Sunday, March 30, 2008

April Fool in Islam

Assalamualaikum,

My kids told me that they used to do April Fool's Day in the school.
We always have to tell the kids do not lie.

We must beware of lying when playing with children, because that will be written down (in the record of deeds of) the one who that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against doing that.

May Allah always guide us in the right path. Ameen.

April Fool

The origins of April Fool’s Day are unknown, although various theories have been proposed. April Fool in Arabic is Kidhbat Neesaan or the lies of April. It is translated literally, the “trick of April”.

1st April is a day when:

  • people lie,
  • play jokes and mock in the name of entertainment,
  • newspapers and magazines participate in it by publishing false news and untrue stories.


The April Fool's day tradition contradicts the teachings and morals of Islam.
We don't want our kids to lie.

Lying is a characteristic of hypocrisy and Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) strictly forbade lying at all times.

There are some of statements that said "no lying" in Al Qur'an and in hadiths, as following:

In Al Qur'an


  • "It is only those who believe not in the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allaah, who fabricate falsehood, and it is they who are liars"
    [al-Nahl 16:105]

    Ibn Katheer said:

    “Then Allaah tells us that His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not a fabricator or a liar, because only the most evil of people who do not believe in the signs of Allaah, the kaafirs and heretics who are known amongst the people for telling lies, tell lies about Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most truthful of people, the most righteous, the most perfect in knowledge, action, faith and certain belief. He was known amongst his people for his truthfulness; none of them doubted that, to such an extent that he was known amongst them as ‘al-Ameen (the trustworthy) Muhammad.’ Hence when Heraclius, the ruler of Rome, asked Abu Sufyaan about the characteristics of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), one of the things he asked was, ‘Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?’ He said, ‘No.’ Heraclius said: ‘If he refrained from telling lies about people he would not go and tell lies about Allaah.’
    (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/588)

  • "Say: ‘Verily, those who invent a lie against Allaah will never be successful'"
    [Yoonus 10:69]

  • ‘And of them are some who made a covenant with Allaah (saying): “If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakaah and voluntary charity in Allaah’s Cause) and will be certainly among those who are righteous.”

    Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly [refused to pay the Sadaqah (Zakaah or voluntary charity)], and turned away, averse.

    So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allaah) which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies
    [al-Tawbah 9:75-77].”

  • “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)”
    [al-Tawbah 9:119]

  • “And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allaah (i.e. attributed to Him sons, partners) their faces will be black”[al-Zumar 39:60]





In Hadiths


  • Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said:
    "Let he who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good or be silent." [Saheeh al-Bukharee]
    Moreover, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) has specifically cursed the person who lies to make people laugh, he said:
    "Woe be on one who speaks and lies in order to make people laugh, woe be on him." [Abu Dawood]

  • Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) described the severe punishments for the liars and said: "I saw (in a dream), two men came to me. They said, 'The person, the one whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.'" [Saheeh al-Bukharee (vol. 8, no: 118)]

  • It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”
    (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 33; Muslim, 59)

  • It was narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not tell lies about me. Whoever tells lies about me, let him enter the Fire.’”
    (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 106).

  • It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hell.”
    (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 110; Muslim, 3).

  • It was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three to whom Allaah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection and He will not look at them or praise them, and they will have a painful torment.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) repeated this three times. Abu Dharr said: “May they be doomed and lost, who are they, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “The one who lets his garment hang below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his favours, and the one who disposes of his goods by swearing a false oath.”
    (Narrated by Muslim, 106)
  • It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, you joke with us.’ He said, ‘But I only speak the truth.’”
    (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1990)

  • ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Laylaa said: the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that they were travelling with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people laughed. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.”
    (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5004; Ahmad, 22555 – this version narrated by Ahmad).

  • It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting in our house. She said, ‘Come here, and I will give you (something).’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘What do you want to give him?’ She said, ‘I will give him a date.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If you had not given him something, you would have been lying.’”

