Archive for December, 2010

T’was the Night of Knowledge

December 25, 2010 · Filed under Christmas and Islam, Downloads, Islamic Perspective, Kids Activities, Sr Alif, Templates

Sr Alif blogs

During their theme on Outer Space, one Pre-K student was asked “What do you see in the sky after it gets dark?” The girl quickly responded with, “You see a sled with reindeer flying way up high”, “Yes, you go to sleep and someone brings you a surprise gift!” another chirped in.  Now all the Muslim children excitedly started calling out, “Santa! Christmas!” Well, it was interesting to know what was on the children’s mind when they were learning about the solar system.  The lesson began with the sun and ended up with Santa from outer space! As the teacher diplomatically changed the topic, you know her mind was racing with ideas, “OK, I need a quick lesson about the Islamic view on Christmas…”


But how do you teach that to a very young child bombarded with exposure to media (PBS, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network…..and the list goes on) with holidays that are not part of their religious tradition? You certainly don’t want the children to offend their Christian neighborhood friends by dropping the ultimate myth blower. I heard one Muslim girl tell a horrified Christmas loving friend on the school bus, “Don’t you know that there is no such thing as Santa!? Go to the North Pole and see for yourself!”

So how do you explain this day and respect it as a Christian Holiday, but at the same time understand that we do not celebrate it? Often I find that parents shun their kids away with a hard-hitting phrase that slips out of their mouth very easily and mindlessly, not explaining much or anything at all, “No, we don’t do that, it’s HARAM!” Or it is the opposite in some houses, “I’ll let my child celebrate and let him decorate his own Christmas tree, it’s the intention that counts after all. He just wants to have some fun. I’ll explain things when he gets older and when he is able to understand better.” Teaching Muslim kids about religions or ideas that do not belong in the fold of Islam can be a tricky thing. Teaching religious tolerance and at the same time appreciating and believing in what our teachings hold is a very fine balance. It needs to be tackled with love, care, and understanding. But most importantly, parents need to give clear answers and logical reasoning to their children starting at a very young age. Always remember that our children are born with an inborn Islamic fitrah or an inborn natural predisposition towards Allah and His deen.  It is the influence of the environment and negative exposure that change the child’s fitrah. Help retain this fitrah by protecting the child’s understanding and giving explanations before the child’s mind is trained into thinking a certain way.

Here are simple steps to tackling this curiosity in the classroom Pre-K to 1st Grade. Teach a lesson on Christmas with the Islamic perspective. And if you have ideas, don’t forget to email them to jannahsteps@gmail.com. We would love to share them with the rest of the world so we all benefit. Inshallah.

Approach this at a “Circle Time”:

1. Discuss with the children what they have seen and heard these past few weeks on TV and around them. Of course, you will hear the jingles of “Christmas trees”, “reindeer”, “sleds” and “Santa”. Christmas Templates Download Here. Have these pictures available on these Christmas “characters” to help with the circle time discussion. Help them understand that these characters are not part of the original Christmas celebrations. They actually do not exist, characters much like Spiderman and Dora. However these fantasy creatures are used to tell a pretend story- one that includes Santa coming down a chimney and bearing gifts, encouraging you to be at your best behavior if you want to receive a special something! They frighten us with stories of Santa secretly watching over us to see if we are good or bad…help the kids understand that only Allah can know what we are up to and if we’ve been at our best behavior or not. You will be surprised at how much the kids comprehend this idea. They actually are more mature than we take them to be!

2. Tell them that in Islam we respect other people’s religion by not ever making fun of others beliefs, traditions or culture. But we do not participate in them either. For example: We do not get a Christmas tree and decorate our homes with lights during this time. We do not sit on Santa’s lap. We do not exchange presents. Remind them that we have our two Holidays: Eidul-Fitul and Eidul Adha. Have pictures of that as well such as Mosques, Iftar dinners, Eid Prayer. Ask them of their favorite Eid memory and include that in the discussion.

3. Introduce Prophet Isa (AS) or Jesus. Explain what Christians are celebrating on Christmas Day. Tell them about the one thing that we have in common with this Holiday – celebrating the great Prophet of God-Isa (AS). We believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the son of God. Help them understand this important difference. Islam teaches us that God does not give birth or have children. He is too special to have a life like us humans. He created us that way, but it does not mean that he shares the same lifestyle as us. Only Allah is to be given the right to be God as He is our Creator and also the Creator of Isa (AS).

