Teaching Quran

Are you a newly minted Muslim homeschooler, wondering how to incorporate the teaching of Quran and Islamic Studies in to your routine? If so, read on for ideas and inspiration! 

As a Muslim home educator, teaching my children to read the Quran is high on the list of priorities. 

Normally, I've seen Muslim parents utilise one of the following ways to achieve this goal:-

1) Madressa (Islamic School)

Most people seem to prefer this method. It makes sense, because you can rely on (hopefully) qualified teachers to teach your children to recite the Holy Quran, following the correct rules of recitation. Usually, the hope is for children to receive a well-rounded Islamic education and to develop a strong understanding of the religion. 

I personally have not enrolled my children in an Islamic school for several reasons:-

• 2 years ago when we lived in our previous house, there was an Islamic School in the area where everyone (it seemed) sent their children. I did enroll my daughter and she went a couple of times, but then discontinued. The biggest red flag for me was that anyone could come and teach the children - there were no requirements of qualifications, experience or expertise. 
• When we moved away to our current house, I heard several positive reviews of another Islamic School, but by this time we were well on our home education journey, with Islamic Studies being a major part of it. It didn't make sense to outsource something I was clearly capable of doing myself.
• The second Islamic School, while being allegedly brilliant, has a strict attendance policy. Time and flexibility being the biggest luxuries afforded to us due to home educating, meant that we weren't ready to sacrifice our freedom.

2) Individual Tutoring

Some parents, while not sending their children to a weekend Islamic School, will hire teachers (either in person or online) to teach their children to recite the Holy Quran. Many times these teachers can help children memorise it, too. 

This approach seems to have the best of both worlds - there can be flexibility for travel and holidays, and parents can rest assured that their child is receiving a solid education from a knowledgeable person.

We trialled this approach for my older one when she was about 7 I think, for the month of Ramadan. We ended up discontinuing for a few reasons, including:

• Unreliable internet connection at the teacher's end made it a frustrating process for my daughter
• The teacher was a traditional one, who used lots of praise and therefore there wasn't much chance for the child to develop an intrinsic motivation to recite the Quran

I would definitely be open to this option in the future, as long as we found someone suitable and affordable for us.

Going off on a tangent...

Writing this has reminded me of my brief experience of having a Qari Sahab as a child. We are a Shia family, and Qari Sahab was not. When he realised that we are Shia, he stopped coming to teach us (my brother and I) the Holy Quran. My dad tried to convince him to come back, even saying that if he (Qari Sahab) thought that we (the family) are on the wrong path owing to being Shia, surely he has a moral responsibility to guide us to the right path? But that Qari Sahab never came back! I don't know why, LOL. This story cracks me up every time I think of it!

Anyway...

3) Parents as Quran Teachers

If a parent is confident in their ability to recite the Quran correctly, they may opt to teach their child themselves. This is the approach I have taken for now. I am fairly confident that I can recite mostly correctly - and I can learn with my children, just as in any other subject.

My biggest reason for being my children's Quran teacher is to be able to modify my approach according to what they need. Currently, I know that at 7 and 9, my children are comparatively much behind their peers in terms of reading the Quran. I have spent time reflecting on this and being ok with it. My priority is to genuinely instill a love for the Holy Quran in their hearts; for them to build a long-lasting, sustainable relationship with the Holy Book.

What am I doing in this regard?

For one thing, I don't overburden them when it comes to the Holy Quran. I believe this is too important to mess up, so I am ok with taking it slower than others, if it means they are genuinely learning.

This shows up as my 9 year old only reading 4 to 5 verses a day, for example. We use this Juzz Amma Journal; a beautiful book with large Arabic font and English translations. 

Our process goes something like this:

First, we revise the previous day's lesson (reading in Arabic plus translation)

Then, IBJ and I recite the next lesson together (I read slowly, and she tries to match my pace and fluency).

Then I read, and IBJ repeats after me.

Finally, IBJ recites the day's lesson in Arabic 3x, followed by the reading and reflection of the translation.

Sometimes ABJ is present for IBJ's lesson and hence also hears the translation, sometimes she's not.

ABJ is my strong-willed child; actually, they are both highly sensitive and strong willed, but sit on different parts of the spectrums. 

In any case, ABJ is currently on the Qaida: the pre-Quran book that prepares a child to begin reading the Holy Quran. 

She sometimes reads one line, sometimes two, as her daily (or near-daily) lesson. She also needs to move around, and share all the random stories of the entire universe during her micro-lessons. Normally, I am happy to oblige, although it does really exercise my patience muscle! 

I am always grateful that she has the freedom to learn as she needs to, at home, because I cannot see her learning style being catered to in any institution and by any other teacher!

For updates on what we do in our life as Muslim Home Educators in the UK, follow my Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/home_ed_ventures