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As working parents, homeschooling can be a very daunting task. One area that homeschooling becomes overwhelming is when it comes to religious teachings.
My husband and I were both raised in Canada and did not receive a formal Islamic education. The little that we know about our religion was taught by our parents or from our in-home Quran teachers. When it comes to teaching our children about Islam, we want them to be raised with an age appropriate curriculum. We want our children to be surrounded with religious books that instill the love of deen in their hearts.
As my son turns five, we want to build a firm Islamic foundation in his character.
With these thoughts in mind, we were very fortunate to be gifted the An-Nasihah Islamic Curriculum for our children. I was using An-Nasihah books to teach Islam before they gifted them to us. The books are very simple to follow and organized. All the work is done for us in simple lessons and I feel very blessed and confident to be using these books for the most important education I can ever provide to my children.
We will be using the following An-Nasihah products for this school year:
There are eight levels of Coursebooks available and the same “Surah & Dua” book is used for all eight levels. I am going to lay out the items that my son will be learning in the coming year with the help of these books. You can download the full syllabus here for free, it is definitely worth the read to guide you in your research.
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Coursebook 1 & Workbook 1:
Each coursebook & workbook is divided into seven sections: Fiqh, Ahadith, Sirah, Tarikh, Aqaid, Akhlaq and Adab. The recommended age for this coursebook is 6-7 years but we will be starting my son earlier. He is quite interested in learning about religion and I want to foster this interest while I can. We will proceed slowly as his interest evolves. If all goes well, my son will be learning the following in each of the seven sections:
Fiqh: Introduction to the 5 pillars of Islam, taharah (cleanliness) and method of wudu
Ahadith: feeding the hungry, helping others, doing things slowly, cleanliness and truth
Sirah: Childhood of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his youth, marriage to Khadijah (RA) and his children
Tarikh: Prophet Adam (AS) and Prophet Nuh (AS)
Aqaid: basic things that every Muslim should believe in, qualities of Allah (SWT), Ar-Razzaq (the provider) and Ar-Rahman (the merciful)
Akhlaq: respect, cleanliness, politeness, smiling, starting from the right side
Adab: etiquette of eating, drinking, sleeping, waking and bathroom.
The book is colour coded along the side to easily locate each of the seven sections. Each section begins with learning objectives and clear lessons. The complimentary Workbook has activities for the above lessons; such as colouring, trivia, drawing, diagrams, etc.
My favourite part about Coursebook 1 and Workbook 1 is the focus on cleanliness and basic ways of living. As parents, we teach our children these etiquettes but we often forget to mention their importance from a religious standpoint.
Surah & Dua:
Quite possibly the most resourceful book in the An-Nasihah’s entire line of products, this book lays out all of the surahs and duas your child needs to know from the age of 4 to 14 (also dependent on the child’s abilities). Like their other books, this book also begins with a syllabus. It clearly shows each of the surahs and duas your child needs to learn for every age level. There is even a revision tracker to ease your child’s learning. My 5 year old will be going through the F1 and F2 levels (ages 4-5 and 5-6).
F1 Surah: Surah Fatihah – we will be learning its translation
F1 Duas: 1st kalimah, basic everyday duas (eg: dua before starting, dua for eating, dua for giving thanks, dua for sleeping, dua for drinking water, etc.)
F2 Surah: Surah An Nas, Al Falaq and Al Ikhlas (we will be learning their translations)
F2 Duas: 2nd & 3rd kalimah, continuation of basic everyday duas (eg: dua for when you lose something, dua for sneezing, dua for bathroom, dua before drinking milk, etc)
The book also has the 99 names of Allah and their meanings at the end. I am very excited to start learning these with my son because it is something that I want to learn myself. This would be a good opportunity for us to learn something together.
A Guide to Muslim Parenting:
As parents, we are very conscious about the tarbiyah (upbringing) we are providing for our children. There are several parenting books you can read; however, I love that this one is written from an Islamic perspective. It helps that it is a light, short read so it is not an overwhelming amount of information. It is written by Asmaa Ansari and she discusses challenges parents face such as bedtime routines, manners, obedience, communication, etc. and she provides an Islamic guide to overcoming these issues. Ansari has added beautiful Hadiths throughout the book, which I always find very intriguing.
On page 28, she writes, “Children need to play when they are young, to explore their world, to learn morals and values like sharing and looking after their environment.” As a parent educator, it is so important for me to let my children be children for as long as possible. I think in this day and age, children are growing up too fast. They need to be surrounded with simple things like free play and the beauty of this dunya; so that they can learn to appreciate and be thankful for this life.
In another section, she also discusses self-esteem for parents and children as separate topics; because how can we build something into our children if we do not practice it in ourselves?
This book has become a regular bedtime read for me and I am quite enjoying its simplicity. It is written with authenticity and throughout the book, one theme is clear: establishing a love for Allah (SWT) in your children will give them the peace and guidance to navigate this world.
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InshaAllah, with the help of these books, we will be able to establish a strong foundation in our son. Raising children is a huge responsibility and I always say, take whatever help you can get. I am very thankful that An-Nasihah has created such an organized and well rounded Islamic Curriculum for children across the world. May Allah give them the success and abilities to create more and may Allah allow us to benefit from their efforts – Ameen.
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