  • And it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever says to a child, ‘Come here and take this,’ then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.’”
    (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991)

  • It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said:
    “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Truthfulness is righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A person will continue to tell the truth until he is written with Allaah as one who tells the truth. Lying is evildoing, and evildoing leads to Hell. A person will keep on telling lies until he is written as a liar.’”
    (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5743; Muslim, 2607)

  • It was narrated from Umm Kalthoom bint ‘Uqbah that she heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “He is not a liar who reconciles between people and narrates something good or says something good.”
    (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2546; Muslim, 2605)

  • It was narrated that Asmaa’ bint Yazeed said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is not permissible to tell lies except in three (cases): when a man speaks to his wife in a way to please her; lying in war; and lying in order to reconcile between people.’”
    (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1939)


Conclusion
In conclusion, we, as Muslim, do not:

  • lie about Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
  • lie about or to other people, such as lying in buying and selling.
  • lie about visions and dreams.
  • lie about everything that one hears.
  • lie in joking or in serius.
  • lie when playing with children.
  • lie to make people laugh.



================

Activites and Worksheets for kids:

All the worksheets are only to learn about grammar and spelling words.

To hear video:

Sources:
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Friday, March 28, 2008

Earth Hour





Assalamualaikum,

On March 29, at 8 p.m. , Insha Allah, we'll be joining the (hopefully) millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off our lights for an hour. You can see Earth Hour.

Let's help to protect our earth.

In the Qur'an, Allah said that "He created nature in a balance, and that it is mankind's responsibility to maintain this fragile equilibrium."

The word "earth" is mentioned in the Qur'an 485 times.

Global Warming

Global warming is an indication that Allah's creation is harming.

We know that:


  • increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, are warming the Earth.
  • receding Glaciers
  • average temperatures in some big cities have risen over the last years,
  • there's an increase in the intensity of hurricanes,
  • deforestation, the trees are the very resource that absorb the carbon dioxide that we spew into the atmosphere by the mega ton.
  • the very human ecology is collapsing
  • burning fossil fuels, this very frequently conducted process is seriously threatening the Earth's climate.
  • accumulation of animal manure, which lets off methane—another greenhouse gas.


All of the above are causing the global warming in our earth.

We have to protect the earth by


  • helping to clean the ecology
  • limiting global-warming pollution
  • doing an annual cleanup of the rivers, roads, and parks
  • planting trees
  • encouraging a decrease in emissions and more clean energy
  • limiting carbon-dioxide pollution



Earth Hour

Lights out: Earth Hour goes global.

More than 20 cities around the world will switch off their lights in the climate change awareness event Earth Hour.

On 31 March 2007, more than 2 million Sydney businesses and households turned off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour, creating a powerful global message that it's possible to take action on climate change. Earth Hour inspired the world and in 2008, other major cities will be joining to take a stand.

Earth Hour is about more than one night. Its about inspiring you everyday to make changes that will help achieve Earth Hour's ultimate goal of reducing emissions by 5%.

==============

Activities and worksheets to learn about Earth for kids



To see the videos:



Sources:
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Monday, March 24, 2008

Home Education Resources - 4th week of March 2008

Islamic Studies

You can find other useful Links of Islamic Studies in Ikhlas Homeschool

Arabic


Arabic Qur'an


Math



Language Arts


Science


Virtual Field Trips


Islamic Activities:


Other
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Sunday, March 23, 2008

Calmness (Khushu') in Salah

"Doesn't the one who raises his head before the Imaam fear

that Allah turns his head into a donkey's head?"

(Muslim)
==================


Last week, my kids and I read together the above hadith after salah Maghrib.
I knew that some kids always want to play while we are doing salah. We have to try to explain the kids to calmness (khushu') in salah. By reading some of hadiths, the kids will learn why we have to calm or khushu' in salah.

Performing Salah is the second pillar of Islam, after saying Shahadah.

To performing salah, we need to learn:

  • Doing the wudu in the proper way
  • To do the salah in its time
  • To do it in congregation (jama'ah) - where the reward is 27 times than praying alone
  • To fulfill the six conditions of salah
  • To observe the proper manners (adab) of doing it such as submission and humility
  • To follow preferable actions (sunnah) in our salah

There are some of statements in Al Qur'an and Hadiths about Khushu' or calmness in salah.