3. You can also  listen to Surah Ikhlas on this CD: Quran for Little Muslims 2 (Noorart). Your kids will be delighted to listen to a captivating Christmas story with an Islamic perspective. Written and recited by Noor Sadeh, an American Muslimah revert from New York.

4. Finally, teach students the core belief of the existence of One God. First introduce the meaning of Surah Ikhlas. Download here: surah ikhlas template . Print this file and fold it from the top to the bottom and right to the left to make a book. Discuss each ayah and what it means in detail so the children comprehend each point clearly. Allow them to color the pictures and understand the concept in each ayah clearly. They can even create a cover for this book and write Surah Ikhlas in arabic and english.

5. Help them understand the importance of the words from Surah Ikhlas and why Allah would want to tell us this again in the Quran. Remember that they are young children, so you want to emphasize basic points. 1.Allah is one. 2. He lives forever.3.He does not have a family. 4.He is nothing like us.

6. Review Surah Ikhlas and its meaning before the break. Have them review the points from each ayah. If they memorize the surah and its meaning in English they get a “gift” after their winter break.

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Making Special Eid Cards for a Special Cause

December 24, 2010 · Filed under Charity/Zakah, Downloads, Templates, Umm Professional

Umm Professional blogs

My dear friend, Sister Sommieh as usual is up to the challenge. Recently remarried after many years of working as a dynamic principal in Michigan, she has a new life and a new cause. She started an Eid Card charity project for the impoverish children in Pakistan. Her personal encounter with these simple and dynamic children can be read in these excerpts  of her downloadable journal:

“…I noticed these Pathan or Afghan children, as soon I began living here in Chatta, about two weeks after I arrived in Pakistan. They were on the highway, cutting dry grass, and in the bazaars helping parents who had stalls there. But I didn’t start really seeing these children until I
saw Lailmina.
Walking to and from the school where I help with English twice a week, I would see groups of five to seven children with large burlap and plastic rice bags on their backs, picking up trash. Then one day I saw a group of them clustered around something on the other side of the
high curb that separates the street from the muddy creek that the water buffalo wallow in. One of them called out happily and excitedly to her friends, Sayp, sayp! I went over to see what it was they were so delighted about. I looked down into a mess of rotten apples that had fallen from a tree…”
Although a little late notice, making these special eid cards will give a new meaning to your children and they will love how their craft turns to into charity.
Here are the step by step instructions:
1. You can simply download the photos of the children from http://picasaweb.google.com/sommieh/AFC?feat=directlink
2. Go to CVS, or any photo printer and print them out. About 19 cents per photo if you do it online.
3. Glue on Card stock on one half of the page, and fold in half
3. You can also print out her journal and read this to your children. Compare their lives to ours, and reflect on the bounties of our life.
4. You can decorate the front  with scrapbook embellishments.
5. Write Eid Mubarak inside
6. Buy the card envelopes at Staples
7. Sell it for $2.00 to $3.00
If you are a busy mama like someone we know (chuckle), you can just download either of the 2 versions from here (one is black and white and the other is in color). Eid card project black and white. Your child can decorate it or/and sell it for $1.00-$3.00.
Donate this money. The checks can be written to Sajda Uddin(Sister Sommeih’s daughter) mail the checks to 5040 Heather Drive, Apt 109, Dearborn, MI 48126
For more information visit their website: www.SitaraSchool.org


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Welcome New Year 1432: Making Islamic Months Fun2Learn!

December 23, 2010 · Filed under Interesting Weblinks, Islamic Months/Calendar, Kids Activities, Muharram, Sr Alif, Templates

Sr Alif blogs
Happy Islamic New Year! We are in the 1st month of our Hijri Calendar and the focus around the world in Islamic classrooms whether in schools or homes is about educating students the Islamic Months of the calendar!

Teaching children the names of the Islamic months is not as challenging as some may think. If you remember to teach in a fun and creative way, children can memorize it in no time! Remember the 3 Learning Styles using Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic senses. Always keep in mind what kind of learner your child is and introduce concepts in the way that will best appeal to his learning disposition. It may be that they have more than one or all three learning styles (as in the case of classrooms), so don’t hesitate to try more than one activity, and don’t forget to repeat the concept as children master with repetition. Inshallah.


