A friend of mine asked me to ask others about this.
My friend doesnt like to pray when his parents tell him to because he feels he is doing it at that time because of his parents, and not out of feeling the duty himself. He also doesnt like to pray infront of his parents because he feels if he does then he will be doing it to show-off(or atleast thats how he apparently thinks of it in his head). He’d rather do it secretly and not let anyone know if he has prayed or not. Is this okay to do? When his parents ask him, he says “I will” even if he has already prayed.
What would you advise him, if anything. No jokes please. Thanks.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Munni: *
A friend of mine asked me to ask others about this.
My friend doesnt like to pray when his parents tell him to because he feels he is doing it at that time because of his parents, and not out of feeling the duty himself. He also doesnt like to pray infront of his parents because he feels if he does then he will be doing it to show-off(or atleast thats how he apparently thinks of it in his head). He'd rather do it secretly and not let anyone know if he has prayed or not. Is this okay to do? When his parents ask him, he says "I will" even if he has already prayed.
What would you advise him, if anything. No jokes please. Thanks.
[/QUOTE]
When I'm not at the mosque, I also like to pray alone in secret. I just dont' like having anyone around me when I pray. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. Not sure why your friend doesn't admit to praying when in fact he does.
I used to have the same feeling when I was a bit younger. As I grew older I realised that obeying one's parents in something that is good, is obeying Allah. It is by nature that one doesn't like to be directly told what to do, but I recommend that when he is told to pray by his parents he should courteously obey his parents and before starting the prayer on the mat, make a sincere intention from your heart that I am doing this solely for Allah and that it is purely to gain your pleasure and nobody elses. In this way, your parents gain the reward for guiding their son, and you get reward for listening to your parents and praying on time :)
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Munni: *
A friend of mine asked me to ask others about this.
My friend doesnt like to pray when his parents tell him to because he feels he is doing it at that time because of his parents, and not out of feeling the duty himself. He also doesnt like to pray infront of his parents because he feels if he does then he will be doing it to show-off(or atleast thats how he apparently thinks of it in his head). He'd rather do it secretly and not let anyone know if he has prayed or not. Is this okay to do? When his parents ask him, he says "I will" even if he has already prayed.
What would you advise him, if anything. No jokes please. Thanks.
[/QUOTE]
Munni on the day of Judgement parents would be asked that did you tell your kids to offer prayer... so it become the religious duty of everyparent to do so... I pray Alhamdulilah.. but still my parents tell me to do so.. its is sometimes lil aggravating but realize this.. if they dont tell u to do so.. it happens that you'll miss the time of the actual prayer. My advice for your frined would be to tell him to respect to what his parents tell him to do, and just pray casue he along with his parent will be asked WHY didnt he Pray, or they told him to Pray..!
Also, by praying in secret one is susceptible to the shaitan and in a worst case scenario stop praying at all. Everyone thinks he's praying in secret but he isn't and they don't know about it. It also serves as a reminder to those who have forgotten that it is time to pray. This is why praying in congregation (jamat) is encouraged because as a collective we are able to help each other out when in times of weakness. Remember that in Islam the society is more important than the individual and although one's spiritual needs and fodder are important, there are certain social duties that one must uphold also.
As far as concentrating in the prayer goes, one must pray as if Allah is in front of them (feeling His presence) or as if one is being watched by Allah. I always find it useful when in sujood to feel belittled in front of Allah, symbolising complete submission to Him, Inshallah.
I am not sure if it is relevant to this discussion, but I think praying the fard prayers should be open (so that those who don't pray should also be encouraged, as they are mandatory for all muslims, and not optional).
Any nawaffil or added prayers should best be private so as not to be a show-off.
So, to answer the question, doesn't matter who is asking you to pray.. but fard (mandatory) prayers need not be in private. Ofcourse, ideally, the fard prayers should be prayed in the mosque (especially for men), in which case, anyone would know, anyway.
Plus, lying (even mis-representation) is wrong. So if he has already prayed, he should just be straight-forward and say, "I have prayed already", instead of keeping his parents in suspense.