An exercise to find the shaahid (proof) of it being a Name of Allah in the relative ayah of the Qur’an (which they will be required to copy out in English translation too). And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh¬hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over their faults, and ask Allah’s Forgiveness for them; […]} I’ve kept this story on number one because it’s my daughter’s favorite. I asked my 4-year-old which was her favourite story and she said Musa (walay salam 🤷🏽‍♀️) and the Fire. I said – you mean Ibrahim (السلام‎ عليه)? 😅 You all may already know how Ibrahim (السلام‎ عليه) was thrown into the fire and he came out of it unharmed as the fire cooled down for him. It’s said in a hadith: Being Muslim is not the easiest thing in the world nowadays. Our Prophet ( salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us that Islam started as something strange and, towards the end of times, it will again be seen as something strange; that to hold on to it will be like holding on to hot coals… yet we wouldn’t consider any other way, because – alhamdulillah -we know that it is the Truth and nothing compares to it (may Allah keep us firm upon it). The status of homeschooling is nowhere as absolute as that, of course, but the point here is: If we feel strongly enough about it, we will seek the means to achieve it – even if it is not the easiest or most convenient option. Rectifying our intentions and seeking the help of Allah are the first and most crucial of those means, and with the help of Allah nothing is impossible. Lately, I have been talking about homeschooling with several people I know; Women who have either just taken their child out of school, have decided to start with their little ones or are seriously considering not sending their big kids to secondary school. Each of them is in a very different predicament in terms of the age of her children and the extent of their experience of public school; what they have in common is that they all are entering uncharted territory. Their situations – different as they might be – all remind me of giving birth (and no – not in terms of pain!!!): the decision to take full charge of your child’s education has a certain solemnity to it. You just know that it will forever be intertwined with your experience as a parent. It is thinking about these friends of mine and their families that some reflections started bubbling up to the surface of my conscience.

The story of Dawud (السلام‎ عليه) focuses on bravery who throws a stone at the giant who challenges the whole army to fight him. It also talks about Zaboor and the beautiful voice of prophet Dawud (السلام‎ عليه). A great podcast that takes its listener on a journey through the Noble Qur’an to better understand the Word of God. Listen to it here. Al-Qaswa was the camel that Prophet (saw) often mounted – in Hajj while traveling to Makkah when he came to Medina, etc. The story of Qaswa starts with a tiny intro of hijrah (which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar) – how Qaswa carried the Prophet (ﷺ) across a desert from Makkah to Medina. Then the story of how she chose a resting place for the Prophet (saw) in Medina and how she accompanied the Prophet (saw) in his 1st and last pilgrimage unfolds one by one. 24) Arabic letters (alif to khaa) It’s a goosebump-ish story of the famous Islamic scholar from the past – Abdul Qadir Gilani, who travel to Baghdad for wisdom and knowledge. It’s a story of truth and valour – how a son kept his promise of truth because his mother asked him to never lie. 40 gold coins were sewn into his cloth at the armpit side and when he gets robbed, even though the robbers find nothing with him, he tells them that the coins are in his armpit because they ask him what he had. Although it’s allowed to fight for your property, this was a great lesson because the leader of the robbery gang comes to the straight path as a result of his truth and tawakkal Allah. 7) Salman the PersianWhen (Prophet) Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, he said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs.” So did Messenger of Allah Muhammad (ﷺ) when he was told: “A great army of the pagans had gathered against him, so fear them”. But this (warning) only increased him and the Muslims in Faith and they said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)”. [ Bukhari] It’s an adorable story of sifr (zero in Arabic) and zero (English numeral) playing hide and seek with each other. Then baby waahid (Arabic number one) and one (English numeral) are sitting on feeding chairs crying and the player has to give them several options so the baby calms down. As a result, my 4-year-old gives me options on what to do when her 1-year-old sister cries 🤣 30) Arabic numbers (arba & khamsa) The Beautiful Names of Allah (derived from the explanation of al-Qawaid al-Muthla by Shaykh Uthaymeen raheemahullah) – this is a children’s book taken from this one below: All through his life Bilal remained a close companion of Prophet Muhammad and was with him at every occasion. When the Prophet died he was very saddened. Thereafter all his life he looked grieved and very solemn. He had gone to Madina when the Prophet had migrated. After the death of the Prophet he did not feel happy to stay in Madina. He sadly discontinued giving 'adhan' and migrated to Damascus, Syria. He died there after about eight (or ten) years. His grave is still existing in the famous Muslim graveyard in Damascus. People still go to his grave to pay respect and salute him.

