Five Ideas for Fun Ramadan Activities for kids!

It's the first day of Rmadan!

Elhamdulilah that Allah has given us this great opportunity for doing good and getting multiplied thawab for it.

Here are some ideas for Ramadan activities that you can do as a family!

1. Quran and Ramadan Did You Knows!

It’s important to let your children know the importance of the Quran and the relationship it shares with the Quran:

Did you know:

-       The Quran descended from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad SAWS during the month of Ramadan

-       The order/prescription of Fasting Ramadan came from the Quran (Surah al-Baqarah: 183-185)

-       There is an entire surah dedicated to the MOST important night in Ramadan – which is it? Surat Al Qadr.

-       The Angel Gibrael used to revise the Quran with Prophet Muhammad SAWS every Ramadan as per the hadeeth:

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would review the Quran once every year in Ramadan and he reviewed it twice in the year he passed away. The Prophet would seek spiritual retreat in the mosque for ten days every year and he secluded himself for twenty days in the year he passed away. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4712

2. Make a Thikr chart

Outline 3 to 5 thikrs (or more if you can) for the children to repeat every day at a regular time – consistency is key. Teach kids to work smarter with thikr. Read this post here: 

 http://themuslimchild.blogspot.com/search/label/Thikr

3. Make a good manners reward scheme

As fasting is not only abstaining from food and water, but it is also ensuring that our tongues fast from bad words and that our actions are good and pure. Create a reward chart where points can be gained – points translate in to rewards and that can each family can determine its own rewards.

Manners to add to your chart:

-       Being honest

-       Being generous or kind to siblings

-       Complete a chore or job without being asked

-       Give a compliment to someone

-       Reminding the family to pray

4. Make a gratitude collage

I love this one! If you're feeling crafty, make a gratitude collage with your children. Grab some crayons, paper, glue, photos and magazine cut outs and have your children arrange items on a piece of paper. Talk about what items they chose and why they are grateful for them.

Another fun idea is to give your children a camera and have them take photos of everything they are thankful for. You can post the images in an online photo album or even create a gratitude photo book using their shots!

5. Make a charity box reminder!

Following on from the gratitude activity, getting children to understand that charity is so important and how it is even more important in Ramadan is ideal. Making a charity box with the children where you put 10 to 20 (or 30 if you’re brave) charity ideas and make sure you pick one and do it every day of Ramadan. Some charity ideas:

-       Feed people in Ramadan

-       Donate clothes

-       Smile to everyone you see

-       Sponsor a child or donate to an orphanage

-       Charity through water

-       Do something for an elderly person/neighbor

-       Partake in building a mosque

-       Teach a friend or family member younger than you something about Islam

Let me know what other great ideas do you do as a family in Ramadan!

Is it too late to learn the Quran? This 73 year old woman has just done it!

I saw this beautiful post on facebook of a lovely woman who is 73 years old and has just finished learning the Quran. Her story really moved me and I wanted to share her journey. She describes her learning journey and persistence and one thing that struck me was that she would repeat an Ayah from 100 to 150 times to memorize it!

She says: When outside I would have my small Quran with me to memorize. It never left me.

You can read her full story here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157303503252894&id=686077893

May we never leave the Quran and always read it, understand it and teach it.

Seerah for Kids: Lesson 6. The Prophet's First Jobs!

So today we will learn about Prophet Mohamed's first jobs. The prophet took his first job when he was only 10!

Think about what you can do to help your family, even if it is simple chores!

THE PROPHET HERDS SHEEP

Prophet Mohammad SAWS was now ten years old.

During this time, he told his uncle, Abu Talib, whose custody he was under, that he wanted to herd his sheep. This was because Prophet Mohamad saw that Abu Talib was struggling to make enough money to feed them all and he really wanted to help. At first, his uncle, who loved him wholeheartedly, did not consent. However, he eventually accepted due to Prophet’s (PBUH) persistence. 

