Quran & Kisa Curriculum (Beliefs, History, Islamic Law & Etiquette )

Islamic Sunday schools and full-time Islamic schools in the West have struggled to create a dynamic curriculum for a long time. However, with the grace of Allah (swt), in the past few years, the Islamic educational field has experienced some great achievements. May Allah bless all those who have endeavored to put together Islamic information to help our children grow. This new edition is an attempt by Al-Kisa Foundation, School of Ahlul Bait (SAB), and RISE Academy to create a curriculum for children of today, which we hope is relevant, vibrant, and engaging. We referred to many different Islamic curricula throughout the course of developing this curriculum and are grateful to them for sharing their work. As teachers, we are blessed to be able to inherit the honorable job of teaching from the Prophets. The Prophets’ main mission was to teach and nurture the human being. As Allah says in the Qurʾān, “It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom” (Noble Qurʾān, 62:2). Thus, as individuals who strive for our students, we have two main jobs: to teach our students and to nurture them through these teachings, so that they can develop their souls and fulfill the purpose for which Allah has created us. While teaching is the most valued job in the eyes of Allah, it also comes with many challenges. As teachers, we must constantly remind ourselves of the value of this great job. It is our responsibility to nurture our children and students through knowledge and help them become individuals that make good choices, which will lead them to become true and strong believers. In this path, as teachers, we must remember to be reliant only on Allah, be hopeful, be sincere, be responsible, be safe, and be flexible. The present curriculum also has a teacher's huide portion that we pray will be a useful tool and resource for teachers to refer to and aid them in their job of teaching. InshāʾAllāh, the Teacher's Guide will help you engage students and provide suggestions and ideas for projects to help students better grasp the material. The philosophy behind this revision of the curriculum was to establish a strong foothold on the guiding force of our religion: the Uṣūl ad-Dīn and Furūʿ ad-Dīn. That is why you will see 3 that beginning from 1st grade, these two concepts are emphasized and gradually increase in depth all the way until 6th grade. Furthermore, we wanted to incorporate a more projectbased and story-based curriculum that engages students and allows them to develop a strong bond with Islam and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa).

In each grade, we have covered all of the Uṣūl ad-Dīn and the Furūʿ ad-Dīn, which are analyzed more extensively each year. It is our firm belief that a strong foundation gives way to a healthy growth, which is why there was great emphasis on this. We referenced many other curricula in developing this section and thank them for their contributions. Furthermore, in the Fiqh section, we tried to incorporate those Fiqh topics that are relevant and integrate more stories in order to make it more interactive for students. You will find that the History section has a greater emphasis on stories. By introducing the Maʿṣūmīn through stories that highlight their characteristics, the hope is that children will be able to connect to them and develop a bond and unfaltering love that will take root in their hearts. The History section in Kindergarten focuses solely on the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa). In first grade, the students learn about the first seven Maʿṣūmīn, and in second grade the last seven. Then, in third grade, they once again review all 14 Maʿṣūmīn. In fourth grade, students will learn about the lives and messages of the Prophets. Finally, in fifth and sixth grades, students will take a comprehensive look at the life of the Noble Prophet (ṣ). We attempted to make the Akhlāq section aesthetically-pleasing through colorful illustrations, ahadith, and ayahs from the Qurʾān. In the older grades, we attempted to include more relevant stories that would allow them to form tangible connections with the lessons. Any Islamic school should feel free to use this curriculum. If you are using this curriculum, please do let us know so that we may keep in contact. Similarly, please let us know if you have found any errors or would like to give us feedback; this will definitely help us, and is appreciated. I want to thank all of those who were involved in this great project. I pray that Allah (swt) accepts our efforts and gives us more strength to continue our mission.

With Duʿās, Nabi R. Mir (Abidi)