Qur'anic Knowledge

1. Surahs Al Lahab, Al Feel, Al Quraish, Al Ma'un, Al Kafiroon, Ayat ul Kursi and 49:13. (English/Arabic + be able to explain what each is about)

A. Simple meaning of Al Lahab:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Whatever Abu Lahab's hands have done is cut off! His money and his things won't save him, because he will be surrounded by a hot fire. And his wife, who will add more wood to the fire, will have a twisted fiber chain strung around her neck.

B. Simple meaning of Al Feel

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Didn't you seen how your Lord dealt with the Army of the Elephant? Didn't He stop their evil plans? He let loose upon them a flight of flying things that hit them with stone-hard blows they couldn't escape. They looked like a farm field that was harvested and cut down.

C. Simple meaning of Al Quraish:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. The treaties of Quraish. The treaties which protect them on their caravans through winter and summer. They should obey the Lord of this Shrine (the Ka'bah), because He is the One Who provides them with their food-supplies against hunger and their security against danger.

D. Simple meaning of Al Ma'un:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Have you ever seen a person who is against the Deen? He pushes the orphan away and doesn't feel bad for the poor. So, a warning to people who pray but who are careless about it, whose prayers are only for show; refusing to share even the smallest kindness.

E. Simple meaning of Al Kafiroon:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Declare, "All you who reject (belief in Allah)! I don't serve what you serve, nor do you serve what I do. And I won't serve what you serve, nor will you serve what I serve. To you, your way of life, and to me, mine."

F. Simple meaning of Ayat ul Kursi:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. Allah! There is no god but He, the Living, Who doesn't need anyone else but Whom all others need. He never gets tired and He never needs to rest. To Him belongs space and the earth; who can say anything without His permission? He knows everything people have done and will do, and no one can know the least of His knowledge, unless He wants them to.  His throne covers over space and the earth and He doesn't get tired in protecting them. Only He is the Most High, the Lord Supreme."

G. Simple meaning of Ayat 49:13:

"In the Name of Allah, the Caring and Kind. People! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and groups so you can come to know each other. The best among you in the sight of Allah is the one with the most Taqwa (awareness of Allah)."

2. The text of the Qur'an is called a Mus-haf. The word Mus-haf means a collection of pages.

3. The concepts of Surah Ikhlas can be revisited. It is equal to one-third of the message of the Qur'an.

4. Surah Fatihah is the most important Surah of the Qur'an, according to the Blessed Prophet.

'Aqeedah

1. Allah knows what happens all the time. He knows everything. When some bad thing happens, we are being tested to see how we act about it. When a good thing happens we are also being tested. Allah never makes us do bad. He is in today, tomorrow and yesterday all at the same time.

2. When we have Taqwa, we are true believers. Taqwa is knowing that Allah is there and always remembering He sees us. We want to stay away from bad and like to do good when we have Taqwa. Taqwa is like Iman, except it is a bigger thing.

3. Go into more detail about what Allah is and is not. Introduce the concept of Allah being known through His attributes. The children can learn the following names and their significance: "Al Wadud" (the Loving), "Al Rahman" (the Caring or Merciful), "Al Malik" (the King or Controller), "Baseer" (the One Who Sees), "Al Quddoos" (the Special One or the Holy One).

4. You may begin highlighting a few of the false ideas about Allah that the Christians have. They say there are three gods in one and that God is a man. They also say God has a wife mother and that God gave birth to Himself. The skilled and informed teacher can have a lot of fun expressing the utter stupidity of these beliefs to students. This is important so they can realize the value of Tauhid. Some people may disagree with the approach of showing that Christianity is wrong, but to them I ask, "Then what do you believe is right?"

5. The students should learn the Iman ul Mufassil in English only and be able to list the seven beliefs of Islam. "I believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, the Measurement, both the good and the bad are from Allah the High and in Life after Death."