In Al Qur'an


  • "And stand before Allah in a devout frame of mind." [2:238]

  • "Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their sholats with all solemnity and full submission." [23:1-2]

  • "And man is ever hasty" [17:11]

We should not in hurry when we are doing sholat.
If we are doing sholat in hurry, we are not going to have time to talk to Allah or to focus on what we are saying to Allah.
Sholat means being close to Allah. We should be calmness, peaceful, solemnity, and full submission when we offer the sholat. This is what it is called Khushu'.



In Hadith


  • The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, "The worst of stealers are those who steal from their salahs." People asked: "O Messenger of Allah, how could one steal from his payer?" He said: "He would not bow down and prostrate completely" (Ahmad).

    How can a person stand before Allah in sholat and at the same time check the time in his/her cellphone or watch, straighten her cloth/scarft, look right and left?
    This is the way of the Saythan steals from his/her salah.


  • The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said: "A man's salah is not correct until he straightens [makes level] his back during kneeling and prostration." (Abu Dawud).


  • The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam then said: "Do you see this man? Whoever dies while in this state [i.e. performing salah in this way], has died outside the creed of Muhammad. He performs his salah like a crow who pecks blood. Those who bow and prostrate as if they were pecking are like the hungry who eats but one or two dates, how can they satisfy his hunger?" (Ibn Khuzaymah) Huthayfah radhiallahu anhu saw a man hastening his bowing and prostration, he said: "You did not pray, and if you died, you would have died not on the innate nature that Allah has created Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wasallam with." (al-Bukhari)



  • When the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, was asked about leveling the earth during prostration, he said: "Do not smoothen while you are praying, but if you really have to, do it only once to level the pebbles." (Abu Dawud)


  • The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, "Patience is from Allah and hastiness is from Shaytan." (al-Bayhaqi).


  • The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam has strongly warned against it, saying: "Doesn't the one who raises his head before the imam fear that Allah turns his head into a donkey's head?" (Muslim).


  • Al-Baraa Ibnu 'Azib radhiallahu anhu narrated that they were praying behind the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wasallam, so when he raised his head from kneeling he [al-Baraa] would not see anybody bending his back [to prostrate] until the Messenger sallallahu alayhe wasallam put his forehead on the floor, then people would fall in prostration behind him." (Muslim)


  • When the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wasallam advanced in age, and his movements became slower, he notified the Muslims praying behind him, saying: "O people, I became heavier, so do not precede me in kneeling and prostrating." (al-Bayhiqi).


  • Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu anhu narrated: "The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wasallam used to say takbir in salah when he stood up for salah, then he says takbir when he bows down., then he says takbir when he falls [in prostration], then he says takbir when he raises his head, then he says takbir when he prostrates, then he says it when he raises his head, then he would do the same during the whole salah, until the end, and he says takbir when he gets up from the sitting position after the second rak'a."(al-Bukhari).



We should remember that Allah initially commanded us to pray fifty times a day and it was eventually reduced to five times (with the reward of fifty).
Some of the reasons are:

  • the prayer times are very reasonably spread out throughout the day
  • it can even help us to manage our time
  • it can help us to manage our affairs, allowing the Muslim community to meet during congregation and care for and help each other which will lead in turn to solidarity.


Thus, the sholat five times a day should not be seen as a burden as some Muslims might regard them today.

=========================================

Activities and Worksheets for kids to learn salah / praying:



  • Making the chart of salah.
  • Learn and practice salah five times a day.
  • Always try to do salah in time and in jama'ah/congregation at home or in masjid if it is possible.
  • Write about "What does Salah mean to me?"
  • Write about "The History of Isra' Mi'raj"
  • Write about "How to do Khushu' in Salah"


To watch videos:


Sources:

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Monday, March 17, 2008

Home Education Resources - 3rd week of March 2008

Assalamualaikum,

Home Education Resources for this week are as following:

Islamic Studies


Arabic


Math


Language Arts


Science


Geography


Social Studies


Virtual Field Trip
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Friday, March 14, 2008

Life of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and Other Prophets

Assalamualaikum,

As Muslim kids, they have to learn about the stories of our prophets.

