Qur'anic Concepts & Knowledge

1. Surahs: Al Fatihah, Al Kauthar and Al Ikhlas. (Learned in Arabic and simplified English.)

A. Simple meaning of Al Fatihah:

   "In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Universe; the Caring and Kind and Master of the Day of Judgment. We serve You (Allah) and we turn to You for help. Guide us on the straight way. The same way as the people You are happy with, not the way of the people You are angry with, and not the way of the people who went the wrong way."

B. Simple meaning of Al Kauthar:

   "In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Indeed, We have given you a lot, so turn to your Lord in prayer and give a special offering. Indeed, your enemies are the ones who will come to an end."

C. Simple meaning of Al Ikhlas:

   "In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Tell everyone: 'He is One God; Allah, Who is forever. He doesn't have children and He was never born, and there is nothing the same as Him.'"

2. The Qur'an is the Book of Allah. It was given to Prophet Muhammad.

3. It is a special book that gives good news to people and helps them be happy.

4. We must have clean hands before we can touch it and must treat it with care. (Students can actually practice this as an exercise.)

5. When to say Tasmiyah and Ta'awwudh before recitation + saying "Sadaq Allahul owthzeem" when finishing recitation along with the English meaning.

A. Simple meaning of the Tasmiyah: "In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind"  (Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem)

B. Simple meaning of the Ta'awwudh: "Allah protect me from the rejected Shaytan."  (Owthzubillahi minash Shaytanir Rajeem)

C. Simple meaning of the closing Du'a after Qur'an reading: "The Great Allah has spoken." (Sadaq Allahul 'Owthzeem)

6. People must read the Qur'an everyday so they will become more happy and Allah will love them more.

7. The Qur'an was given in the Arabic language, that's why we should learn how to read it in its first language so we can understand more.

'Aqeedah

1. Allah is the Maker of everything and everyone.

2. Allah is just one and doesn't need any helpers.

3. Allah is never born and He never dies.

4. Allah loves us and wants us to follow His directions. Following His directions helps people to lead happy and good lives. If we don't follow His directions, we are unhappy and treasures will never satisfy us.

5. Allah is watching us and seeing how well we follow His rules. If we do a good job and love Him, He will give us rewards and presents in another world.

6. Allah made Angels to watch over us and record our good and bad deeds. They are made of light and do everything Allah wants them to.

7. The Angel that brought the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad was named Jibra'il.

8. There is a bad creature called the Shaytan who wants to hurt the good people. He is invisible and only Allah can protect us against him.

9. Allah chooses people to bring His messages to other people. These special people are called Prophets. The first Prophet was Adam and the last Prophet was Muhammad.

10. Sometimes the Prophets are given a lot of Allah's teachings and rules. When this happens, we call all those things put together a Book of Allah. There were many Prophets who got Books. The Prophets who got books are given another, more special name. They are called Messengers because they are bringing the messages of Allah. The last Book of Allah is the Qur'an. That's why it's special.

11. A Prophet is a regular person that Allah gave special things to. A Messenger is a special kind of Prophet who got a book to give to everyone. The word Rasool is the meaning of Messenger. Prophet Muhammad was both a Prophet and a Messenger.

12. The word for Prophet in Arabic is Nabi.

13. All people must try to follow Allah. When you follow Allah, you are following what is called Islam. The word Islam means to obey Allah and be happy. The people who do this are called Muslims. Following Allah means you are a Muslim. A Muslim must be good and never bad. If a Muslim does do a bad thing, he or she has to ask Allah to forgive him or her. Allah loves to forgive us if we ask Him.

14. People who do bad, and never ask Allah to forgive them or say they are sorry to Allah will be punished. Even if no one sees them in this world, Allah sees them and will see that all wrongs are made right.

15. People who do good and believe in Allah will be happy in the next life and will have many friends and wonderful things.

'Ibadah

1. The Shahadah is what we say to be a Muslim. (It should be learned in Arabic and English) Use this translation: "I say that there is no god but Allah and I say that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

2. Muslims pray to Allah because we need to remember Him. Prayer is called Salah in Arabic and it teaches us good lessons about being on time, remembering to be good and it also makes some of our bad deeds fall away from us. (The teacher should practice Qiyam, Ruku, Sajda and Jalsa with the students at least twice a week. Make it as an exercise and make it enjoyable. Praise them a lot!)