6. The concepts of each of these can be broadened from knowledge taught in previous grade levels.

7. Elaborate on the purpose of life and the ultimate fate of people.

8. Elaborate on the concept that the proof of Allah is all around us in the perfection of nature and the natural world. The science teacher should be aware that this concept must be promoted on a daily basis. Don't just say, "Rocks were formed millions of years ago..." Say, "Allah caused rocks to form millions of years ago..." Do you get the picture?

9. Introduce the concept of the Kiraman Katibeen, or Noble Writers. The Angels which figuratively hover over our right and left shoulders taking down our deeds. Explain nothing is hidden from them.

10. Mention the Hadith about the Angel Jibra'il coming to a gathering and asking the Prophet about the beliefs of Islam, Ihsan and the signs of the Last Day. Use this to show that Angels can disguise themselves and take on human forms.

11. The names of the five known revelations of Allah tied to the Prophet who bore them must be introduced. The purpose of revelation and how people are to follow it can be highlighted. The corruption and losing of the books prior to the Qur'an must be mentioned.

12. Emphasize that all Prophets taught the same message. They taught surrender to Allah's will, i.e. Islam.

13. The Qur'an can be introduced in more detail. The textbook, "My Little Book about the Qur'an" may be useful in this regard. The Qur'an is the Book of Allah and the Hadith are the sayings of the Prophet. whatever is in either of them is binding on Muslims to follow.

14. The stories of the Prophets contained in the textbook "Islam for Children" can be used.

15. The concepts of the Last Day and life after death can also be utilized from that book.

'Ibadah

1. There are many different ways to say the Shahadah. Another word for Shahadah, which means "The Declaration or Announcement" is the word Kalimah, or Statement. There are seven different Kalimahs. Each one of them is a different way to say that there in no god except Allah. Some are long and some are short.

2. The first Kalimah is called the "Kalimah Tayyib" or "the good statement." It is, "La ilaha illallah, Muhammadar Rasulullah." "There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

3. The next Kalimah is the one we say to become a Muslim. It is, "Ashahadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ashahadu anna Muhammadar Rasulullah." "I say that there is no god but Allah and I say that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

4. The third Kalimah is what we say in our Salat everyday. It is called the Kalimah Shahadat. It is, "Ashahadu an la ilaha illallah, wahdahu la shareeka lahu, wa ashahadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasulhoo." "I say that there is no god but Allah, Who is one with no partners, and I say that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger."

5. The details of the Salat can be strengthened partially in this grade. During this grade level, the students must have been able to master all the previous knowledge taught in lower grades. They should know the terms for each movement of the Salat, they should know the times and the timings of Salat, they should know the names of the five Fard prayers, they should also be introduced to the difference between Fard and Sunnah prayers. Don't mention the terms Wajib, Nafl or Mustahab yet, save that for fourth and fifth grade. The basic concept we want to impart here is that there are five required prayers and then extra prayers which we do for extra credit called "Sunnah" prayers.

6. The "Sunnah" prayers they should be aware of, and encouraged to practice are: the two Rak'ahs before Fajr, four before Zuhr and two after it, two before 'Asr, two after Maghrib and the two before and after 'Isha. If we can succeed in getting them to adopt those "Sunnah" prayers successfully, then a great achievement will have been accomplished.

7. At this grade level, all the required phrases and statements of the Salat procedure will be expected to be mastered. There may be a few students who couldn't get it right during first grade, gently, and I mean gently, nudge them along so they can catch up.

8. The concept of Dhikr should be introduced. Dhikr literally means to remember. The students will be taught that we should remember Allah so we can be more loved by Him and so that we can get good deeds and feel better inside.

