Ahmad Von Denffer - Islam for Children

ISLAM FOR CHILDREN

Ahmad von Denffer

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

Copyright The Islamic Foundation 1981/1401 H.

Reprinted 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2009 and 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

MUSLIM CHILDRENS LIBRARY

General Editors: M. Manazir Ahsan and Anwar Cara

ISLAM FOR CHILDREN

Author: Ahmad von Denffer

Translator: Hatifah von Denffer

Illustrator: Arshad Gamiet

Published by

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION,

Markfield Conference Centre, Ratby Lane,
Markfield, Leicester LE67 9SY, UK
E-Mail:
Website: www.islamic-foundation.com

Quran House, P.O. Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya

P.M.B. 3193, Kano, Nigeria

Distributed by
Kube Publishing Ltd.,
Tel: +44(0)1530 24923044, Fax: +44(0)1530 249656
E-mail:

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Denffer, Ahmad von

Islam for children

1. Islam Juvenile literature

l. Title ll. Islam fr Kinder. English

297 BP161.2

eISBN 978-0-86037-671-2

ISBN 978-0-860370-85-7

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

To Simah, Sulaiman and all other Muslim Children

Contents

Here is a new series of books, but with a difference, for children of all ages. Published by the Islamic Foundation, the Muslim Childrens Library has been produced to provide young people with something they cannot perhaps find anywhere else.

Most of todays childrens books aim only to entertain and inform or to teach some necessary skills, but not to develop the inner and moral resources. Entertainment and skills by themselves impart nothing of value to life unless a child is also helped to discover deeper meaning in himself and the world around him. Yet there is no place in them for God, who alone gives meaning to life and the universe, nor for the divine guidance brought by His prophets, following which can alone ensure an integrated development of the total personality.

Such books, in fact, rob young people of access to true knowledge. They give them no unchanging standards of right and wrong, nor any incentives to live by what is right and refrain from what is wrong. The result is that all too often the young enter adult life in a state of social alienation and bewilderment, unable to cope with the seemingly unlimited choices of the world around them. The situation is especially devastating for the Muslim child as he may grow up cut off from his culture and values.

The Muslim Childrens Library aspires to remedy this deficiency by showing children the deeper meaning of life and the world around them; by pointing them along paths leading to an integrated development of all aspects of their personality; by helping to give them the capacity to cope with the complexities of their world, both personal and social; by opening vistas into a world extending far beyond this life; and, to a Muslim child especially, by providing a fresh and strong faith, a dynamic commitment, an indelible sense of identity, a throbbing yearning and an urge to struggle, all rooted in Islam.

The books aim to help a child anchor his development on the rock of divine guidance, and to understand himself and relate to himself and others in just and meaningful ways. They relate directly to his soul and intellect, to his emotions and imagination, to his motives and desires, to his anxieties and hopes indeed, to every aspect of his fragile, but potentially rich personality. At the same time it is recognised that for a book to hold a childs attention, he must enjoy reading it; it should therefore arouse his curiosity and entertain him as well. The style, the language, the illustrations and the production of the books are all geared to this goal. They provide moral education, but not through sermons or ethical abstractions.

Although these books are based entirely on Islamic teachings and the vast Muslim heritage, they should be of equal interest and value to all children, whatever their country or creed; for Islam is a universal religion, the natural path.

Adults, too, may find much of use in them. In particular, Muslim parents and teachers will find that they provide what they have for so long been so badly needing. The books will include texts on the Quran, the Sunnah and other basic sources and teachings of Islam, as well as history, stories and anecdotes for supplementary reading. Each book will cater for a particular age group, classified into five: pre-school, 5-8 years, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-17.

We invite parents and teachers to use these books in homes and classrooms, at breakfast table and bedside and encourage children to derive maximum benefit from them. At the same time their greatly valued observations and suggestions are highly welcome.

To the young reader we say: you hold in your hands books which may be entirely different from those you have been reading till now, but we sincerely hope you will enjoy them; try, through these books, to understand youself, your life, your experiences and the universe around you. They will open before your eyes new paths and models in life that you will be curious to explore and find exciting and rewarding to follow. May God be with you forever.

And may He bless with His mercy and acceptance our humble contribution to the urgent and gigantic task of producing books for a new generation of people, a task which we have undertaken in all humility and hope.

M. Manazir Ahsan
Director General

AL-FATIHA

Bismi-llahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim
Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi-l-alamin
Ar-rahmani-r-rahim
Maliki yaumi-d-din
lyyaka nabudu wa iyyaka nastain
Ihdina-s-sirata-l-mustaqim
Sirata-ladhina anamta alaihim
Ghairi-l-maghdubi alaihim wa la-d-dalin

AL-FATIHA

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Mercy-giving.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds
The Merciful, the Mercy-giving
Master of the Day of Judgement.
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
Guide us along the straight path, the path of those whom you have favoured not those who earn your anger nor those who go astray.

Muhammad was an orphan. His father had died before Muhammad was born and his mother died while he was still very young. This was why Muhammad was brought-up first by his grandfather, Abdul Mutallib, and later by his uncle, Abu Talib. Both of them loved the orphaned Muhammad very much, and both devoted a lot of care to him. When he was big and strong enough to work, Muhammad tended sheep on the outskirts of Makka, the town where he lived.

Muhammad was still a boy when he worked as a shepherd. Later, when he grew into a young man, Muhammads uncle, Abu Talib, used to take him along on his trading journeys. Makkans like Abu Talib were merchants and the journeys they made were very long. Their camels brought many different goods into Makka. This was a very good and exciting experience for Muhammad and when he grew older he was able to lead the caravans on his own.