Question Summary:
Can a child lead other children in Salāh with the teacher providing guidance and direction?

Question Detail:

I have a question which is for Salāh. There is an Islamic school here and they teach kids (boys and girls) how to pray Salāh. One kid stands in front as the Imām and the other children stand behind him as Muqtadis. One lady teacher stands beside them and she gives instructions to them like: takbīr, qirā'ah, rukū, sujūd, etc. The kids follow her in actions only. Sometimes she also has them practice Fardh Salāh like Dhuhr. My question is: Is this practice valid or not for Fardh Salāh?

Answer :

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In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Yes, it is permissible for the teacher to have her students perform Salāh in this manner, while giving them instructions.
These children are presumably small and have not reached the age of maturity. Therefore, Salāh is not Fardh (obligatory) on them. They are essentially practicing Salāh by praying in congregation with the help of their teacher so that when it does become Fardh (obligatory) on them, they will be able to perform it correctly.
While this is an effective teaching method for younger children, it is neither suitable nor recommended for older children (10 and above) since the importance of Salāh requires that they be given such instruction outside of Salāh. [i] [ii]
 
And Allāh knows best.
Ml. Sohail Bengali
Chicago, IL (USA)
Concurred by:
Muftī Abrar Mirza
Chicago, IL (USA)
Under the Supervision of Muftī Ebrahim Desai (South Africa)
وكذا اقتداء الصبي بالصبي صحيح [i]
البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق، كتاب الصلاة، باب الإمامة:١ /٦٢٨ دار الكتب العلمية
 
 وينبغي للرجل أن يؤدب ولده على الطهارة والصلاة إذا عقلهما ، لقول النبي صلى الله [ii]
 عليه وسلم : { مروا صبيانكم بالصلاة إذا بلغوا سبعا ، واضربوهم عليها إذا بلغوا عشرا } ، ولا يفترض عليه إلا بعد البلوغ
بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع كتاب الصلاة، : ١/ ٦٢٥ دار الكتب العلمية