9. Along with that, of course, the concept of getting Allah's reward should be expanded. The introductory Dhikr formulas that can be introduced are: saying, "Subhanullah," "Alhumdulillah," and "Allahu Akbar" after the Salat has finished. Each phrase should be said 33 times each with the last phrase being said 34 times. Another phrase is: "La ilaha illallah" at least ten times. Explain that this is the best phrase a Muslim can say and the most important. The Blessed Prophet said, "There is a phrase that is easy on the tongue but heavy in the scale and that phrase is 'La ilaha illallah.'" (Hadith)

10. The institution of fasting will be broadened in scope. In addition to what was learned in lower grades, we will be elaborating on the concept of sacrifice and self-control, in a simple way. The teacher should mention a few simple ahadith about fasting and how much Allah loves it.

11. By this age, all of the students should be at least "practice" fasting. Any who are weak or weak-willed may be exempted without shame.

12. Briefly discuss the length of Muslim months and how the moon is used to determine the days. There are cross-curriculum benefits with science class.

13. The Islamic advice about eating should be introduced, "Keep one third of the stomach for food, one third for liquid and one third for air." (Hadith) Over-eating and eating the wrong kinds of foods will be discussed. Dates, milk, water and natural foods will be encouraged for every meal. (This is an important theme because, unfortunately, almost all parents fill their children's lunch-boxes with candy, processed, fat-laden food or chocolate.)

14. The concept that fasting was taught by all the Prophets can be introduced here.

15. The importance of Zakat, tied to the principle of sharing, can be elaborated on. Simple math exercise can be done in math class to calculate imaginary Zakat payment.

16. More exposure to the benefits of Hajj will be introduced. The actual rituals will not be detailed. Instead, the main rituals of Tawaf, Sa'i and Jamarat can be highlighted in a fun and interesting way. A three-D model of the Ka'bah can be purchased and displayed. Students can write short essays based on interviews with family members who went on Hajj.

17. The importance of da'wah can be introduced in a simple way.

Du'a, Phrases & Ahadith

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

A. When we go to bed we say, "Allahumma Bismika amootu wa ah-ya." "Allah, in your Name I die and I live."

B. When we wake up we say, "Alhumdulillah." "Praise Allah."

C. "As Salamu 'alaikum qabla al kalaami." "Say peace be upon you before you start speaking." (Tirmidhi)

D. "'Alaykoom bis Sidqi." "Always tell the truth." (Tirmidhi)

E. "Al 'areeyatoo mu-addatoon." "Return what you borrow." (al-Kanz)

F. If a nightmare comes and scares us in our sleep, we should say, "Owthzubillahim ashaytanir rajeem." "Allah protect me from the rejected Shaytan." Then we make a spitting motion (without spitting) to our left three times and we will feel better.

G.  "Allahumma a inni ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatika."  "O Allah help me to remember You, to thank you and to serve you." 

Akhlaq & Adab

1.  When we finish eating we say, "Alhumdulillahil ladhi at'amana was saqaanaa wa ja'alnaa min al Muslimeen."  "Praise to the one Who fed us, gave us a drink and made us Muslims."  (Tirmidhi)

2.  When we enter the bathroom we say, "Allahumma inni owdhubika min al khubthi wal khabaa-ith."  "Allah protect me from the dirty things."

3.  When we leave the bathroom we say, "Ghafranak."   "Pardon me."

Sirah

1. Follow the general guidelines in the IQRA elementary curriculum guide.   We will update this section later.

History

1. The story of Abu Bakr can be elaborated upon along with a few general details of his Khilafah. Stories and anecdotes are paramount. His example of truth, friendship and faithfulness can be highlighted.

2. 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. Abraha and the Elephant.

B. The evil Abu Lahab.

C. To woman who was forgiven her sin because she watered a thirsty dog.

D. The Hadith story about the bad man who killed 99 people and then went to look for forgiveness. (Located in Riyadh as Saliheen)

E. The Hadith story about the Leper, the Blind man and the Bald man who were tested by Allah. (From Bukhari)

Misc.

1. The children should be allowed to participate in the planning and execution of the Eid parties at least an introductory level.

2. Children must be taught that a Muslim doesn't harm any living creature for no reason. If we are attacked by a mosquito, snake or spider, we can kill it, but we don't kill for no reason.

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