By the time we got home, we had listened to the first half of the surah. None of my children are memorizing Surat Al-Qasas, so they had not learned it or heard it before.
As we got out of the car, I asked the kids out of curiosity, "Did you guys understand any of the ayat we just heard?"
Their answer surprised me.
The 11-year-old glanced at me, himself surprised at my question. "Yes, of course I understood it. It's the story of Sayyidina Musa عليه السلام from his birth to the incidents with Fir`awn."
My heart lifted with joy and gratitude. "Really? It wasn't hard to understand?"
The 9-year-old replied, "No, Mama. The words weren't hard. It is exactly like when we listen to the seerah. It's a story being narrated in فصحى (Fus-ha, formal Arabic). We're used to this from our seerah lessons."
I don't know why this deeply hit me in that moment.
For the past six years or so, I have been putting on an audio lecture series in formal Arabic (اللغة العربية الفصحى) for both myself and the children to listen to during our commutes. This is our car seerah class. We have listened to the life stories of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, of Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, `Ali, Khalid, Salman, and other Sahaba. Alhamdulillah the kids love listening, and so do. They learn, and so do I. We have listened to each of these biographies multiple times each over the years, to the point of near-memorization for some of them.
My intention was to be as productive as possible, to make good use of what would otherwise be wasted time in the car as we drove to the grocery store, to the park, to the library. The kids generally go with me wherever I go, so I wanted homeschooling to continue even in the car so that we are more efficient.
Initially I was hoping that they would learn the prophetic seerah and love the Prophet ﷺ. And then his Sahaba, the other Prophets and Messengers, etc.
Then, it became clear that they were also receiving great exposure to Arabic Fus-ha as well, a linguistic lesson as well as the seerah lesson, which made me even happier.
Of course, at first, it was very hard. The kids were very young and there were so many big, unfamiliar words. Though we speak Arabic at home (and they speak Farsi with their father), we mostly speak Egyptian Arabic and not the classical Quranic Fus-ha. So I had my work cut out for me at first: I'd play a bit of the lecture, then pause it to explain the events, to define new words, to answer their questions. I realized that their vocabulary base was expanding and the level of Arabic comprehension was advancing, albeit slowly. Alhamdulillah. It wasn't easy but we kept at it.
Children naturally love stories. Any interesting story will capture their interest and pique their curiosity. But especially stories of amazing heroes and of fantastic feats of strength and valor. Inspiring stories, entertaining episodes, and heartwarming examples of lives well lived.
Nothing encompasses all this more than the seerah!
Teach the seerah of Rasul Allah ﷺ, the Final Messenger to humanity, to your children instead of the silly made-up adventures of fictional characters like Batman or Superman. Forget the Avengers; teach your children about the Sahaba!
And if you can teach this in Arabic, all the better.
Even if your Arabic isn't very advanced. You will learn alongside your children inshaAllah. I did.
Do not give in to the ease or the convenience of English.
Even if the initial learning curve is steep at first, it will get easier over time inshaAllah and will pay dividends.
Like your children immediately understanding the Quran when they hear it, even a new surah unfamiliar to them.
It will be easy for them to comprehend inshaAllah, because of all the practice they've had listening to Quranic Arabic as they learned the seerah or other Islamic lessons.
There is no gift that we parents can give our children better than the gift of direct access to the Words of Allah.
Arabic is the vehicle for this.
Parents, teach your children your native language if you speak one, other than English. Do not allow English to eradicate all other tongues.
This is important for everyone, but especially for us as Muslims.
This is important for all Muslims, but especially for those who speak Arabic.
Arabic is the language of the Quran. Language of hadith, seerah, tafsir, and other primary Islamic fields of knowledge.
May Allah grant us understanding and give us `izzah through Islam, ameen.
- Umm Khalid
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