1. For Auditory Learners- Make a Rhyme or Sing a Month Song. Auditory learners get the most out of listening; they will be able to respond better to spoken instructions versus written instructions. Involve your little auditory learner in a rhyme! Songs are just a fun way to engage multiple age groups, and you will find that kids grasp concepts and information faster with a rhyme!
My Recommendation: If you are not the creative kind to make up your own verse or two, then why not leave it to the experts- Yusuf Islam’s Islamic Month’s Song (link below) is an exceptionally catchy  and educational song. Surprisingly, we all (yes, mom and dad included) learned the months and its order in the Hijjri Calendar this way. Play it on the way to school, or just listen to it at home during coloring time, and see how the months catch on!
Download This: Yusuf Islam’s Months in Islam Nasheed



2. For Visual Learners- Make Your Own Hijri Calendar. I am a visual learner and making illustrations or drawing pictures always helps me visualize the information I am learning about and helps me retain information more clearly. Get your little visual learner to make an illustrated calendar of his own.
My Recommendation: Print this Hijri Calendar Template (download PDF below) on heavy white cardstock. Get your child to color in the names of the month and illustrate the month with images they can associate for each month -perhaps an important day, child’s birthday, upcoming special event or trip, etc. Children tend to comprehend new ideas when they are connected to prior knowledge.
You can also decorate the calendar with gems and glitter or turn it into a scrapbook project and print small size photos to paste on each page. You can also paint their hands and feet and put their imprints on some of the pages. The project will be a fun way to make a special keepsake alongside learning the calendar months and one that the child will enjoy turning the pages to!
Download This: Islamic Calendar Template


3. For Kinesthetic or Tactile Learners- Play Games with Calendar Flashcards. Tactile learners often learn by carrying out a physical activity, and these activities that involve “doing” help tactile learners grasp concepts sooner. They may struggle to learn by reading or listening. Playing flashcard games or playing physical games about the months may be a better bet to teaching tactile learners about the Hijri months.
My Recommendation: Play some games with flashcards. If your child is able to hold, touch and feel the flash cards with the months on it, it will introduce the concept in a more appropriate manner than if he were to memorize the months by listening and repeating.  Print these flashcard templates (download PDF below) on heavy white cardstock paper or laminate them for durability. Pick a game idea from my list depending on your child’s age group, or make your own!
Download This: Months Flashcards- Transliteration Template

Game Idea #1: Shuffle the flash cards and get the child to place them in order of the month starting with Muharram. You can play Yusuf Islam’s song in the background to help the child know the order of the months while he is sorting out the cards, or you can call out the order while the child finds the correct month and places it on the floor.
Game Idea #2: Play a memory game with the cards, take turns saying what you would do or want to do in each month (in the correct month order)….and when it is the turn of the next player, the player has to first say what was done in the previous month before he adds a new task for his month.
Player 1: In Muharram, we celebrated the New Year.
Player2: In Muharram, we celebrated the New Year. In Safar, it was so hot!
Player 3: In Muharram, we celebrated the New Year. In Safar, it was so hot! In Rabi ul Awal, we visited Spain…..and so on.
You need a minimum of two players for this game. Place the flashcards in order for reference in the front of the players. Once the months are mastered, then you can make this game challenging by mixing the cards and placing them in random order. The child whose turn it is will pick out the correct month from the cards before he proceeds to add a “story” to it. And as they play, they place the cards in correct month order.
Game Idea #3: You can make a variation of Game# 2 for the younger ones by just sticking to the months, use the flash cards for this game too, so the kids have something to manipulate while playing this game…..
First arrange all the cards in the month order in line.
Player 1 picks the first month card and says “Muharram” and passes his card to Player 2 who says what’s on the card and then picks the next month card from the arrangement and says…. “Muharram, Safar”
Player 2 then passes his cards to Player 3 who in turn has to repeat the previous cards in order and then pick a fresh card and he says… “Muharram, Safar, Rabi ul Awal”


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Islamic Calligraphy in The Modern World: Faraz Khan

December 21, 2010 · Filed under Art, Artsy Ummi, Eid, Eid Gifts

Artsy Ummi blogs
One of my favorite memories at the ICNA convention 2010 in Connecticut, was viewing  the collection of Islamic Calligraphy Art by Faraz Khan. His calligraphy is simple and yet retains a sense of eloquence. What was interesting to me was that he utilizes 6 different forms of Islamic Calligraphy (Naskh, Thulluth, Riy’a, Nastaliq, Kufic, Diwani.) He also mixes English and Arabic words such as “Peace” and “Love” allowing the words to be an art in itself.


