Al-Fawz Academy is an organization dedicated to the growth of community children, both intellectually and spiritually. Through innovative programs and stimulating curriculums, Al-Fawz empowers children to become better Muslims and global citizens. We make learning Islam fun and exciting, with an emphasis on real everyday application!
This is one of the most common phrases you will hear any given day. Your iPad is probably already fondly reclaimed by your toddler or older kids.
As a teacher, I know far too many – too many – of my students spending time on their parents' iPad, iphones or laptops. The following are the reasons why I think giving your kids wee-hours of technology is not a good idea at all. If cooking and cleaning around the house, you would rather have your child engrossed in a “sit still” activity on the ipad than constantly underfoot and at risk of harm. It is also useful when you need a shower, or catch up on TV shows. Or when visiting friends without children, at the grocery store or on a long drive, a tablet device can hold enough entertainment to keep your children from boredom, mischief, and melt down. This reduces both their stress and yours. But the further I get into teaching, the more realize the iPad, or any similar device is just a distraction like any other toy or game, only more addictive and corruptive.
1) Children's brains have a hard time switching from electronic formats back to paper and pencil. Children who have been using computers, ipads and video games since they were less than 3 years old, cannot let go of the colourful glowing screens, comic faces and cartoony sounds. From angry birds to temple run, their brain fights the paper. They may pester you to buy them books but they cannot sit to read them for more than 5 minutes. They not only have difficulty concentrating but also their reading and comprehension skills are underdeveloped because of lack of practice. The world may be becoming more technologically advanced but this does not diminish the need to enhance your child’s literacy.
2) I don’t believe in “just because.” As in, just because every child today has an ipad or just because my child is demanding one does not mean that you have to compromise your parenting. You were raised without a tablet and you graduated with double BA and Masters. An average grade 3 and 4 student today has eligibly prints his/her with difficulty while when you were able to do dramatic calligraphy at their age. Pakistani students won one silver and four bronze medals along with two honourable mentions in various events at the International Science Olympiads 2012, held in Singapore, United States, Argentina and Estonia. Students in Pakistan http://dawn.com/2012/08/06/pakistani-students-excel-at-international-science-olympiads/
3) It is a multipurpose tool. If you are not observing your child and providing age-appropriate material with time limits, they can easily access anything their friends tell them to from the internet. The reality is that children as young as 8 and 9 years of age are coming across very violent, sexually explicit content and predators/stalkers. You may think that they are only playing games or chatting– what’s the big deal? Everyone has accidents with “bad” pop ups? Overtime, such materials will shape your child’s values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour. It may incite your child to experiment with violence, increase your child’s social acceptance of high-risk behaviour, anger/tantrums, and obscene language, prematurely sexualize your child, and shape your child’s expectations in gender relationships, shape your child’s expectations on physical appearance and dress.
4) Technology does not replace human interaction which is so very important: Both parent/child and peer group or sibling interactions are extremely important. “Mommy and Me” time is always a priority. If your child does not learn his/her religion and manners from you, they will learn it from apps, games and movies. Worst, they will develop an introverted personality, making it very hard for you to know and communicate with your child when they become teenagers.
5) It does not provide exercise or gross motor development: Weight issues are a concern for our young sedentary population. Your child can be a FIFA champion on the tablet but won’t know how to kick a ball in real life or have team spirit.
Its that time of the year again! You are battling with your kids/students to complete homework! dun-dun-dun
Here is how you can end the homework hassle:
1. Foster a We're-in-This-Together Vibe Do your homework as your children do theirs'. If you have checks to write or e-mails to respond to, you're role-modeling by just sitting and doing it. Kids feel that homework is a family activity and not a boring punishment. Plus, if they needs help, you'll be there.
2. Divide and Conquer If math is not one of your great skills, help your kids with subjects you are good at: English, French, Social Studies, Arts. Let your spouse play the rocket scientist and Einstein.
3. Show them who is boss Sometimes, asking your child to explain what she does know about a subject or problem can help her figure it out. When she comes up with something, remark on it, so that your child feels encouraged to carry out homework responsibilities more independently.