3. We wash ourselves before we pray. This is called Wudu.

(Teach the basic Wudu procedure only as follows:)

A. Niyyah: "Nuwaytul Wudu" "I'm going to make Wudu"

B. Tasmiyyah. "Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem."

C. Wash Hands, mouth, nose, face, forearms, wipe head, ears, back of neck, feet.

D. Say the Shahadah after making Wudu, although slightly differently. "Ashahadu an la ilaha illallah. Wah dahu la shareeka lah. Wa ashahadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasulhu."

4. The names of the Five daily prayers and the time in which they are prayed.

5. Muslims stay away from food and drink for one month every year. This is called fasting, or Sawm. It happens in the month of Ramadan. We learn to feel sorry for the poor. Another name for fasting is Siyam.

6. Muslims all want to go to the city of Mecca for Hajj. This is a journey to visit the place where Prophet Ibrahim made a special place for Allah to be prayed to.

7. In Mecca is the Ka'bah. It is a square building that is special for all Muslims. No bad things are allowed near there. It is the center of the world for Muslims.

8. Muslims like to give to the poor people. We call this Zakat. (The teacher should organize a simple charity-type drive in the class and collect pennies and nickels over the course of a week. The collected money at the end should be given to a charity to help the poor. Photos of poor people eating should be tastefully chosen.

9. Being nice is a way to show Allah you are good. Listening to parents, picking up the trash, even helping someone do something is pleasing to Allah.

The Teacher should organize frequent 'Ibadah "exercises" throughout the week to get the children in the habit of trying to help and be good. A "star chart" and award system can be implemented in every class to reinforce this concept of getting rewarded for doing good. Tie it to the concept that when we do good, Allah put a star on a chart for us that He keeps with Him. Don't go overboard, however, and give awards for every little thing, because then you may spoil the child. Limit this to specified "helper" jobs like cleaning the board, emptying the basket, keeping a clean desk, etc...

Du'as, Phrases & Ahadith

1. The following Du'as and hadiths should be learnt by the children in Arabic and English:

A. Before doing anything important we say, "Bismillahir Rahman ir Raheem." "In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind."

B. "Rabbee Aghfirlee" "My Lord forgive me."

C. When we see something good happening we say, "Al humdulillah." "Praise Allah!"

D. When we see someone doing something bad we say, "Astaghfirullah." "Allah forgive that."

E. "As Salatu 'eemadud Deen." "Salat is part of this lifestyle."

F. "Asleem Taslam" "Surrender (to Allah) and have peace."

G. "Ta 'ahadool Qur'an." "Take good care of the Qur'an."

H. "Ad-dinu Yusrun." "This Lifestyle is easy!" (Ask the kids: "What lifestyle is easy?" Train them to answer, "Islam!")

Akhlaq & Adab

    (The teacher should practice a selection of these things several times a week, all year.)

1. The greeting of "Assalamu 'alaykum" and "Wa 'alaykum assalam." "Peace be to you!" "To you be peace!"

2. Muslims shake hands with each other when they meet; boys with boys, girls with girls.

3. The best one is the one who greets first.

4. When coming to a group, the single person greets them first.

5. People should never say bad words. The Prophet said, "Allah does not like bad words or using them."

6. A Muslim never insults somebody or says something mean.

7. Muslims behave the best and always follow the teacher's directions.

8. A Muslim child always obeys his or her parents and is kind and helpful to them.

9. Muslim children always listen to older Muslims and respect them.

10. Muslims always are neat and clean and wear clean clothes.

11. We always wash our hands before and after eating and we say "Bismillah" before the first bite.

12. After we finish eating we say, "Alhumdulillah."

13. We never leave a place messy and always like to clean things up even when no one is watching because we know Allah is seeing us.

14. We never go with strangers or people who make us nervous.

15. We brush our teeth whenever we can.

16. A Muslim should always keep their body covered up in front of other people. Girls wear Hijab and boys wear kufis.

17. A Muslim must always apologize to someone if they hurt them. If a Muslim does something bad, he or she must also apologize to Allah and ask for His forgiveness. Allah has promised to forgive us if we ask nicely and mean it. Making Allah angry with us is worse than our parents being mad at us.

18. Muslims line up in rows and wait to follow directions. This is the case in group prayer and in situations where the teacher is moving the class around. The Prophet urged us to keep our rows straight.

19. A Muslim says, "Shukran" to thank someone for doing something.

Sirah

1. Allah sends people as His Prophets. Some of the Prophets get Allah's Messages in the form of a book.

2. Prophet Muhammad was born in Arabia. His father's name was Abdullah. His mother's name was Aminah. His father died before he was born and his mother was very sad.

