Building a relationship with the Qur’an is an essential part of grade 2’s Qur’an class at Al Haadi. We have been working on memorizing Surah as Shams, but have also been translating the words and studying the meaning of the surah. Understanding the words of Allah (swt) is important as it gives children a way to relate to Him, and to try and use His words in their life at any given time. See, the words of Allah (swt) hold no bounds in terms of circumstance or age. A child, an elderly, a poor, or a rich can all read the same verse and apply it differently in their life and that’s the beauty of this universal Book.
Grade 2s initially began with memorizing Surah as Shams, verse by verse. As we progressed, we translated the words in each ayah and filled our Surah as Shams dictionary. Students enjoyed this a lot and couldn’t wait to translate more. We spoke about Allah (swt)’s creations, and my purpose as a teacher is to leave students in awe of His creations. To make them understand that truly, His mercy surrounds us in every step and that no one could do what He is able to.
While our dictionaries were in the works, and our surah as Shams verses were being memorized, we started on our Shams project. The Shams project, or in other words, the Sun project, was created to show Grade 2s the position of the sun at each prayer time. They were learning about prayer and adhaan in Islamic Studies with our dearest Teacher Afshan, so I thought it’d be a good time to fit this in. Showing grade 2s the position of the sun put a lot of things in perspective. They discovered that our prayer times are in sync with the sun, and that in fact, our existence is dependent on the sun. They also learned about the sun’s importance and why Allah (swt) swears by it in surah as Shams; “I swear by the sun and his broad light.” [91:1].
We started off with painting the position of the sun around fajr time to show that fajr time ends when the sun rises.
We then moved on to dhuhr and asr paintings. The sun is at its highest point at dhuhr time and descends around ‘Asr time.
Lastly, we painted Maghrib and Ishaa. The sun sets just before Maghrib, and is gone at Ishaa time.
The Qur’an has several lessons for kids and adults alike, and the relationship kids form with the Qur’an at a young age holds the utmost importance. Whilst memorization and beautiful recitation are very important, understanding and using it as a source of guidance and solace is crucial. InshaAllah kids develop love for the Qur’an and see it as the miracle it truly is.
“…And we have revealed to you the Book, an exposition of everything, and guidance, and mercy, and glad tidings for the Muslims.” [16:89]