Some of my favorites are “Heart of a Believer” with a red background and it has Allah written in a shape of a heart. Another arabic word is brushed underneath in an elegant form, mimicking the structure of the blood vessels of the artery.
Faraz is not only an artist but an environmentalist. He holds a B. A. degree in Environmental Geology, and certified scientist engaged in protection of environmentally sensitive lands in NJ. His message is to give dawah in many different ways to promote Muslim thinking and foster better understanding of Islam. His work in Islamic fine arts is available online http://faraz-khan.fineartamerica.com
You can purchase his artwork on stretched canvas, framed or even as a print. It makes for a perfect housewarming gift or order early for Eid!


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Hajj Reenactment: 100% Class Involvement!

December 20, 2010 · Filed under Hajj, Hajj Simulation, Sr Alif

Sr Alif Blogs
Once again at Hamza Academy, the administration, school teachers, and students turn the entire building into famous landmarks of the two Holy cities, Mecca and Medinah. They started off at  JFK airport as their beginning destination (hand painted by the Pre-K Blue Class).


They were assigned  Hajj guides (their Quran and Arabic teachers) for every tour group. But Pre-K , 3rd -5th grade had the honor of having a well known scholar from Islamic Foundation of Knowledge, Sheikh John Starling as the guide for their inspirational mock journey. Dressed in traditional Saudi garment topped off with a white turban, he had the students running up and down the whole academy from “Jeddah” to “Jamarat” in the spirit of Hajj. “Uhlan wa Sahlan!” He greeted them at the pretend Jeddah equipped with bright yellow car, camel, boat, and a restroom! ( created by Pre-K green ) His wife, also dressed in the traditional black albaya dutifully serve tea and chocolates to all the visiting parents.



The children viewed the 2-D Kaba as the tour guides explained the significance of making tawwaf, and the prayer of Iqama Ibrahim. They ran the Saffah and Marwa, and drank from the “zam zam” water (school water fountain) and got their haircut at the local barbershop.


They traveled and struggled with their ihram down the stairs to the basement where they stopped at Mina (first grade) filled with tents from around the world.
After taking a quick catnap, they were off to Arafat where the 6-7th grade boys gave khutba and then had their first meal of cookies and juice.


They went upstairs to the next floor in the sister’s wing which became an unusually colorful Muzadiffah of colored paper pebbles.



After a good night rest, they were off to stone the jamarat ( 5th grade) and then finally to the sacrifice. They had a choice of 3 animals- camel, cow, or sheep.


After they paid $1.00 each which was used for the Hudiyah fund for Islamic Relief, each one ‘slaughtered’ it with plastic knife. The highlight of the day was the “qurbani” meat in the crock pot slowly stewing while the event was taking place, and had a delightful meal of beef stew and rice for lunch for the hungry pilgrims.
Everyone agreed that it felt exciting and exhausting as the real thing.  The principal thanked all who participated and excused herself the next day  to”soak her feet” (anyway it was Veteran’s Day)…


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Hajj Orientation- Older Students Teach Younger Ones About Hajj

December 18, 2010 · Filed under Hajj, Hajj Simulation, Sr Alif

Sister Alif blogs

This year, the Hajj season in Hamza School, NY,  was beaming with a mission. The 6th and 7th Grade students had been given a goal to teach the little ones about the holy pilgrimage. In order to do so, Sister Sarah, their teacher, had a special task to help her students put together a Hajj Orientation for the entire school.


In order to prepare for the orientation, the 6th and 7th graders were given a very informative lecture by Sheikh John Starling on “The Essence of Hajj”. They lapped up the  beautiful slide show depicting the history of Hajj and the ritual. Then the students divided into 3 groups to prepare a presentation for 3 different age levels. They discussed how they would have to address that age group, and began brainstorming ideas. The highlight of their orientation was a fabulous idea given by Sr Sarah to make little booklets that hung around the Hajjis necks with all the steps of the Hajj rites, just like the one she had used when she had gone for Hajj. The seniors got busy by making each student such a booklet that could be easily understood by the young age group.


The Hajj orientation was the day before the Hajj reenactment so that students could experience what a ”Hajj Orientation” might be like.  The group was amazing at presentation, they had researched thoroughly and made powerpoint presentations as well as some trifold presentations. There was a genuine interest on both sides. The young children looked up to their older classmates with enthusiasm and a new interest. And the youthful teachers lively discussed and shared what they knew about Hajj enjoying the taste of educational leadership.


In all, this was a very bonding and special experience for all the students and teachers! If you prepare for Hajj simulation in a special way in your homeschool or school, we would love to hear about it! If you have lessons, stories or pictures that you would like to share on the blog, do email us at jannahsteps@gmail.com


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