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North Wales Islamic Societies
www.nwis.org.uk/education
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Islamic Studies
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Second Grade
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Age
group: 6-7
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Main
Focus: To introduce the Qur'an and Islamic practices on a simple
level with more substance than first grade.
Learning
Abilities: Maturity levels among students of this age vary widely. Some
will seem like child prodigies while others will barely be able to write
their own name. Most children will fall somewhere in between. The average
student can read reasonable well if the text is not overly laden with three
or more syllable words. Concepts must still be somewhat simplified and using
techniques such as life-reference, narratives and stage techniques still need
to be employed.
Formats
to Avoid: Do not give too much homework yet, even though they know how to
write. A homework assignment should take no more than ten to fifteen minutes
for the average child to complete.
Preferred
Format: A mixture of reading from the textbooks, question and answer
time, in class assignments, story telling and fun activities. Students should
be asked questions more often in this class and the tone of voice of the
teacher of Islam must be pleasant and loving as much as possible.
Advice: Never yell at a child because your lesson will be lost, even though
you may feel great at having had a release of pent-up anger and stress, the
child will associate whatever you with Islam. Children at this age
level can be very trying. Learn the lessons of Sabr
(patience) so you can give the lessons of Sabr.
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Primary Textbook
Weekend
Islamic Studies Level 2
http://www.weekendlearning.com/
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Enrichment
Our Book of Du'a
by F. Abdullah
(IQRA)
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Primary Textbook
Color and Learn Salah
by Yahiya Emerick
Noorart
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Nasheed (Songs)
Our Children,
Our Future (Shaam)
(Astrolabe)
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Secondary Textbook
I Love Islam Series
Volume 2 + WB
(Noorart)
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Teacher Resource 2
IQRA Elementary
Curriculum
(Sound Vision)
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Teacher Resource
Muslims in Our
Community and Around the World
Resource Binder by Susan Douglass
(IQRA)
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Nasheed 2 (Songs)
Allah ArRahman ArRahim
(Astrolabe)
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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:
A. Nasheed, Sa'i, Zakat, Tawaf, Jamarat,
Dhikr, Hadith, ahadith, Mus-haf.