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) began to take the sheep and goats to the valleys and hills where they would graze during the morning.

In this way, he was able to help his uncle, even if it was in a very small way, to save money since it was no longer necessary to hire a shepherd.

The Prophet SAWS was now working very hard, taking the sheep out to the countryside. Being a shepherd and spending time in the countryside helped the prophet spend time in nature and get a chance to deeply contemplate on the existence of the ground and skies.
In the fields, he would watch the fields and think of Allah's creation. At the same time, being busy with work kept him away from all the bad things that were happening in the city of Makkah.

Later on the prophet SAWS would tell the sahabah that “There is no prophet who has not herded sheep.” 

One day, the Prophet SAWS told his companions

“Prophet Moses (AS) was sent as a prophet; he herded sheep. Prophet David (AS) was sent as a prophet; he herded sheep. I too was sent as a prophet and would herd my family’s sheep in Jiyad (a place that is at the bottom part of Mecca).” 

Why do you think that Prophet Mohamad SAWS and all the other prophets were responsible for herding sheep?
One of the reasons is that being out in the open countryside teaches people to think deeply and do tafakur, which is to think about Allah's creation and to try and understand the greatness of Allah.


Some activities that you could do after this lesson:

1. Watch this video about sheep! Why not learn some fun facts about them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK3KsFd2YnQ

2. Print out some sheep facts for your book and learn about them!

https://www.pinterest.com/cassie_osborne/farm-theme-activities-for-kids/

3. Learn about Tafakur.
I will post some ideas about how to start kids on tafakur but for now why not take one of Allah's creation and really think about it deeply!

4. Do some chores to help your family!
Look at how the Prophet SAWS was trying to be helpful to his uncle and family. Think of how you can help at home. What kind of chores can you contribute with.

Why don't you print out this chore chart and set yourself some tasks at home!
http://templatelab.com/chore-charts/#Chore_Chart_Templates 

Work Smarter Not Harder!

We've all heard it before, people saying you need to work smarter not harder. What they are really saying is that you should use your time wisely and more effectively. Sometimes you can do something in 5 minutes that may be worth hours of work.

What if I told you that Prophet Muhammed SAWS explained this very concept to Juwairiyah bint Al Harith, one of the mothers of the believers and taught her that she could earn a lot more hasanat by doing a lot less! Basically working smarter not harder!

This is what we discussed with the girls yesterday. Some people are smart about their ibada. We all live extremely hectic and busy lives and sometimes even when do have the time we're too tired to do much. This is why this thikr which we learned is amazing! You get so many hasanat and it doesn't take much time at all!

Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Are you still in the same position as I left you." I replied that yes, I was. Thereupon the Prophet said, "I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. 

These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi 

[Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words (for His Praise)]."

Ramadan! How will you get your kids excited?!

Ramadan is almost a week away, and we are feeling very excited!

How have you prepared for it at home and are your kids helping around in decorating the house and preparing their duaa lists?

I have exciting news for you! This Ramadan, we will follow 'Ameena's Ramadan Diary' A practical guide to getting the best out of fasting and Ramadan. We look at the different tips and advice that will help us get the most out of Ramadan InshAllah!

In the 'How to use this book' section, the author actually recommends that you start well before Ramadan (6 weeks before actually!) to help you prepare yourself spiritually and get into the right mindset. We only have a few days but better late than never, right!

So what are some things that the authors recommend you do to get prepared:

1. Start by writing all the positive things that went well for you last ramadan and also the areas that you could have improved on.
Remember that knowing your strengths and weaknesses is half the battle!

2. Based on point 1, set some ambitious but also achievable goals for yourself. How many times do you want to read the whole Quran? How much will you try and do dawa and involve family and friends?

3. Don't forget to keep saying:
اَللّهُمَّ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَان Allahumma Ballighna Ramadan Oh Allah, let us reach the month of Ramadaan

So what goals have you set for yourself and have your kids set for themselves? Please post in the comments below, you could be helping to inspire other people.

