Video review: "Let's Pray"

Umar is great at playing videos. His friends like Uthman cheer him on as he scores points at a friend's house.

But when it comes time to pray, he has a horrible secret: he doesn't really know how to make Wudu and even Salah is difficult for him, he confides to Uthman.

Instead of laughing at his ignorance though, Uthman explains. At first, he even uses a little song to help him, but that's rather corny for Umar, so Uthman resorts to straightforward explanation.

This is followed by Umar successfully making Wudu in the bathroom, shown in a step-by-step fashion.

Let's Pray is the best tool you can give a young Muslim, an older Muslim or a new Muslim to teach them how to make Wudu and pray five times a day, which is the second pillar of Islam.

What makes it unique is not its explanations or graphics: it's the fact that for the most part, kids educate kids in this video. We do not see an adult authoritatively telling Umar how to make Wudu, for instance. It's Uthman, his peer and friend who does this.

The same is true for when Adam finds a little girl crying in the Masjid, and discovers she's upset because she doesn't know how to pray. Adam, a puppet and a kid, explains to her how.

This takes away the impression amongst Muslims of some cultural backgrounds, for instance, that Salah is for "old people" or an obligation they'll do when they're old (and in most cases, can move with difficulty).

Let's Pray though, is clearly for learners. For children who already know how to pray, it can be very slow, but it's still a great way to check up on their Salah.

Adults are not completely excluded from this video. When it comes to questions and answers about Salah, issues like the proper direction of the Qiblah and Qasr prayer for instance, a Muslim school teacher answers these questions for her class. But even there, the kids are active participants, asking and answering questions.

Let's Pray is the right video for anyone trying to motivate a fellow Muslim, especially if he or she is young, to pray. Try this video instead of lecturing about Salah to your kids. It may yield positively surprising results, Insha Allah.