This is one of our beliefs in the pillar of Iman (Beliefs). It is to believe Prophets and Messengers of Allah.

Some of the links for the stories of Prophets and Companions are:



Insha Allah, our children will learn about the history of our religion and love all our prophets.


When they finish listening the stories, you can ask the kids to make the journal stories of what they have listened. This is part of their writing assignment.

You can make small Islamic Quiz about this.

Some of the links are:
(Please always advise your kids to do the Quiz that appropriate with their age and the right informations.)



May Allah increase us in knowledge. Ameen.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Home Education Resources - 2nd week of March 2008

Assalamualaikum,

The Resources are as following:


Qur'an



Math



Language Arts



Science



Biology



Crafts Activities

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Be Good To Parents

Assalamualaikum,

The Khutbah on Jumuah prayer last week, Sheikh Yassir Qadhi talked about
"Be Good To Parents."
After jumuah praying, all my kids came to me and said:

"I love you and please forgive me if i did something wrong."
I knew it because they listened to the khutbah.
My kids also kissed my right hand. They usually did kissing my right hand everytime after praying.

May Allah always guide us to be kind and respect to our parents. Ameen.
===============================================

Dua For Our Parents (Qur'anic Supplication)

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

"Rabbana'ghfirli wa li walidayya walil-Mu'minina yawma yaqumul-Hisab."

"Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established."

(Al Qur'an, surah Ibrahim 14:41)


============================================

"You shall do good to your parents
and to the near of kin and to the orphans and the needy."
(Al-Baqarah:83)

There is so many verses in Al Quran and Hadiths that said about Be Good To Parents.


In Al Quran:



  • Treat parents with honour & speak to them graciously & with humility


    Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood. (surat An Nahl 17:23)



  • Allah has forbidden us even to say “uff” [paraphrased as “a word of disrespect” in the translation of the meaning of the verse] to our parents.

    "But one who says to his parents, Uff to you; do you promise me that I will be brought forth (from the earth) when generations before me have already passed on (into oblivion)?" while they call to Allah for help (and their son), "Woe to you! Believe! Indeed, the promise of ALlah is truth." But he says, "This is not but legends of the former people."
    (Surah Al AhQaf 46:17)



  • Be grateful to parents but do not obey them if they strive to make you associate things with God


    ...Be grateful to Me and to both your parents; to Me is the eventual coming. But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, then will I inform you of what you did (31:15)

    These verses make it clear that we must honour our parents regardless of whether they are Muslims or not.



  • Be good to parents and everyone else who you meet


    Serve God, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For God loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;- (4:36)

In Hadiths:



  • Disobedience to parents is a major sin

    Abu Bakr narrated that the Prophet(PBUH) asked that should he not warn them against the three major sins? All of them said, "Certainly, O Prophet!" He then said, "To ascribe partners with Allah, to disobey the parents." Getting up. As he was reclining, he said, "To tell a lie or to give false evidence." He went on repeating his words for such a long time that we wished him to be silent. (Bukhari and Muslim)

    Anas narrated from Prophet Muhammad about the major sins. He (Mohammed) observed: Associating anyone with God, disobedience to parents, killing a person and false utterance. (Muslim)


  • One of the dearest deeds to God is being good & dutiful to parents

    Narrated 'Abdullah: I asked the Prophet "Which deed is the dearest to God?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents"...(Bukhari)





  • Being dutiful to parents is one of the keys to enter Paradise

    Abu Huraira reported Prophet Muhammad as saying: Let him be humbled into dust; let him be humbled into dust. It was said: God's Messenger, who is he? He said: He who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise (because he has been undutiful to them). (Muslim)





  • Acts of kindness we can do for our parents after their death

    While we were with Prophet Muhammad of God . A man of Banu Salmah came to Him and said: Apostle of God is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death? He replied: Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends. (Abu Dawood)




  • The High Status given to Mothers

    A man came to the Prophet and asked him for permission to join a military expedition. The Prophet asked him if he had a mother, and when he replied that he had, he said, "Stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet." (Ahmad)



