Steps to Perfection Grade 3 Aqaid

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 guide 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
that beginning from 1st grade, these two concepts are emphasized and gradually increase
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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).
We attempted to include general information that we felt children need to know in order
to be educated and successful Muslims. Overall, the curriculum is divided into four core
areas: Aqāʾid, Fiqh, History, and Akhlāq. For grades 1-3, the Furūʿ ad-Dīn are included in
the ʿAqāʾid section, but for grades 4-6, it has been moved to the Fiqh section. This is to help
students to first understand the basics of the Furūʿ ad-Dīn and then gradually increase their
understanding and practical application.
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.