Duaa for others

I was reading a book for a course the other day called, ‘For the Good of the Earth and Sun’ by Georgia Heard, and on the first pages as all authors do, she acknowledges her thanks to all the people who helped her.
What struck me though was the way she did it, and it got me thinking about how I don’t do that enough! What is it that she does?

She says that every night as a child before going to bed, she would kneel down and in her prayers, she ‘made sure not to leave anyone out, so no one’s feelings would be hurt.’

I was deeply moved by her feelings and her love for others. I thought to myself, she does this out of love...but what about us? What about Muslims who know of the hadith of the Prophet Mohammed SAWS which says:

In Saheeh Muslim and Sunan Ibn Majah, it is narrated that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, 'The Dua of a person for his Muslim brother in his absence will be answered. At his head there is an angel, and every time he prays for him for something good, the angel who has been appointed to be with him, says, 'Ameen, may you have likewise.' (62)

By praying for others, we learn to empathise with them, grow our love for them, and always have them in our minds AND we also get rewarded by being granted the ijaba of duaa for ourselves and them.

A friend once told me that she splits her Rakaas by who she does duaa for. Her first Rakaa is for herself (it is Sunnah to start with yourself in duaa), the second Rakaa is for her parents, the third for her husband and children and so on..

Now that is something I have to remind myself everytime I do duaa: to remember as many other people as I can. Now don't forget me in your duaas too :)

Teaching Children about the Day of Judgement: The Changes in the Universe

One of the first things that we need to realize about the Day of Judgement is that there will be HUGE changes in the universe.

Things as we know them now will change. Allah tells us about all these changes in many of the surahs in Juz' Amma.
One of the first things that will happen is that the angel will blow the trumpet and this will be the sign for everyone to rise from their graves. This is the time when Allah brings back everyone to life after death.

One of the greatest proofs that Allah uses in the Quran for bringing us back to life is our creation in the first place. Allah tells us that if He was able to create us in the first place, then it will be even easier to bring us back to life on the Day of Judgement. We need to remember that our existence is from Allah and that we will be brought back to Him.

Let's look at some of these huge changes that will take place.

1. There will be a Huge Earthquake that will flatten the earth. The mountains, rivers, and valleys will all disappear. Only a complete flat earth will be left, which will be the 'Mahshar', the Place of Gathering.

2. The sun, moon and stars also will lose their light.

3. The planets will be scattered.

4. The wild animals will be gathered.

5. The seas will turn into fire.

6. The mountains will be crushed.

7. The Earth will throw out everything that was inside it.


How will this all start and what will happen next? We will look at this in the next post inshAllah.

How to Strengthen and Build Your Iman: Iman First Series

A few years ago I came across a book that had a huge impact on me. It is a book that is published in Arabic called 'Iman First, and how we should apply it'. The book takes you through the practical steps of applying Iman and growing it in your heart. There is no English translation (believe it or not!) and so I decided to create a series of posts summarising the main chapters of the book. I hope that it will be useful to you and will guide you in increasing Iman in yourself and in your children through practical steps.

Here is the introduction:

There is not a single Muslim who believes in Allah and the Hereafter that does not come across moments of regret at his state and is left overcome with feelings of fear at meeting Allah in his current state of forgetfulness and poor level of actions.

Many people wonder how they can achieve a spiritual link and connection with Allah whilst living amongst their spouses and children, continuously working and without having to isolate themselves from people and devote their entire lives for worship.

Yet before you begin to assume that achieving this balance between the needs of the body and soul is an impossible equation, we must remember that the companions' generation, the best generation of Muslims were able to achieve this balance.

