There are so many wonderful picture books featuring Muslim main characters that aren’t just about Ramadan or Eid. Here is a list of my favorites! Bonus, by purchasing these books or requesting them at your library, you are supporting Muslim authors. The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K.Ali, and Hatem Aly. A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school–and two sisters on one’s first day of hijab–by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad. One Wish by M.O. Yuksel and Mariam Quraishi Fatima al-Fihri loved to learn. She wanted to know ever ..read more

My small kids had a big question, “Why do Muslims pray toward the Kaaba?” They were wise enough to know, Muslims pray toward, not to, the Kaaba. They inspired me to create this lesson and craft so that I could teach them the why behind the direction we pray. Lesson A Muslim can’t bow down to anyone except God. When Muslims bow down in a unified direction to pray, it’s called the Qiblah. The Kaaba is the spiritual center of Islam. According to the Qur’an, the Kaaba was built by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) PBUH and his son on Allah’s instructions and it served as the first house of worship for m ..read more

Growing up I knew prayer was an important way to show devotion. But only as an adult did I understand the mental health benefits of prayer. My Salah Mat | Photo Credit: Natasha Khan Kazi David H. Rosmarin, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital, in Belmont, Mass. shared with the Association of Psychological Science, “the research that has been done on prayer shows it may have similar benefits to meditation: It can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or flight response. It can make ..read more

I cherish the opportunities this season provides to talk about gratitude with my kids. The ability to be grateful fosters a healthy mind and soul. In 2019, a Journal of Happiness Studies study found that gratitude is linked to happiness in children by age 5.  The Quran says,  “Show (thy) gratitude to Allah. Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.” (Quran 31:12).  Another place where science and faith intersect. How My Family Practices Thankfulness Creating ..read more

The moment I realized I needed to start Islamic education at home, Kian came home from kindergarten with Bible stories flashcards his classmate gave him. Kids his age were going to Sunday School. It was time to start a more formal weekly Islamic education. We are fortunate to have a Islamic school within drive-able distance from our home, but I had missed the cut off for enrollment, and actually preferred to start conversations at home. Where to start? With #1, Allah (s.w.t). Illyas & Duck Search for Allah When it comes to Islamic children’s books I have a pretty high bar. Ilyas And Duck ..read more

I cherish the opportunities this season provides to talk about gratitude with my kids. The ability to be grateful fosters a healthy mind and soul. In 2019, a Journal of Happiness Studies study found that gratitude is linked to happiness in children by age 5.  The Quran says,  “Show (thy) gratitude to Allah. Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.” (Quran 31:12).  Another place where science and faith intersect. How My Family Practices Thankfulness Creating ..read more

The moment I realized I needed to start Islamic education at home, Kian came home from kindergarten with Bible stories flashcards his classmate gave him. Kids his age were going to Sunday School. It was time to start a more formal weekly Islamic education. We are fortunate to have a Islamic school within drive-able distance from our home, but I had missed the cut off for enrollment, and actually preferred to start conversations at home. Where to start? With #1, Allah (s.w.t). Illyas & Duck Search for Allah When it comes to Islamic children’s books I have a pretty high bar. Ilyas And Duck ..read more

I cherish the opportunities this season provides to talk about gratitude with my kids. The ability to be grateful fosters a healthy mind and soul. In 2019, a Journal of Happiness Studies study found that gratitude is linked to happiness in children by age 5.  The Quran says,  “Show (thy) gratitude to Allah. Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.” (Quran 31:12).  Another place where science and faith intersect. How My Family Practices Thankfulness Creating ..read more

The moment I realized I needed to start Islamic education at home, Kian came home from kindergarten with Bible stories flashcards his classmate gave him. Kids his age were going to Sunday School. It was time to start a more formal weekly Islamic education. We are fortunate to have a Islamic school within drive-able distance from our home, but I had missed the cut off for enrollment, and actually preferred to start conversations at home. Where to start? With #1, Allah (s.w.t). Illyas & Duck Search for Allah When it comes to Islamic children’s books I have a pretty high bar. Ilyas And Duck ..read more

I remember the first time I was made to feel like my skin color was inferior. In 4th grade, as I was having an enjoyable conversation with my 4th grade crush, he told me my skin was brown because God over baked me. His best friend piped in with a snicker, “or he dropped you in poop.” With that, I immediately became very conscious of how different I looked next to my all-white classmates. It’s not that I didn’t see color before, it just wasn’t relevant. So when my oldest, age 6, started to talk about his skin color recently, saying he wished he was peach like his friends. I came at the situatio ..read more