The reply angered Ummayya greatly. He began to torture Bilal. He was tied with ropes and made to lie on the burning hot desert sand at mid-noon. He was then asked to forget the God of Islam and worship the 'great' idols known as LAT and UZZA. But Bilal was strong in his new belief. He refused to worship idols and kept crying “AHAD-AHAD”, meaning “One God, One God.” The tortures continued and were increased. Hot iron rod were stamped on his pained body. Yet Bilal would not yield. Nabeeha Khan and Wardah Khan are sisters with almost 10 kids between them! In their pod cast, they share their experiences about motherhood, relationships, and striving to build happy Muslim families. Another Ramadan is fast approaching and I ask Allah to let us all live to see it through in His obedience and to let us benefit greatly from it. Storytelling has the power to not only create connections but provide universal truths about ourselves and the world. Listen to this popular podcast here.Because Prophet Muhammad was spreading the word of God. Because he was changing, for better, the lives of many Arabs and because some Arabs felt that by the teachings of Muhammad their old idols were losing power they disliked Muhammad and planned to kill him. Every time they tried to kill him, they failed. This angered the enemies of Islam even more. So they began to harass him in every way they knew.

Some people, because of their zeal to do what is right, may act with excessive strictness towards their children. They might stress “no this and no that”… “No! a seven year old should not wear pyjamas, she should be in a night gown…” things like these (unnecessary restrictions for a child’s age and situation). The result on the children is likely to be bad. While, when they are educated and given the choice, they will start to correct themselves. But as long as you are nagging and forcing, they will hate it, and this is the human nature. Don’t ignore this fact. You need to wait for the right time for Allah’s sake. You need to know when to excuse, when to forgive. We need to rectify our relationship with our children because our children are our responsibility. We have responsibilities towards our husbands, for example, but we are not responsible for them. On the Day of Judgement you will be asked if you were a good wife to him but you will not be asked about him. Who will you be asked about? You will be asked about your children. It is a great responsibility, we ask Allah to guide them and we try to do our best. If you take the means and you do what you should do, this will make you feel calm. Allah knows you did all you were able to do. But if the means you took led to your children to repulsion, then you will feel immense regret. Your heart will be squeezed knowing you are one of the reasons for this. One of the reason they may hate to wear hijab, why they hate niqaab, why the hate memorizing Qur’an… imagine feeling it is too late and you were the one who participated in their repulsion! But when you take the means to try to make them love you, and love what you do, and love what you say, and love Qur’an, and love Allah and you are understanding and gentle and you are doing the best you can do, then your duty towards them will be fulfilled.

Bilal the Great African Muslim

Assalamo ‘alaykum, like my previous two posts 1 and 2, what follows is a compilation of benefits transcribed from a tafseer class that I am sharing with the encouragement of my teacher, may Allah preserve her.) A collection of 8 short stories that offer a glimpse into the daily lives of Muslim children around the world. Adapted from the book ‘Muslim Child: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems’ by Rukhsana Khan – like I love Eid, Azeeza’s first fast, Fajr, the year of the elephant, lost at hajj, etc. You can listen to a sample HERE.

A life with you, to be precise. The need to do what they love with the person who is their whole world. And tons of books, to be read to them by the aforementioned, who is also required to slow down and be present. They do not need instruction, but first hand experience. And, that way, they learn. “Learning through play” means exactly that. It doesn’t mean putting up a puppet show to teach a 4 year old to solve equations or write cinquains. Don’t do that. Please.Masha’Allah, I have a 9 year old who loves learning (but hates writing) and a 5 year old who cannot sit down for more than 3 minutes at a time but would be terribly offended if I didn’t plan something for him to do too…. so I thought: meaningful & simple. I mentioned the idea of a Ramadan scrapbook to some sisters, worrying it would be too open and slightly daunting; then my friend – and home educator extraordinaire (Allahumma baarik) – Umm Saphia suggested putting together a set of prompts that could help structure the activity. Some friends have helped with prompt suggestions, may Allah bless them. The Muslim Vibe podcast is for Muslims who wish to reclaim the Muslim narrative and build a strong Muslim identity. Join host, Haseeb Rizvi, in conversation with incredibly inspiring Muslim leaders, who share their ideas and stories on some of the challenges modern Muslims experience. The topics discussed encompass faith, culture, and community issues that are important to Muslims.