fear is only paranoia. I hope so.

Ameen.

If you mean that he is physically weak (may Allah swt relieve him of this soon), then just teach him how to read salah sitting down. Perhaps if he is in pain or is tired this will be less stressful on his body in'sha'Allah.

And just be there to support and encourage him. No doubt this has been such a stressful and frightening experience for him, but if this has softened his heart towards prayer, then some benefit has come out of it. So just let him know you're there for him, he'll really appreciate it.

I am sure it is a great feeling to know that your father wants to start his prayers (again). May Allah grant your father ease and strength to accomplish this task and grant him health overall.

I truly wish that your are successful in helping your father.

@Serinity How is your father doing now? Were you able to help him with his prayers?

he keeps procrastinating. he said he would pray, but hasn't. Quite sad.

Allahu alam.

pray in his presence if you can. Might motivate him.

May Allah guide him and Strength
Him, Ameen