Remembering the companions' generation will also help us to see that the general state of Muslims will not improve without the steps of improvement that were applied in the companions' era. If we examine the history of this unique generation, we find ourselves faced with several important observations:

1.    They did not fast or pray that much more than the generations that succeeded them. One of the earlier followers remarked: Abu Bakr did not attain his higher position with lots of fasting and prayer; he did so through something that moved in his heart.

2.    Nor did they isolate themselves for worship and neglect their lives and responsibilities in this world; they continued their lives in a natural manner, eating all that was permissible, and not forbidding anything upon themselves that was not forbidden by Allah. They continued to laugh and enjoy themselves were playful and loving toward their spouses and children, they bought and sold and traded; in other words, they were in total harmony with their human nature.

 They were physically living amongst others, yet maintained their spiritual relationship with Allah…So how were they elevated to this level?

 The education of companions began by filling their hearts with a connection to Allah. We find that forbidding of intoxicants did not take place except in Madina, nor was fasting ordained before the second year of Hijra. Likewise, the five prayers did not become a duty before the journey of the Israa and Mi'raj. Night prayer however was ordained in the beginning of the call to Islam and this necessitates a stop since its early ordainment contained much hardship, as Allah states:

{O you enwrapped in your garments!- Stand in prayer at night, but not all the night- Half thereof or lessen a little- Or add to it a little, and recite the Qur'an with distinct recitation} [The Enwrapped: 1-4].

So why did night prayer come before the rest of the duties?

Allah says, {Truly the rising by night is the most potent for controlling the soul and most suitable for humbling in prayer and purifying the soul in remembrance of God} [The Enwrapped: 6].

 It is through the night prayer-whilst most people are asleep- reciting the Qur'an and observing its verses, the long stand, bowing and prostration that all barriers that surround the heart can be removed, and the blocked pathways between the person and Allah opened, thus establishing the needed link, closeness and association with Allah.

 If these hearts become close to Allah and the link created, then change can easily follow with the least effort.

Someone may remark that we all agree that an upbringing or education based on faith should precede others, yet we do not know the practical steps that we should take to help us establish that link with Allah.

 This book is therefore an attempt to show the outlines needed in such an upbringing and more specifically those factors essential for the awakening of the heart, and reviving its link with Allah.

InshAllah over the next few posts, I will summarise those practical steps one by one.

Teaching Children About the Day of Judgement

One of the most things that all parents would love to build in their kids is iman. And generally with kids, it is usually very important to focus on the building love/closeness to Allah part of building Iman (Targheeb).

But I also think, and even with kids there has to be an element of instilling 'fear' of doing something wrong and also fear of upsetting Allah (Tarheeb). This is why Allah says:

O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness (Shahid) and a bringer of good tidings (Basheer) and a warner (Nazeer). [Al-Ahzab 33:45-46].

InshAllah, we will start the series on the book 'Iman first' which discusses the practical steps of building Iman where the author explains that one of the first steps in awakening the heart and reviving its link with Allah is to establish 'fear of Allah in the heart'. Have a quick peek at the series intro here:
https://themuslimchild.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-to-strengthen-and-build-your-iman.html

There are many things involved in doing this but one of the main aspects is building and strengthening the belief in the 'Day of Judgement'.

That is why many verses combine belief in Allah with belief in the Day of Judgement so that we can remember that there will be a day that we will be accountable for our actions.
That is why the 30th Juz' of the Quran where many surahs where revealed in the first years of Islam talks about the Day of Judgement and the scary things that will happen on that Day.

So inshAllah, my intention is to start teaching my kids about the main elements of the Day of Judgement as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. As we know belief in the Day of Judgement is a pillar of Iman and also means that you become one of those who believe in 'alghaib.'

So inshAllah the intention here is to increase your kids' Iman but you have to use your judgement about how much/little your kids can handle at each stage.

So what are the main topics to be covered in the belief of the Day of Judgement.