3. Muhammad's grandfather took care of him and Aminah for several years. When Muhammad was six his mother died. Muhammad was an orphan. He was very sad. Later his grandfather died leaving Muhammad in the care of his uncle, Abu Talib.

4. The teacher should describe aspects of Muhammad's childhood relating to his manners and conduct. For example, he didn't run around and get into fights like the other kids did. He always told the truth. He helped his uncle out by tending the sheep and everyone thought he was a good boy.

5. The teacher should then describe the negative aspects of Arabian life such as the worship of idols, the neglect of the poor, the cheating, lying and stealing, the constant wars and even how the strong oppressed the weak.

6. Explain in simple detail how Muhammad hated these things. Describe how he met Khadijah and the loving nature of their relationship. Describe their children and home life.

7. Muhammad wanted to know more about Allah and why he was here on earth. Describe how he used to get out of town to think. Describe the cave he found.

8. In simple terminology, explain the beginning of revelation and how his family, especially 'Ali, accepted Islam.

9. Give a few examples of what the blessed Prophet was teaching; that Allah was one, that all are equal, that the rich should help the poor, that people should be good and truthful, etc... Then explain why the idol-worshippers of Mecca hated him. (They wanted to go on being bad and praying to stones.)

10. Explain the Hijrah and how the Prophet barely escaped with Abu Bakr. Go through the hiding in the cave incident and then explain why the people of Medina loved to have the Blessed Prophet with them. (He settled their arguments, brought friendship, and the people loved Allah, etc...)

11. Explain that the Meccans tried to defeat Islam but after some big battles, (mention only Badr, Uhud and Khandaq , but don't go into any serious detail about these battles) they , themselves, were defeated. And this even though they were so mean and cruel. (Give light examples.) Everyone wanted to enter Islam because they realized that only Allah could help the Muslims stay strong even though they were always outnumbered.

12. Explain how Allah helped the Muslims because they had real love for their Maker. Allah helps those who are true and who follow what He asks of them.

13. Explain that the best person to copy is the Blessed Prophet because he followed Allah's directions the best. Allah said, "Laqad kana lakum fee rasulillahi uswatun hasanatun." (33:21) "The Messenger of Allah is the best person to follow." (Note: the translation is simplified, of course.) When we are following his ways we say we are following the "Sunnah." The word Sunnah means the example of the Prophet.

History

1. The stories of the following Prophets/People should be taught in an interesting way. Make the stories come alive by reciting their history in a dramatic and entertaining way. Don't just read from a book. Make it a magical experience for them. Don't forget to bring props and visual aids. The children can even be given puppet shows with hand puppets to make the stories more real.

A. Prophet Adam and his wife Hawwa. Draw the lesson of obedience and Allah's love from it and also why we were put here.

B. Prophet Saleh & the Camel. Make it a lesson about the dangers of meanness and cruelty.

C. Prophet Yunus & the Whale. Make it a lesson about obeying.

D. The Owners of the Garden. (Surah 68:17-33.) Make it a lesson about sharing. Hand puppets and props can be used.

E. The story of the sinful woman and the thirsty dog. (A Hadith about a sinful woman who was traveling and saw a well. She got a drink but then saw a thirsty dog who couldn't get to the water. She climbed down into the well, filled up her leather sock with water and climbed out and watered the dog. For that, Allah forgave her sins.)

Misc.

1. The following manners of eating and drinking should be taught:

A. Never gulp liquid.

B. Never overeat.

C. Keep your eating place clean.

D. Don't blow on food or drink.  (Explain that it puts bad germs on the food or drink.)

E. Don't waste food or eat too much candy. Dates are the best snacks.

2. Students should be able to define the following words and names based upon all the syllabus requirements enumerated thus far:

A. Allah, Prophet, Angel, Book of Allah, Qur'an, Masjid, Nabi, Rasool.

B. Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Siyam, Hajj, Ka'bah, Mecca.

C. Good Deed, Bad Deed, Last Day, Shaytan.

D. Islam, Muslim, believer, Sunnah, idol-worshipper.

3. The students should be able to recite all du'as, ayat, ahadith and phrases in Arabic and English that have appeared thus far.

4. Islamic songs and rhymes must be employed in the class. I can't emphasize this strongly enough.

5. Children should be taught the word Masjid. It should be described as a place where Muslims go to pray together. Friday is the day the Muslims go to the Masjid. Allah told us this is the day to get together to pray as a group.