The Virtue of The Forgiveness of Mother

Once, when the Prophet(PBUH) was talking to his companions a man came and addressed him, "O Messenger of Allah ! A young man is breathing his last. People are asking him to recite Shahadah but he is unable to do so." The Prophet(PBUH) asked, "Did this man offer salah (during his life)?" The answer was yes. Then he accompanied the man to the house of the dying young man along with others present at the time. The man was at the end of his life's journey. The Messenger of Allah advised him to offer the Shahadah. The m an replied that he was unable to do so as the words would not come out of his mouth. He (PBUH) then called for the mother of the dying man whom he had disobeyed persistently. When his aged mother approached the scene, the Prophet (PBUH) asked, 'Respected lady, is he your son?" She replied yes. He then asked her a question, "O respected lady, if we threaten to throw your son into a raging fire, would you recommend him to be forgiven?" The lady replied that she would definitely do so at that time. The Prophet(PBUH) then said to her, "If so, declare, making Allah and me your witnesses, that you are mow pleased with him." The old woman readily declared, "O Allah, you and your Messenger be my witness that I am pleased with this beloved son of mine."

Just after that, the Prophet (PBUH) turned to the dying man and asked him to recite, "There is no god but Allah, He is the One and has no partners and I witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger." By the virtue of the forgiveness of his mother, he found the words flowing out of his mouth and he recited the Shahadah. Seeing this, the Prophet (PBUH) praised Almighty Allah and thanked Him saying, "Thanks to Almighty Allah that He saved this man from the fearful fire of Hell through me." (Tabarani and Ahmad).


Manners To Our Parents

Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported that a man asked the Prophet (pbuh): Oh Messenger of Allah, who is the most worthy of my best conduct?' He answered: 'Your mother! Your mother! Your mother! Then your father, then the next, and the next.'

Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and Abdul Razzaq in his Musanaf (the wording is his) reported that Hisham bin 'Urwa recounted that his father told him that Abu Hurairah (r) saw a man walking ahead of another. He asked him: 'How is this man related to you?' 'He is my Father,' the man answered.
Abu Hurairah told him: 'Do not walk ahead of him, do not sit until he sits, and do not call him by his name.'

Kindness to the parents is an obligatory. Kindness means to be humble with them, to speak to them nicely, to look at them with love and respect, to speak in a mild tone that does not surpass theirs unless they are hard of hearing, to give them complete access to your own wealth, and to offer them the best of your food and drink. Children should also wholeheartedly avoid making angry their parents and should seek their pleasure as much as possible.

Making your parent's life enjoyable is one of the most virtuous acts. Children must hasten to respond to their parents' call. If a child is praying voluntarily, he/she should shorten the prayer and respond promptly.

Teaching Kids Good Manners

The Prophet [Peace Be Upon Him ] said: "Believers who have the most perfect Iman (faith) are those who have the best manners."

We as parents have to teach our kids about good manners and good habits at home.



If we want our kids to be nice to us when we are old, we should :



  • Be nice and respect to our own parents in the front of our kids.

  • Teach the kids to be respectful and dutiful to parents.

  • Teach the kids to maintain good relations with our relatives.

  • Teach the kids to love the believers.

  • Teach the kids to say good words to remember Allah.

  • Teach the kids no lying, no backbiting, and no slandering.
Our Duties To Parents Who Passed Away

A man came to the Prophet and asked; “Oh! Messenger of Allah, now that my parents are dead, is there any act of dutifulness left for me to do towards them?”
The Prophet answered; “Yes.
There are four things;


  • Supplication for them.

  • praying that they are forgiven.

  • fulfilment of their wills.

  • being kind to their friends and maintaining good relations with those of your relatives with whom your kinship is established only through them.”
(Related by Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and others).

You can give charity on their behalf and perform Hajj on their behalf, or asking someone to do so if they are not perform Hajj yet.

===================================

If we are being good to parents, the gate in paradise is open wide. This is only when our parents are still alive.