4. Dangle the Carrot I don't mean bribe your children to do their homework - you don't want them to become gift-monsters, expecting a treat for every nominal task they perform. Instead when your child is this close to the answer but it's just not clicking, say, "I know you don't have the solution yet, but what do you think it might be? "Is there a different way we can come up with it?" Ideally, you won't give him the answer, but you'll help him reach for it.
5. Put all your children's assignments, practices, and after-school activities on a dry-erase board or cubby that you fill out together. This helps keep homework safe in one place, organized and easy to manage. I like to have two bins one for complete and the other for incomplete assignments.
6. Do homework at a certain time and place everyday. Do not let their books and stationary wander all around the house. Also, try to avoid compromising homework time for any other activity/distraction. Help kids make a lasting habit to read and write daily by being consistent with their homework timings.
7. If you think you need to call in the cavalry to get your children through homework ... here are a few places that can help:
Option A: Sylvan Learning Centers $50-$55/hr in person, $55/hr online. Sylvan Learning is Personalized help with all subjects, test prep, and study skills in groups of no more than three students. Another option: live, online tutoring done from home.
Option B: Kaplan Tutoring $60-$75/hr one-on-one; $45-$55/hr groups; $29/mo online. Kaplan provides One-on-one or small-group tutoring, a reading-intervention program for learning-disabled kids, and an online option.
Option: Kumon Math & Reading Centers $85-$115/mo per subject. Kumon Launched in Japan, Kumon is a program in which kids learn and practice math and reading skills, building slowly and incrementally on what they already know.
Alhamdulillah ... kids are back in school!! Some parents are celebrating (to get a few hours of quiet time) while others are working hard to ensure their kids in school are effective learners. Here are a few ways you can make your kids school year productive.
1. Facilitate your child’s bonding with the teacher. Kids need to transfer their attachment focus to their teacher to be ready to learn. Because parents do not take any interest in their kids' schooling, kids also become casual and inattentive in class as a result. If you notice that your child is not getting any homework in a particular subject or has nothing to share from what he/she learned in class that day - contact the teacher immediately! Don't let your child sit around and do nothing with his/her time. Start teaching your child at home and boost their interest in subjects they are struggling with or find least interesting. Ask the teacher to help you.
2. Facilitate bonding with the other kids. Kids need to make at least one friend to feel connected to the school. Ask your child the names of the students in their class, where they are from and what your child finds interesting about them. Ask your child which kids he’d like to invite over to play, who do they hang out with during recess/lunch. If your child feels shy, you can always visit him/her after school to interact with other parents who come to pick up their kids and invite the parents as well to playdate or icecream to your house.
3. Create a homework routine - this may vary from family to family but your child needs at least 2-4 hours of homework time WITH YOU to get good grades. Be involved in their homework, read the questions together and explore the answers aloud. If your child sees that you are interested in their education, then they will quickly take the initiative to learn. However, if you ask them to do homework while you watch TV or go off to a party then they know what their real priorities are in life.
Good article for mothers ... sometimes we don't realize it but we are indirectly teaching our little daughters to be mean: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lyndsi-frandsen/are-you-teaching-your-daughter-to-be-a-mean-girl_b_4136174.html
1. Stronger relationship with you. As your child grows older, he’ll be on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring his environment. Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.
2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education. After all, if a student struggles to put together words and sentences, how can he be expected to grasp the math, science, and social concepts he’ll be presented with when he begins elementary school?
3. Basic speech skills. Throughout toddlerhood and preschool, your child is learning critical language and enunciation skills. By listening to you read, your child is reinforcing the basic sounds that form language. “Pretend reading”—when a toddler pages through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight—is a very important pre-literacy activity. As a preschooler, your child will likely begin sounding out words on his own. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.
4. More logical thinking skills. Another illustration of the importance of reading to children is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. As your toddler or preschooler begins to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in his own world, he’ll become more excited about the stories you share. Also, as your child approaches a major developmental milestone or a potentially stressful experience, sharing a relevant story is a great way to help ease the transition. For instance, if your little one is nervous about starting preschool, reading a story dealing with this topic shows her that her anxiety is normal.
قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم من كان حالفا فليحلف بالله او يصمت
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), "When anyone of you swears an oath, he should undertake it in the Name of Allah or remains silent" [Bukhari]
An oath is a statement of fact or a promise. An oath is made when declaring something to be true or when making a commitment. For example, a person can say, "I swear I didn't do anything wrong" or "I swear I will call you tomorrow." In both instance, an oath is taken as evidence for the truth. Sometimes oaths are sworn in the name of God or material things. Like in certain cultures it is common to swear on someone's grave (i.e. I swear on my mother's grave) or someone's life (I swear on my little brother's life). In other cultures, people also swear by the sun or the moon, or they say, "I swear on my heart and hope to die." Oaths are not meant to be as disturbing and eerie as these words suggest.
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, “Whoever swears by something other than Allah has committed an act of kufr or shirk.” [al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood]
Normally an oath is sworn in the name of an important and respected person or place. In Islam, oath can only be sworn by the Sacred and Holy, the Creator Allah because only He is All-Seeing and All-Knowing and therefore, He alone can be a Witness to the statement of fact or truth. Moreover, only Allah can be the guarantor of the oath, meaning if a person lies under oath which they have sworn under Allah's Name, it will invoke Allah's displeasure and punishment. If an oath is vowed by a tree or a stone then these things have no idea that their name has been used and they are powerless to take revenge if the oath taker is proven wrong or if he fails to do what he promised. Additionally, Allah's help and blessing is in the oath that is sworn in His Name. So if an oath must be taken, swear only in the Name of Allah or remain silent, that is, do not swear upon anything else as it will be shirk and only say that it is true or that you promise etc.
Aisha's (r.a) narrated that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) used to sweep the floor of her apartment. In another hadith it is narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) offered special Salah al Janazah of an anonymous woman because she used to clean the Masjid al Nabwi (s.a.w). Therefore, it is sunnah to clean one's environment and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) appreciated the person who maintains the cleanliness of the place of worship. In light of the importance of cleanliness in Islam, AWIS wash the walls of their classrooms at the end of every school year. Later the enjoy a snack together. Alhamdulillah the spirit of cleanliness bring the students close to each other and love the school where they study. It teaches them responsibility and stewardship.
قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم من راي منكم منكرا فليغيره بيده فان لم يستطع فبلسانه فان لم يستطع فبقلبه وذلك اضعف الايمان
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Whoever sees an evil action he should change it with his hand, if he is unable then with his tongue, if he is unable then with his heart Sand that is the weakest of imaan."
منكر are those actions which are disowned and disapproved in the Qur'an and hadith. These are detestable and forbidden sins, which bring harm to the sinner and devastate the entire community.
These sins include:
Shirk (worshiping others beside Allah)
Disrespecting and disobeying one's parents
Hurting another person physically/verbally through hitting or insulting, name calling, cursing, lying
Stealing
Eating or drinking haram foods and drinks
Listening to music, dressing immodestly, making friends with the opposite gender
Learning or performing magic
Just as every group and nation enjoys distinct qualities, Muslims are also known by their special trait. Like intelligent students will get good grades in all their tests, complete their assignment on time and pay attention in class; good athletes will train hard and only eat healthy foods, a great qari will practice her recitation and read the same verse of the Qur'an over and over again until she is makes no mistakes and applies all the rules of tajweed - in the same way, Muslims encourage the people around them to do good deeds and warn them against منكر or sins.
Allah has chosen Muslims for the important task of inviting other people to do good deeds and to stop them from sins. Allah says, "You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah." [Qur'an, 3:110] Allah wants Muslims to motivate people to believe in Allah and do good deeds. In addition, Allah wants Muslims to save people from doing bad deeds because every sin has an evil consequence, it leads to mischief on earth and incurs Allah's anger and punishment. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "You cannot be a believer until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." [Bukhari] In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said that, "You will not enter Paradise until you believe; and you will not believe until you love one another." [Muslim] Muslims love to enter Paradise so we should want the same for others. Just as we hate to enter Hellfire and we should hate that anyone else is thrown into hellfire.
