by Eaman Elhadri
“I was only sent to perfect good character.”
Narrated by Ahmad (8729); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘ (2349)
Islamic Studies is life, not just a subject in our homeschool.
Keep in mind that I won’t always be able to share all.of.the.things that we use, for each child, all of the time.
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A Few Tips
In general, with the exception of very young children, it’s best to search for Islamic Studies classes outside of the home (when the pandemic ends inshallah) or online. It’s important to find a qualified teacher, if possible.
Once the pandemic is over (Ya Rabb), male children eight years and up should attend lectures outside of the home and will understand most of it, inshAllah.
This approach works best because our children need to hear about Islamic studies from other people besides us. They’re usually more willing to listen to someone else besides their parents. 🙂
Think about what goes on in your child’s head when they hear someone else teach them about their religion and then a light bulb goes off. They’ll begin to connect the dots and think, “Wow, I just heard my mama say that the other day!” InshAllah.
The teachers will begin to confirm everything that you as a parent have been saying all along. This is an immense blessing! InshAllah, MashAllah, and Alhemdulilah!
Islamic Studies books
We’ve used various books and book sets to study Islamic Studies over the year.
I don’t read them all at once. I usually place them in our Morning Basket on rotation, or read them during our read-aloud time.
Although young children are easily distracted, children 8+ are more than capable of listening to more than one page of Islamic Studies books in one sitting. You will need to adjust the timing for each individual child, however.
Sometimes we’ll conduct a go-along activity after the read-aloud, however I usually limit this time for reading.
Darussalam Islamic Studies Book Set by Mulvi Abdul-Aziz
This book set is an Islamic Studies series covering grade one through grade twelve. This series covers all areas of Islamic studies: tafseer, hadeeth, tawheed, fiqh, seerah, and general etiquette.
We’ve been using the Darussalam book series since my eldest was around the age of 7, I believe. The concepts are straight forward and the illustrations are colorful.
You can purchase Darussalam books here or click on the image below.
Teachings of the Quran by IQRA
Teachings of the Quran presents the content in a clear, concise fashion and is geared for elementary aged children. It doesn’t contain illustrations and it’s scripted for ease of use.
I’ve been using Teachings of the Quran during our notebooking sessions this year. To learn more about how we do this, pop your email in the box below!
You can purchase Iqra’s Teaching of the Quran here or down below.
1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts From Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids
This book contains information on Muslim civilization’s advances and inventions that still influence our everyday lives. This huge book is filled with awesome illustrations.
Children are capable of flipping through this on their own, once they’re reading independently.
You can purchase 1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts here or by clicking on the image below.
IQRA’S Geography of the Muslim World by Mushtaqur Rahman and Gljan Rahman
This book provides a wealth of information on the Muslim countries of the world, describing the diversity of cultures, environment, history and language. Akin to a Muslim encyclopedia of geography, this book is jam packed with interesting information.
You can purchase Geography of the Muslim World here or by clicking on the image below.
The Book of Ibns by Luqman Nagy
This book is an introduction to the amazing lives of twelve ‘amazing sons’. After-all, our children should know the stories of prophets and companions, not the names of the top sports players, singers, and actors.
This book is great for girls as well as boys.
You can purchase The Book of Ibns here, or by clicking on the image below.
Darrusalaam’s Concise Children’s Encyclopedia of Islam by Al-Arabee Ben Razzouq
As the name implies, A Concise Children’s Encyclopedia of Islam is a reference tool for older children. They can look up a number of basic Islamic teachings and concepts.
It’s aimed for 10+ years, however I find that children as young as 7 can grasp the concepts in this book.
Animals in the Quran by The Way of Islam
If your child is an animal lover or a wild child like mine, they’ll enjoy learning facts about how animals have been mentioned in the Quran.
Purchase Animals in the Quran here or by clicking on the image below.
Thirty Hadith for Children by Dakwah Corner Publications
Thirty Hadith for Children, contains the 30 Hadith, short biographies of the narrators, and the lessons or benefits derived from the Hadiths.
Golden Seerah by Abdul Malik Mujahid
This book is simplified so that older children can understand the Seerah. We read through it slowly, reading about a page at a time in one sitting, as it’s very descriptive and can be overwhelming for children under age 10.
You can purchase Golden Seerah, by Abdul Malik Mujahid here or by clicking on the image below.
The Happy Hajj Guide™
The Happy Hajj Guide™ is an Islamic literature and project based four week guide for early childhood {3-7 years}. The Happy Hajj Guide™ is designed to prepare young Muslim children for understanding Hajj and Dhul Hijjah, as well as gaining academic success through strengthening processing skills.
This special guide was also created to promote happy memory making among Muslim families, bi-ithnilahi Ta8la.
Your young child will learn about Hajj and Dhul Hijjah, develop motor skills, phonics and counting skills, and their love for literature through the stories and projects included in The Happy Hajj Guide™. This guide also includes weekly supply lists, recommended literature, and Ayaat/Hadith to make savoring Dhul Hijjah a multi sensory, and developmentally appropriate unit for your young Muslim learners, bi-ithnilahi Ta8la.
Visit our FAQ Page and watch this video for more information about The Happy Hajj Guide™!
Click here to purchase The Happy Hajj Guide™ !
Islamic Children’s Literature
Literature is at the heart of our homeschool. Islamic literature is of utmost importance when teaching Islamic values and character.
Read below about a few of our favorite Islamic children’s literature choices for 2019-2020.