The summary is that we should:



  • serve our parents,

  • be nice and dutilful to them,

  • love and kind to them,

  • respect and honour them,

  • show kindness to them,

  • obedience to them,

  • help them financially,

  • make them happy,

  • talk nicely,

  • listen to them,

  • give charity on behalf on them,

  • and be nice to their friends.



We have to remember also that disrespectfully to parents is actually one of the major sins.


May Allah help us to be respectful children to our parents. Ameen. Ameen. Ameen.

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Activities And Worksheets For Kids



  • Memorize the Qur'anic supplication:

    رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

    Rabbana'ghfirli wa li walidayya walil-Mu'minina yawma yaqumul-Hisab."

    "Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established." (Al Qur'an, surah Ibrahim 14:41)


  • Write this Qur'anic supplication 10 times in Arabic.




  • Write your own short story about "Be Good To Parents" on this Blank Page.
    The blank lines in the pages are just text and can be erased and typed over or added by typing the underscore key. When you finish typing the story then you can print it out.




  • Read books about good manners to parents.




  • Listen to Islamic lecture or khutbah




  • Make Words Search or Puzzle about Good Words to remember about Allah.


    The links that you can use:





  • Make tissue flower for your mother.




  • Make Paper Family Tree





To watch videos




Resources:
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Saturday, March 8, 2008

Home Education Resources - 1st week of March 2008

Sharing links for this week are as following:

May Allah increase us in knowledge. Ameen.
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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Alhamdulillah, Praise and Thank to Allah.

"....And it will be judged between them in truth, and it will be
said: All praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds"
(Qur'an surah al-Zumar 39:75)

"....If you be thankful, I will increase surely you (in bounty)....."
(Qur'an surah Ibrahim 14:7)
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Definition Alhamdulillah

  • Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله) is an Arabic phrase meaning "Praise to Allah" or "All praise belongs to Allah."

  • Al-Hamdu Lillah (all praise and thanks be to Allah) is: all thanks are due purely to Allah, alone, not any of the objects that are being worshipped instead of Him, nor any of His creation.
    You can read     The Meaning of Al-Hamd .

  • The phrase is first found in the first verse of the first surah of the Qur'an.

    Al-Hamdu li –Llahi Rabbi l-‘Aalameen
    ‘Praise be to Allah’

    Meaning, He is praised due to His quality of Deity and Lordship:
    ‘… Allah – The Lord of the Worlds.’

    He is praised due to His quality of Mercy:
    ‘The Most Merciful – the Most Gracious.’

    He is praised due to His quality of Sovereignty:
    ‘Sovereign of the Day of Judgement’

  • The letters Alif and Lam before the word Hamd serve to encompass all types of thanks and appreciation for Allah, the Exalted.
    A Hadith stated, O Allah! All of Al-Hamd is due to You, You own all the ownership, all types of good are in Your Hand and all affairs belong to You.
    (source     Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

    Hafs mentioned that `Umar said to `Ali, "We know La ilaha illallah, Subhan Allah and Allahu Akbar. What about Al-Hamdu Lillah'' `Ali said, "A statement that Allah liked for Himself, was pleased with for Himself and He likes that it be repeated.'' Also, Ibn `Abbas said, "Al-Hamdu Lillah is the statement of appreciation. When the servant says Al-Hamdu Lillah, Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.'' Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this Hadith.
    (source     Tafsir Ibn Kathir)


  • Definition: A phrase that Muslims often use in conversation, meaning "Praise be to Allah."
    In everyday speech it simply means "Thank to Allah!"


Pronunciation: al-ham-doo-li-lah


In What Situation We Should Say Alhamdulillah.

In Islam, Alhamdulillah is used in some of the following situations:


  • After sneezing.
    Alhamdu lillahi
    All thanks and praise be to Allah.

  • Waking up.
    Alhamdulillah-hillathee ah-yana ba'da ma ama tana wa ilayhi nushoor.
    Many thanks to Allah who has given us life after having giving us death (sleep) and that our final return (on the Day of Qiyaamah End of the world) is to Allah.

  • After eating or doing good deeds.