1. Death and the important things that people will be asked about.

2. The changes in the universe that will happen on the Day of Judgement.

3. The Prophet SAWS's role on the Day.

4. The Sirat

5. The Mizan

6. Descriptions of Al Jannah

7. Descriptions of al Nar.

Always Learning: How do we teach our kids to build their Islamic Knowledge?

Yesterday I was watching all three of my daughters curled around with a book, and completely immersed in their reading. I thanked Allah that they had all learned to love to read and can sit for hours enjoying a good book!

It got me thinking on how I can translate this love for books into love for Islamic books and continuously learning about their deen. I decided to set up a virtual library of Islamic books for them and this is what I did.

1. I created a gmail account for each one of them.

2. I then opened their personal drive and created a folder called 'Islamic books'.

3. I found some authentic Islamic book PDFs online and I uploaded it in their drives. Some ideas include the following: The Stories of the Prophets, Tafseer As Saadi, The fortress of a Muslim. Check out this site for the Islamic books:https://www.kalamullah.com/books.html

4. I encouraged them to read the first 5 pages of Prophet Adam and told them we'd have a competition to see who could answer the most questions on these pages so that they all read the pages carefully.

Obviously this is easier done with kids that can already read, but it is a nice way to get them into a habit of learning and striving to acquire Islamic knowledge on their own. And the great thing is that you can add more books as you go along!

Give it a try and if you come across some great books please share them in the comments!

Teaching Gratitude to Kids

Gratitude 

All around us now people are talking about the importance of gratitude and how just being thankful has a huge amount of positive benefits. It can increase your mood, lower your stress levels and even strengthen your immune system! This is what science is telling us now and this is why so many people are starting to keep gratitude journals!

Allah has given us so much! Look at all the small and big things that Allah has given us. Look at yourself and what is out there in nature. But unfortunately not a lot of people thank Allah.

Look at this ayah and what Allah says:

And He it is Who made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts; little is it that you give thanks (23:78)

On the other hand, we also know that Allah has promised those who are grateful that they will be given more!

So how do we teach our kids to have gratitude and be thankful:

1. Get your kids to write a thank you note: Teach them to write thank you notes to anyone who has given them a present or done something nice to them. Let them send it or even call the person and read it to them. Make it a habit to send at least one thank you letter a month. In this way they will always remember the positives that others have done, have a great social relationship with them and keep these good things in their memory.

2. Count Allah's blessings (as many as they can!): Pick a time when you can all sit together (at least once a week) and pick three to five things that happened over the week that you are grateful for.

3. Thank someone in your head: Even if you have no time to write (or your kids can't write yet! think about someone you would like to thank. It doesn't even have to be someone you know. It could be someone who made the great toy that they are playing with, the lovely book that they just read or the show they just watched. Encourage them to think about these people that spent their time doing productive things for other people.

4. Make duaa for someone in your prayer: How amazing would it be if kids learned to thank others by doing duaa for them! Why not teach them to say a duaa for someone in one of their sujood and to choose someone different in every prayer.

5. Keep a gratitude journal: The research on keeping a gratitude journal is unbelievable! The more you write things down that you are thankful for the happier you are likely to become! More on journaling and it's great benefits to come :)

6. Take a gratitude walk. Step out of the house with the goal of looking at Allah's creation and thanking Him for it. Look at the trees, flowers, leaves, anything that comes your way and talk about how amazing they make our lives. If you take the time to notice the good things you will feel happier too.

Quran App Review: Memorize

There are so many ways that you can help kids memorize the Quran, but one great way that works for us is the memorize app. The girls have downloaded it on their iPads and the great thing about it is that they can listen to the ayat and track their progress. Here's my daughter's review on what she likes about it:

Memorize has been very useful for me in memorising the Quran, and its features have assisted me greatly. It is laid out so that you can track your progress by simply ticking off the ayat that you have memorised and completed. I like that you can listen to the sheikh reciting the ayat so that you are able to understand how they are read. Another aspect that I find to be practical is the fact that you can change the speed in which the sheikh reads the ayat, which is very helpful. My favourite feature is that you can make playlists within the surah for the sheikh to read so that you can focus on specific verses. The only negative comment I have for this app is that only Juz 30 is free; you have to pay for the full version of the app. Other than that, this app is amazing!

