Muslim Child

A collection of short stories, poems and activities that examines the world through the eyes of Muslim children.

Early Childhood Education for Muslim Children foregrounds the marginalised perspective of Muslim children aged three to five and examines how they are cared for and educated in centre-based provision in two provinces in post-apartheid South Africa. Both theological and social science perspectives are carefully interwoven to make sense of the construction of service provision for Muslims as a minority group in a secular democracy. This book uses a qualitative, reflexive approach to amplify the voices of mothers, managers and teachers as the community of agents who shape priorities for young children in the context of a rapidly transforming society. The research demonstrates that the quest to establish an appropriate care network and a sound educative environment for Muslim children is riddled with complexities, struggles and tensions. In the light of changes in the home-based network for early education, centre-based provision has become an important infrastructure for Muslim communities seeking one-stop academic and Islamic education. The internal struggles encountered in this form of provision include inequities in access, struggles to package an appropriate curriculum, and dealing with nurturance specific to the faith and for cultural formations supportive of citizenship. This book calls for critical engagement with issues of religious education in early childhood, social cohesion, formal systematic teacher education for Muslim teachers, curriculum development and parental support. It will contribute not only to the development of early education from an Islamic perspective, but will also demonstrate how to expand discourses and practices to deal with diversity and faith development in early years. As such, it will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of early childhood education, religious studies, race and ethnic studies, and childhood studies

Dear Reader, I know exactly how you are feeling. People will tell you, to have sabr and trust in Allah's plan. People will expect you to behave in a certain way. I have written this child loss book for you and me. We are parents who have lost a piece of our heart. No one else can understand what we are going through. There are many self-help books for parents and child loss stories, however, very few are written from an Islamic perspective. I am here to tell you that there is hope, there is a way to find peace and solace, and that way is through the healing words of Allah and the comforting words of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw). Inshallah, both the Quran and Sunnah are a balm that will soothe your heart. Together they have helped me carry on when I thought my sorrow would consume me. Inshallah, my sincere dua is that this book provides you with comfort and the strength to carry on. Love and duas Farhat Amin Losing a baby or child, whether through miscarriage or illness, leaves so many parents lost in grief and full of unanswered questions. Farhat Amin personally experienced a miscarriage and faced the loss of her teenage son. She has written this self-help book, which thoughtfully describes her experiences and how she found a way to live and learn from her bereavement. Some of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.

Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets — Islamic book for kids "A beautiful picture book that simultaneously explores shapes, Islam, and the cultures of the Muslim people." — Kirkus Reviews Toddler book of shapes and Islamic traditions: From a crescent moon to a square garden to an octagonal fountain, this breathtaking picture book celebrates the shapes—and traditions—of the Muslim world. Toddler book by author Hena Khan: Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets is equally at home in a classroom reading circle and on a parent's lap being read to a child. If you and your child like books such as Lailah’s Lunchbox, Numbers Colors Shapes, or The Name Jar, you will love Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets.

Muslim Child is a collection of short stories, poems and prose that examines the world through the eyes of Muslim children. Each story represents a tenet of Islam in a way which is both entertaining and enlightening. Non-fiction sidebars help to explain and amplify the Islamic references. Some stories are centred around the major Muslim celebrations such as Eid and Ramadan, clarifying the customs and traditions. Another story is about a child getting separated from his parents while on the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Others show Muslim children in non-Muslim societies struggling with the beliefs or practices of their religion such as the dietary restrictions or the early morning prayer. Some of the stories are funny, some are touching, but all are compelling tales of children learning and growing within their culture. With this collection, author Rukhsana Khan provides insight for children into everyday Muslim life.

“Nobody can live forever. Allah (SWT) created us and gives us life, and Allah will decide when to end our lives and take us back to Him (2:156). Naturally, we might fear the time when loved ones will pass away, and we also might worry about when our own time will come. But our faith tells us about death and teaches us what we must do to prepare for the hereafter. In this book, we teach two key lessons. In the first story, “Life Goes On,” Amira’s parents explain that they can’t and won’t always be with her, but that Allah (SWT) always is and will always continue to take care of her. Not only that, a person’s life doesn’t stop with death; rather, it is a transition from one world to another. Therefore, while it’s expected to miss the one who passed away, we should take solace in the fact that, “The hereafter is better and more lasting” (87:17). The second story is about preparing ourselves for the hereafter. Our belief in Qiyamah, the Day of Judgement, fundamentally changes how we live our lives. We didn’t come into this world simply to go to school, get a job, have a family, and then die. Allah (SWT) tells us that He created death and life as a test to see who is the best in deeds (67:2). We must try to perform the best of deeds such that we become good human beings in the eyes of God, before our time on earth is up. Good deeds are like bricks, which we can use to build our house in paradise, our ultimate destination, insha’Allah. The second story, “A Home in the Hereafter,” conveys this lesson through Haroon Uncle’s example, as he role models what it means to live a life for the next.”—Provided by publisher.

I believe that parenting is a serious job which must be undertaken consciously; clearly understanding what it entails. Children have a right to have good parents who can be role models for them and who can not only teach them the tools to succeed in this life, but also to take from the treasures of Allah and succeed in the life to come. Whether you like it or not, you are your child's role model. Your choice is to decide what kind of role model you want to be - one that they can look up to or one that they have to look down on. Children listen with their eyes. They don't care what you say until they see what you do. Today, young Muslim parents are anxious to ensure that their children are brought up as practicing Muslims and are a credit to themselves and their parents. This little book is a consolidation of all the things that I have said to people in answer to their questions.

Omar Saif Ghobash was born in 1971 in the United Arab Emirates -- the same year the country was founded -- to an Arab father and a Russian mother. After a traumatizing experience losing his father to a violent attack in 1977, when he was only six years old, Ghobash began to realize the severe violence that surrounded him in his home country. As he grew older, eventually being appointed as the UAE Ambassador to Russia in 2008, he began to reflect on what it means to be a Muslim, establishing a moral foundation rooted in the belief of the hard grind that is the crux of spiritual and practical living. This book is the result of the personal exploration Ghobash went through in the years after his father's death. The new generation of Muslims is tomorrow's leadership, and yet many are vulnerable to taking the violent shortcut to paradise and ignoring the traditions and foundations of Islam. The burning question, Ghobash argues, is how moderate Muslims will unite and find a voice that is true to Islam while actively and productively engaging in the modern world. Letters to a Young Muslim will explore how Arabs can provide themselves, their children, and their youth with a better chance of prosperity and peace in a globalized world, while attempting to explain the history and complications of the modern-day Arab landscape and how the younger generation can solve problems with extremists internally, contributing to overall world peace.