Iraq Guide Book For Kids

The Iraq Guide Book For Kids, is designed to be used for children aged 5+. Simple explanations help them to understand the importance and basic history behind some of the main places that will be visited. The book can also be used beforehand to help them to prepare for Ziyara and know what to expect.

Download PDF: Iraq Guide Book For Kids
The pages can be printed as 6x4 photos and inserted into pocket photo album to carry around and read regularly.

Download PDF For Parents: Preparing For Ziyarah

A compilation of invaluable lecture notes on how to spiritually prepare for Ziyaraa, to derive maximum benefit from the blessed visitation.

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Arabic letter of the week: Laam

Layl: Night

Why did Allah create the night? Sleep for rest

How Earth revolves - night/day opposite side of globe

Stars in night 'beautify sky 15:16' constellations

Nocturnal animals - draw with candle and paint over with black paint to make picture appear

Pearls inside an oyster craft

Lu'lu: Pearls

Oyster - little creature at bottom of sea produces beautiful gem. Jewellery for people of Jannah! Mentioned in Surah Rahman in the Qur'an.
Best of jewels found at the bottom of the ocean - Everyone has been given something special, never think I'm the best!

Lisan: Tongue

Tongue is what helps us taste - 4 flavours blessing to allow enjoy different foods. Blindfold and guess what foods eating.

Tongue is what helps us talk! Hold tongue, can't speak!

Discuss good words to speak 'yaqullulati hiya ahsin' 17:53

La illaha ilalah: There is no God but Allah

Allah sent us Qur'an and Prophets to teach us this message.

Allah doesn't get tired or need sleep. 

Nothing is more important than Allah

Allah arabic art work

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Arabic Letter of the Week: Ayn

Letter Ayn with different coloured eyes

Ayn: Eye
"Have we not given two eyes" 90:8
Importance of the sense of sight and why two eyes are better than one:
Hold pencil in each hand, close one eye and try to bring the tips to touch. Notice the difference when both eyes open. Two eyes help us to judge distance

Appreciating eyesight by learning about those who are blind/partially sighted.
Watch a clip of blind children reciting the Qur'an in Braille
Learning to be grateful and maybe donating to help provide resources to aid the blind

Blindfold games/Mystery box/Memory objects on a tray/I spy

Binoculars, telescopes, magnifying glasses are all aids to help us see but it is only Allah who can see everything without any help at all!
Visit to the optician

Allah is Al-Baseer
He sees everything you do
He sees what is hidden
And sees in the dark too!

'Inaab: Grapes
One of the fruits mentioned in the Quran. Explain how grapes are one of the best nutritional fruits. When grapes dry, they turn into raisins. We have been recommended in hadith to eat 21 raisins everyday before breakfast to improve the memory.

'Ilm: Knowledge
To memorise the Quranic verse: "O Lord, increase me in knowledge" 20:114

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Arabic Letter of the Week: Noon

Letter Noon with thumbprint bees

Nahl: Bee
Allah has taught the bees to make hives and collect the nectar from plants and turn it into sweet honey. Allah then tells us that honey is like a medicine, it makes you better when you are ill.
There is a whole surah in the Quran called Nahl.
Learn hexagon shape, tessalation, what to do when near a bee, taste honey, beekeeper video clip.

Toilet roll bee

Hexagon shapes as honeycombs which make up the hive surrounded by fingerprint bees

Naar: Fire
The story of Prophet Ibrahim being thrown into the fire, whose flames became cool
"O fire! Be cold and a safety to Ibrahim (pbuh)" 21:69
If you ask Allah for help, He will definately listen. Allah can do anything, just like He made the hot fire a cool garden for Prophet Ibrahim!

Visit to fire station, fire safety.

Nuh: Noah
Acting out the story of Noah with farm animals.

Ni'mah: Blessings
Recall Allah's favours through the day. Draw or make note of what they are grateful for each day
To memorise Quranic verse: "Give thanks to Allah" 21:172

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Toddler Eid Card

Which toddler doesn't love stickers?! Incorporate this with a simple guided sticker activity and help the younger ones feel involved.

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Photo Eid Cards

Learning objective: Remembering family and friends on this special day

A quick way to make Eid cards but still maintain that personal touch is by using photos of Ramadhan related crafts your child may have done during the month. Handmade with a twist :)

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Iqra Bookmark

Learning Objective:
The first word of the Qur'an to be revealed was Iqra which means read.

Make the bookmarks as Eid gifts.
The dua before reciting the Qur'an can be stuck at the back and printed from here.

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Paper Lantern

Learning objective: Reciting Qur'an brightens our homes.

Looking at the lantern reminds us to recite the Quran, so that our house can shine brightly for the angels to see in the heavens. Inshallah it will make them feel like coming down to visit us.

Instructions on how to make the paper lantern can be found here

We put a battery tea light underneath for added excitement :)

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Dua

Learning objective:
"Call Me, I will answer You" - Allah loves us to talk to him, about anything and everything!
Hadith tells us, raise your hands when you pray. Allah's special blessings fall into them so then rub your hands all over your face and body.

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Mosque mosaic

A great activity to keep children occupied and give you some quiet time :)

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Cave of Hira

Learning objective:
Know that the revelation of the Qur'an was brought by Angel Jibrail to Prophet Muhammad (saw) when he was in the cave of Hira. The first word was Iqra, Read! 