Names of Allah for kids: Allah Al Malik

Allah Al Malik

Some facts about Allah Al Malik

MALIK means King. Here in the dunya, people fight to be kings and compete with each other for power, but Allah is the King of everything and He is the one who owns everything. Your wealth, your heart, your body, your house, your time, everything belongs to Allah.

Here is a story to help you understand about Allah Al Malik

King Sultan was the ruler of all of Arabia. He had everything he could ever imagine. Cars and planes, horses and tigers, gardens and swimming pools too. He also had a HUGE palace full of servants and helpers that got him anything he wanted.

King Sultan always shouted orders at his servants and helpers and demanded that everything be given to him at once! “Get me my slippers at once”, he shouted “Yes your Highness” said the servants. “I want to eat right now – make me a sandwich at once”. The servants would cater to his every need and always did whatever he asked.

One day, a friend of the King, Ahmed, came to visit him at the palace. King Sultan told him “Do you know Ahmed, I have everything I want and nothing can stop me from doing whatever I wish”. “Well, that’s not really true” Said Ahmed. King Sultan’s face went red and he said in an angry voice “What do you mean?” “You may be the King of Arabia Sultan, but Allah is the King of the entire Universe and if Allah wanted to, he could stop you from having anything you want”.

“I have so much money Ahmed that I can get whatever I want and I can buy anything that crosses my mind” he said as he pointed towards his private jet. “You do have a lot of money King Sultan, but what would you do if you were sick?” asked Ahmed.

“I would get my servants to call the best doctors in the world to come and make me better at once”. “Ok” said Ahmed. He then asked the King “and what if the only way to cure you was to use ALL of your money?”

The King stopped to think for a moment… “Well, I would have to give them all of my money to make me better of course”. “And if that happened you would then have no money at all and you would be just like any one of the people in Arabia, maybe you would be even poorer then some of the people on the street” Ahmed told him.

“That’s not possible” shouted the King! “Ahmed. Leave at once” ordered the King. Ahmed said goodbye to the King, but before he left he said “Just remember what I Have told you King Sultan. Allah is the only real Malik in this world. Allah owns everything including all of your money and could make you lose it all in a blink of an eye”.

The King sat to think about what Ahmed had told him while he drank some chocolate Milkshake that his Servant had just made for him.

One day, King Sultan woke up in his enormous bed and he felt awful. He couldn’t raise his voice, he was sneezing all over the place, coughing continuously and he seemed to have a very high fever too. He could just about raise his arm to ring the bell to call for his servants. They came running as soon as he rung it of course and he asked them to call for the doctor. At that time, he remembered what Ahmed had told him and he realized that no matter what he had he was weak and Allah, Al Malik, who is the owner of all things, all people and all of the kings too is the only one that can truly be a King.

Sultan asked the servants to call Ahmed on his mobile phone and to tell him to come to his Palace. When Ahmed arrived, he helped the King to sit up and take his medicine and he reminded him that Allah is the one true King and that Allah could give us anything, but he could also take it away just as easily. “Allah gave me this mobile phone” said Ahmed, “but if Allah wanted to, he could take also take it away too”.

King sultan fully understood that it was Allah who owned everything and not him. He asked Allah to forgive him and said “elhamdulelah for everything I have and elhamdulela for a friend like you Ahmed”.

How can you live by this name?

1.    Be Humble
Remind yourself that we are all slaves of Allah ALMalik and that whatever we have is from Allah.

2.    Be Fair.

Be fair to everyone around you whenever you have responsibility or power.

3.    Ask Allah Al Malik.

Allah owns everything so ask Him to give you whatever you want!