Therefore, Muslims cannot be selfish, we should not worship Allah by ourselves and do good deeds in secrecy so only we can get Paradise. Our goal should to take as many of our relatives and friends to Jannah with us. For this reason, when praying Salah, call others so everyone can pray in congregation and get 27 times more reward. When helping parents, persuade siblings to give a hand as well because in obeying our parents we make Allah happy. When outside, greet everyone with Salam so peace and mercy spreads amongst the people. Take friends to Islamic class so there is a culture of learning Qur'an and hadith in the society. Share lunch with neighbours and donate to charitable organizations so everyone's needs are met. In the same way, Muslims should be compassionate. If someone is sinning, Muslims should become anxious and worried because every sin has an evil consequence, it makes Allah unhappy and leads to Hellfire. There are three ways to help the sinner leave sin.
Stop the sinner with hands = physically stop the sin i.e. hold the hand of the person who is hitting someone or stealing something from the store. Put a hand on their mouth if they are cursing or insulting someone. Turn off the TV or take away book that contains music or magic. Do not let them go to parties where there will be boys and girls and haram foods and drinks.
Stop the sinner with tongue = verbally speak and advise against committing sins i.e. Remind others of verse from the Qur'an or Prophet's Hadith. Relate to them stories of the Companions and describe to them Heaven and Hell.
Stop the sin with heart = if unable to use physical strength or speech to lure a person away from sins, then at least think of the sins as something despicable and detested in the heart.
Staying away from sins and stopping others from is the strongest and highest level of imaan. Allah says (paraphrase), "Best in speech is one who invites to Allah and does righteousness." [Qur'an, 41:33] And the reward of righteousness in Paradise, "Give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we were provided with before." And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally." [Qur'an, 2:25]. This being the case, worship Allah and stay away from sins and stop other people from sins.
Not stopping others is the lowest and weakest level of imaan. Increase imaan by learning more about Allah and Jannah in the Qur'an and hadith.
ان الرفق لا يكون في شيء الا زانه ولا ينزع من شيء الا شانه
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Indeed if gentleness is added to something it beautifies it and when it is removed from something it makes it ugly and ruins it. [Muslim]
To be gentle is to be affectionate, calm and kind. Gentle speech and manners improve relations and draw people close to each other, while harshness, rude words and cruel behaviour wrecks relations.
Allah says, "We have not sent you, [O Muhammad s.a.w], except as a mercy to the worlds." [Qur'an, 21:107] Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was a mercy to the world not only because he explained and taught the Qur'an but he had the best character, he was compassionate, lenient and soft towards all people. Imagine there is a city wherever one is a Hafidh al Qur'an but they are fiendish, sadistic, vicious and remorseless. Is this city merciful and a beautiful place to live in? No, it will be the worst place on earth. So along with learning the Qur'an, it important that we beautify our character and make it gentle.
Allah says, "Be kind and humble to the believers." [Qur'an, 26:215]
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "O Aisha! Indeed Allah is gentle adn he loves gentleness." [Muslim]
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Shall I not inform you of who is forbidden upon the Hell fire or whom the fire is forbidden upon? A man who is always accessible, gentle and easy going." [at-Tirmidhi]
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) that there are two things that lead one to Paradise, Taqwa (the consciousness of Allah which translates into actions) and good manners.
Gentleness is especially important when enjoining good and forbidding evil. When stopping someone from sin, if we use kind words and show care, the sinner will feel inclined to listen to our advise but if we are rude then the sinner may feel offended and insist upon the sin. This is the same as giving someone a really nice gift wrapped in a dirty, strained and smelly rag cloth. No matter how beneficial the gift, the recipient will not even touch it. In the same way, worshiping and obeying Allah is the best thing for everyone but if Muslims represent this message of Islam in a harsh and ugly manner, we will repel people away and make them angry.
Target: Make a list of 10 everyday situations at home and at school and describe how you can be gentle in each. Watch the following video and learn how to invite other people to Islam, gently.
Ibadaah is from the root abd which means slave or servant. Ibadaah refers to total service of Allah with utmost humility and respect. Thankfulness and obedience to Allah is worship.
Allah caused us to exist, He brought us into existence and gave us life. Thereafter He shaped and proportioned us, granted us a beautiful image and an intelligent mind. Allah made available to us things to eat and drink. He prepared for us a palce to say, and allowed us family, education, good health and friends. In return, if we are thankful and obedient to Allah then this
Our relationship with Allah should be one of gratitude and obedience.