See Also: Mab'ath: The Beginning of Prophethood

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Prayer Hand

Learning objective:
Using the child’s hand as a reminder of what to pray for.
My thumb is closest to my heart: Pray for my family.
My index finger points to far places: Pray for Muslims around the world who are suffering
My middle finger stands taller than the rest: Pray for Imam Mahdi who is our leader
My ring finger is weak and cannot stand alone well: Pray for the weak and the sick.
My smallest finger: Pray for myself.

Page from the Laylatul Qadr A’maal Booklet

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Ankaboot/Spider

Learning Objective:
- Making children aware that there are over 100 chapters in the Quran with different names.
- Sura Ankaboot (29) takes its name from the spider's web mentioned in the surah.
- Learn about what Allah tells us about the spider in the Qur'an.

Spider Facts:
Spiders have 8 legs and most have 8 eyes as well!
They spin webs using a sticky material from their body called silk.
The web traps insects for the spider to eat. 

Allah tells us in the Qur’an
- Allah talks about the spider's web in Surah Ankaboot. The spider puts in a lot of effort to weave this beautiful web but it is blown away so easily.
- A spider built a web over the cave that the Prophet was hiding in and it helped to keep the Prophet safe

Activity: Hand print spider and web
Weaving wool across a painted paper plate

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Playdoh Spelling

 

We emailed it out as a Ramadhan Mubarak Card

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Date Balls

Learning objective: For iftar we open our fast with dates like Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to. Dates were one of his favourite foods. They are sweet and give us energy quickly.

A simple no cook recipe found on the Smart Ark Website
18 whole pitted dates
18 whole almonds
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
A drop of vanilla extract
Desiccated coconut or sprinkles

1. Place the dates, almonds, cocoa powder and the vanilla extract in a blender
2. Blend until smooth
3. Remove the mixture from the blender and roll into small balls
4. Roll into the desiccated coconut or sprinkles
5. Makes about 15 yummy balls

Present in a Date box as a Ramadhan Mubarak to family and friends!

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Ramadhan Calendar Chain

Learning Objective: Provide a visual calendar to show the passing of time.

Making the paper chain is a great quiet time activity. Label each chain with the date. The chains can be labelled with a good deed for the day, to be done before removing the chain to reinforce how each day must be spent doing good!

You can add the moon phases alongside the chain to show how the moon shape changes as the days pass. Simple paper plates and foil. Having them side helps the child know what to look for each night...or guess how many days to go before a new moon phase.

You can also add markers to the showing the important occasions of the month.

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Ramadhan Nasheeds

Ramadhan Nasheed Playlist by Teaching Young Muslims
Quran Teaches Me Nasheed with Lyrics Booklet
Ramadan Playlist by Buzz Ideazz

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Bibi Fatema and the Ahlulbayt

Learning Objective: Az Zahra: The title of Bibi Fatema (as) meaning Shining Brightly 

Recap the family of Bibi Fatema (as) by writing the names of the 5 Panjatans on stars and talk about how happy Bibi Fatema (as) made her father, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) 

Rhyme:
Twinkle twinkle shining star
Ya Fatema Zahra
A lady who was so high
The light of her fathers eye
Twinkle twinkle shining star
Ya Fatema Zahra

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Tasbeeh Fatima Zahra (as)

Quranic Verse:
Udhkurullaha katheerun 8:45
Remember Allah Much!

Learning Objective:
- For younger children to be familiar with the tasbeeh and its recitation. 
For the older ones: 
- An explanation of the phrases and what to think about while reciting each one.
- An understanding that this gift from Allah to Bibi Fatima (as) can help us too when we are in difficulty.

Sayyidah Fatima [A] used to work very hard in her house. Her father saw how hard she worked. So one day he brought a gift from Allah to overcome her difficulties. He told her that he was going to give her something that would be better than anything else in the world. He gave her ‘taṣbīḥ’. He told her that after every Ṣalāh she should say: Allahu Akber: 34 times Alhamdulilah: 33 times Subhanallah: 33 times.

Sayyida used blue knotted wool as her first tasbeeh. Then she made clay beads from the earth of Hazrat Hamza’s grave threaded on blue thread. Now it is preferred to use clay from where Imam Husayn (pbuh) is buried.

The tasbih is a special gift from Allah to the Holy Prophet to his daughter, Bibi Fatima, who then shared the gift with us! We should try to recite this taṣbīḥ whenever we can, not only after our ṣalāh.

Lesson: Allahu Akbar!

Allah is in control and He has power over everything. Allah is Great! Nothing and nobody is Greater than Him.What Allah says is greater than what people say. What Allah has asked us to do is more important then what you want to do.

Lesson: Alhamdulilah

We Praise Allah for who He is and thank Him for what He has given us. When we say Alhamdulilah with our heart, we do not moan or complain about the small things we don’t like or find difficult. Instead, we focus on all the good things and are grateful.

Lesson: SubhanAllah! 

Allah is Amazing and Perfect! Take time to think about and appreciate the wonderful world Allah has created. Think about the things that fill you with wonder and make you say ‘‘WOW SubhanAllah!’

Activity: Tasbeeh dot stickers or threading beads with either pipe cleaner/string.

Resources: Benefits of the Tasbeeh of Sayyida Fatima-Zahra

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