  • Response to "How are you?"
    Keifik? or Keifilhal?
    Alhamdu lillahi
    Thanks to Allah, I am fine.

  • In general, every time a Muslim desires to praise Allah Almighty, he/she says
    Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله).

  • The prophet Sallahu alayhi wa salam said: "I will teach you something.
    After each prayer, say 33 times 'Subhanallah,' 33 times 'Alhamdulillah,' and 33 times 'Allahu akbar.' Almighty Allah will grant you ease."



The Benefit of Alhamdulillah

The Qur'an (2:155) says, "Give glad tidings to those who exercise patience when struck with adversity and say, 'Indeed, we belong to God and to Him is our return.' Such ones receive [the] blessings and mercy of their Lord, and such are the guided ones."

Saying "Alhamdulillah will make us calm for what we have done and for what we are faced with. It will also make us in good health.

When our kid is complaining something, we have to remind him/her to say "Alhamdulillah". The kid will calm down and understand that Allah loves and gives everthing best for him/her. And then we should teach the kid that we should look to others who do not have anything.

I remembered, my kids were complaining about buying new skateboard. I said to them we should use the one that we already had.
And I asked the kids to say "Alhamdulillah."
There're so many kids who do not have toys, they're using natural games that they had in their surrounding house. Some of them could not even think about what they are going to eat today.
Finally, my kids asked me to save their money.
Insha Allah, they will give the money for the needy.

You can read about "The virtue of Al-Hamd" is in here.

We should always remind the kids to say some phrases that the kids can remember Allah, such as following:


  • "Alhamdullilah" for what we have.
  • "Insha'Allah" for what we intend.
  • "Subhana' Allah" when we see something exciting or amazing.
  • "Jazakallah" for thanking to others.
  • "Astaghfir'Allah" when we lose our tempers or become weak.
  • and most importantly, "Allahu Akbar" when we are faced with the challenges of life.

These six phrases, said regularly, are like taking a multi-vitamin for holistic health.

How to Praise and Thank to Allah

To read about the difference between praise and thanks is in here.

Allah is praised and thank in four ways:


  • By acknowledging His right of Worship, Lordship, and His lofty Names and Attributes, as well as all the bounties He has bestowed us with.

  • By verbally thanking and praising Him. For example: al-Hamdulillah

  • By loving Him, longing to see Him, fearing His punishment and hoping for His reward.

  • By acting in accordance with His commands, only to seek His pleasure.


The best ways of showing gratitude to Allah is by placing all one has been given by Allah in His service, to fulfil his/her role as a true servant of Allah, such as following:


  • If you have been bestowed with wealth, you should thank Allah by spending it on the needy and Islamic projects

  • If you have been bestowed with strength, you should thank Allah by using it in your cause.

  • If you have been bestowed with knowledge, you should thank Allah by educating others with that knowledge.

  • If you ponder over this, it becomes clear that a Muslim’s entire life, is in fact an act of Hamd and Shukr to Allah.




May Allah guide us to impliment Alhamdulillah into ours lives.
Ameen. Ameen. Ameen.

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Activities and worksheets for kids:


  • Draw something for which you can say Alhamdulillah.
  • Write Alhamdulilah in Arabic 10 times.
  • Memorizes surah Al Fatiha.
  • Spell the letter Alhamdulillah in Arabic letters.
  • Write short story or a letter about Thanking to Allah or to Others.
  • Read e-book about Stories of the Quran by Ibn Kathir.


The resources for Arabic Writing for beginners:
1. Abjad: how to write Arabic
2. Arabic Alphabet Writing Book (in pdf file)

To hear this lovely nasheed:
1. Bismillah...Alhamdulillah
2. I am Muslim
3. Alhamdulillah, I'm a Muslim

All the Resources are from:
1. Tafsir Ibn Kathir
2. Alhamdulillah - linguistic - miracle
3. Al Hamdulillah (All Praise and Thanks be to Allah)
4. Alhamdulillah.
5. Health Benefits of Saying "Alhamdulillah"
6. Praise of, and Thanks to Allah


"Alhamdulillah, I am a Muslim."
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