What Does Salah Mean to You? Celebrating Our Young Poets

November 8, 2026

A winning poet holding his Young Poet Award certificate and a red and green Nur watermelon plushie in front of his school banner

In short

For National Poetry Day we invited schools to let their pupils write about what salah means to them. Each school chose a winning poem, and every young poet received a Nūr Plushies Set. The winning poems are being printed and framed for the schools to keep.

Written by Mona Shahein · Checked by Dr Wendy Booth, a student of Islam · How we write and check our blog

What does salah mean to a child? This National Poetry Day, we invited schools to help their pupils explore that question through poetry, giving them the freedom to express what salah means to them in their own words.

From reflecting on making dua and speaking to Allah to sharing what they love about prayer, the children were encouraged to get creative and express their thoughts in their own way.

A winning poem

Here is one of the winning poems, exactly as it was written.

Salah the greatest of blessings

Salah, a great blessing from Allah.
Given to the Prophet as barakah.
Everyday when I pray great joy fills my heart.
Nuur is shining on my face bright like a star.
Angry or sad I can see.
When I pray Salah peace comes to me.
Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha, my good deeds go higher and higher.
When I pray Salah Allah is pleased with me, I’m no liar.
On the day of judgment Salah will be the first thing you’ll be asked about.
Be prepared and have no doubt.
Salah, Salah is what you need.
Salah, Salah to Jannah it leads!

By Ismaeel, Year 6

The winning handwritten poem, Salah the greatest of blessings, on lined paper under a My Salah Mat rosette — The poem in the poet’s own handwriting.

Celebrating the poets

We were delighted to receive the winning poems from the participating schools and see the thought and creativity the children put into their work. Each school selected a winning poem, and we celebrated the young poets by gifting them a My Nūr Plushies Set, part of our campaign supporting our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

The winning poet holding his Young Poet Award certificate and a red and green Nūr watermelon plushie in front of his school banner — A winning poet with his certificate and his Nūr plushie.

The Young Poet Award certificate from the My Salah Mat team, with a gold rosette and an orange and navy border — Every winning poet received a Young Poet Award.

We also wanted to leave the schools with something special to remember the experience by, so each winning poem will be printed and framed as a keepsake for the school community.

Nūr the Watermelon plushie, a soft red and green watermelon slice with a smiling face

The gift our young poets received

Nūr the Watermelon Plushies

Soft watermelon plushies, part of our campaign supporting our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

See the Nūr plushies →

Why it matters

At My Salah Mat, we believe that helping children build a connection with salah goes beyond teaching them how to pray. It’s also about giving them opportunities to reflect on their relationship with Allah and discover what prayer means to them personally.

A heartfelt thank you to all the schools, teachers and children who took part and made this initiative so special. May Allah bless our young poets and nurture in them a lifelong love for salah. Ameen.

If your school would like to take part in something like this, we would love to hear from you. You can reach us at info@mysalahmat.com.