Jannah Jewels by Umm Nura
Jannah Jewels by Umm Nura is a fictional adventure chapter book series. The chapters are short and the set includes twelve books. From the website’s description:
When the Jannah Jewels discover a mysterious time-travel tree filled with a map, mysterious objects, and a secret scroll in a Golden Clock, they never dream that it will take them on exciting adventures around the world and throughout history!
We’ve now completed the series, Alhemdulilah. My children continuously begged for the next one so they enjoyed it very much, alhemdulilah.
Purchase Jannah Jewels books here, or click on the image below.
GoodwordKidz Quran Stories for Little hearts by Saniyasnain Khan
This book series teaches Quranic lessons to young children. The stories focus on stories about the prophets (Peace be upon them all) .
It was gifted to us, alhemdulilah, but I’m not sure I would recommend the books because some of the Islamic concepts seem to be incorrect or misconstrued. It’s uncommon, but if you happen to notice it, explain to your child that it’s wrong and that the author made a mistake.
Buy the Quran Stories Book set 1 here. Or click on the image below.
Noor Kids
Noor Kids is a subscription book set. On a monthly basis, you will receive one book containing two stories.
Noor Kids is written in comic style format. I’m not a big fan of comics, however my children enjoy reading Noor Kids, so I let it go. 🙂
You can get the subscription to Noor Kids on their website.
Amazon is selling a few of the books separately, if you’d like to just purchase one, however it might be more cost effective to purchase the entire subscription.
Migo & Ali – Love for the Prophets by Zanib Mian
Migo & Ali – Love for the Prophets by Zanib Mian is a hardback book containing vibrantly illustrated stories of the prophets, from Prophet Adam (A.S) to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The stories are told in engaging, child-friendly language, on beautifully illustrated pages.
Purchase Migo & Ali here. Or click on the image below.
Ilyas and Duck Search for Allah by Omar Khawaja
Ilyas and Duck Search for Allah by Omar Khawaja is a well written book with beautiful illustrations. Ilyas, the boy, searches for Allah (AWJ). By the end of the story, his childish curiosity is fulfilled with profound realization.
You can purchase Ilyas and Duck here. Or click on the image below.
The Twins in Egypt by Sajda Nazlee
Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane
The Fall of the Giant, by Noura Durkee
Arabic Resources for Kids
Books aren’t enough if you want your child to become fluent in the Arabic language. Fus-ha Arabic helps us understand the religion, which is why we need to study it year-round.
Arabic Colouring Book 4
Arabic Alphabet Mazes by HomePlaySchool
We’ve had this printable since forever and it has been helpful and fun for my children, alhemdulilah! Get it here!
Arabic to English Bilingual Dictionary by DK
This is a good dictionary to keep on hand so that your child can look up various Arabic words independently.
Purchase Arabic to English Bilingual Dictionary here, or by clicking below.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – Arabic
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. – Arabic
Tips: Quran for Children
The sciences of the Quran are vast. Search for a qualified teacher in all areas of Quran, including, but not limited to: Tafsir, Tajweed, memorization, etc. Children will often need to practice everything with us as well.
Take full advantage of the fact that quarantine schooling allows more time for studying Quran and playing Quran throughout the day. What an immense blessing, Alhemdulilah!
The Most Important Aspect of Quran – Understanding and Application
It is possible for a child to memorize the entire Quran, with correct tajweed and not understand a word of it. May Allah AWJ Protect us from that. Allahuma Ameen.
A child can recite beautifully and memorize the Quran, but if they can’t understand it, how will they practice it?
Reserve time to discuss the tafseer of the ayaat that your child is trying to memorize. This will, in-hand, help your child memorize the Quran because they will relate what happens next, to what ayaat needs to come next, inshAllah.
May Allah AWJ make us of the people of Quran. Allahuma Ameen.
If your child doesn’t have his own copy of a Quran (Mus-haf), I highly suggest purchasing one for him. He’ll grow with it for years to come, inshAllah!
We’re now living at a time where you can purchase a Quran from Amazon, alhemdulilah! Quran(Mus-haf), Interpretation of the Quran.
The Noble Quran
It’s important to select a Quran that is correct in it’s interpretation, and not manipulated.
Quran (Mus-haf)
Watch lectures and listen to Quran together
Click here to watch one of the best YouTube Channels for Islamic lectures. Sheikh Ahsan Hanif is by far, my favorite speaker. May Allah AWJ Bless and Protect him and them all. Allahuma Ameen.
When listening to Quran, you want to make sure that your children hears the correct tajweed from classic reciters and from those who excel in tajweed.
Tajweed teachers usually recommend listening to the following reciters –
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you please recommend Islamic Studies workbooks?
I don’t know of any other Islamic Studies workbooks at this time except for the ones mentioned above, however you can check out Pinterest for inspiration. (We are on Pinterest as well! Don’t forget to follow us and save our pins for use later on!)
Important! – Take care as to what Islamic Resources you use, and make sure to use books that have evidence from authentic sources.
Can you please recommend Islamic Studies Online Programs?
For young children, checkout One 4 Kids TV and Ali and Sumaya School.
Can you please recommend Online Quran memorization programs?
I can only recommend what we’ve used in the past, which is Studio Arabiya.
The last thing you need to know about Islamic studies for kids
Islamic Studies is the most important aspect of our lives. It is not just a subject
We must focus on our character first and our children will take heed, inshAllah.
May Allah AWJ make us of those with the best of character. Allahuma Ameen.
FREE & Helpful Printables and Links
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