Mini Muslims Matter too- Eid Mubarak Kids

Ramadan is for collecting food for the poor by Zahrah Age 7

Jazakallah Khair to all the kids who sent in their submissions- hope you are having a wonderful Eid where ever you are on Allah’s Earth. If our readers enjoy this selection of  Mini Muslims’ creativity, please leave them  a note of encouragement- MashaAllah, they were all so inspiring. May Allah grant all of you kids, much success in this dunya and in akhirah.  Please remember us in your duas and don’t forget to say alhamdulillah! EID MUBARAK!

Ramadan Story by Nur Kose  Age: 12  State: DE

Nur glanced at the clock.  It read 7:34.

“One minute!” she announced.  Just then, the clock ticked the next minute.  Her brother Yusuf began saying the Adhan.  Nur passed dates to her parents.  After everyone broke their fasts, they prayed Maghrib and then sat down to eat.

After they were done eating, everyone sat down on the sofas to rest before going to Tarawih.

“I want to stay up for Laylatul Qadr this year,” Yusuf said.

“Me too,” Nur agreed.  The two brothers and sister had been looking forward to staying up all night during Laylatul Qadr all Ramadan.  Last year, they had both fallen asleep two hours before Fajr.  This time, they were convinced that they could stay up the whole night. It would only be an extra four hours, anyway. Usually, they slept at 12 after Tarawih prayers at the masjid and woke up at 4 to eat Suhur.

“Yusuf,” Baba said, “you and I can go to the Masjid tomorrow night.”

“Nur and I can stay at home,” Mama said, “and Huda and her mom can join us.”

“Yes!” Nur said.  She couldn’t wait to spend one of the last ten nights of Ramadan with her best friend.

“Can Furkan come with us?” Yusuf asked.  He was referring to Huda’s brother, who was Yusuf’s friend.

“Sure,” Baba said.  “But make sure you two take a nap during the day, so you don’t get too tired.”

Nur and Yusuf excitedly talked about the next night until it was time to go to the Masjid for Tarawih prayers.

During the four rakat break, Nur met Huda in the Masjid.  She told Huda about what her parents had said about staying up.

“That’s great,” Huda exclaimed. “I can’t wait until tomorrow!”

“Me neither,” Nur said.  “You’re coming for Iftar tomorrow, right?”

“Inshallah,” Huda said.  “So, after that, we can stay at your house until Fajr.”

“And the boys will go to the Masjid,” Nur added.  Just then, they heard the Imam say, “Allahuakbar!”  The two girls quickly went to stand in line to pray.

The next day, Nur was in her room, sorting her things and planning out the night.  There was a pile of blankets and pillows leaning against the wall.  She would take that down to the living room later on.  Next to the blankets were some Qurans, hadith books, dua books, and Islamic story books.  She had gotten those from the prayer room.  She had also gotten a small basket of tasbihs for doing dhikr.

As Nur checked off her list, she didn’t hear her little sister Meryem come into the room.

“What are you doing?” Meryem asked.  “Are we moving to another house?”

“No,” Nur laughed. “I’m just taking these things downstairs because Huda and her mom are coming over tonight and we are staying up.”

“You are not going to sleep?” Meryem asked wide-eyed.

“No, we want to stay up in these special nights so we get good deeds,” Nur explained.

“Why is it special?” Meryem asked.  She sat down on the blanket pile and looked at her elder sister intently.

“Because this is the time when the Quran was revealed,” Nur said.

“I thought the Quran was revealed a long time ago,” Meryem said, confused.  Nur laughed.

“You’re right, Meryem, but this is the same time it was revealed many years ago.” Nur thought for a moment, trying to think how she was going to explain this to her sister.

“You remember when you had your birthday a few months ago?” Nur asked.  “Does that mean you were born a few months ago?”

“No,” Meryem said.

“Right,” Nur said, “so Laylatul Qadr is kind of like the birthday of the Quran being revealed.”

“Oh,” Meryem said.  She was quiet for a moment. “Can I stay up, too?” she asked.

“Well,” Nur said hesitantly, “I guess you can try.”

“Yay!” Meryem squealed. “I am going to stay up the whole night! I am going to stay up the whole night!”  She ran out of the room to announce this new bit of news to the rest of the family.

At Iftar time, Huda and her family came over.  Afterwards, the boys went to the Masjid.  After the boys left, Huda and Nur set up the blankets and pillows in the living room.  Then they neatly stacked the books on a small table.

Then, they prayed Isha together.  They also prayed four rakats of Tarawih, taking turns leading the prayer.  Both tried to say the long surahs they knew.

After praying and doing dhikr, Nur said, “Let’s study the Tafsir of one of the surahs in the last Juz.”

“Okay,” Huda said. “Which surah?”

“How about Surah Asr?” Nur suggested.  “I’ve been listening to the Tafsir of Surah Asr by Nouman Ali Khan, so I understand some of it now.  Let’s study my notes.”  Nur got out her notebook and began reading the meaning of the surah.

“By time, Surely human beings are immersed in loss, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds and tell the truth and have patience.”

“That’s short,” Huda said.

“Yeah, but Nouman Ali Khan talks for more than five hours about it,” Nur said.

“Wow!” Huda said.

“Yeah,” Nur agreed.  She started reading her notes that she had taken from Noman Ali’s speech.  “So, Allah is swearing by time.  Then, He says that humans are in loss.  He didn’t say the disbelievers are in loss, He said that all people are in loss.  Then He gives an exception: except those who believe, do righteous deeds, tell the truth, and are patient.  Usually, Allah just says those who believe and do righteous deeds, but here He gave four.  And, if someone just has one or two of the exceptions, it isn’t enough.  To avoid being in loss, you have to have all four of the exceptions.”

Nur turned a few pages of her notes.

“Time is running out,” Nur read.

“So,” Huda said, “It’s important to not waste time and use our time wisely.”

“Yup,” Nur said.  The two read some more about the surah and the tafsir and how it was important to do good deeds together.  Then, they did some dhikr.

Nur yawned.  “I’m really tired,” she said. “And it’s only 12.  I don’t think I can stay up for the rest of the night.  Maybe we should take a break.”

“But remember,” Huda said. “Don’t waste time.  Time is running out.  These are special nights and we should do good things together.”

“You’re right,” Nur said. “Let’s pray Tarawih again.”

“Okay,” Huda said.  Just then, Meryem ran into the room.

“I want to pray, too!  I want to stay awake all night!” she exclaimed.

“Meryem!” Nur groaned.  She had told Meryem that she could stay awake if she wanted to but she hadn’t expected Meryem to take her seriously.  She hadn’t thought Meryem could stay awake.  But here was Meryem, more awake than she was, demanding their attention.

“Meryem, go to Mama,” Nur said.  “You can’t stay awake with us.  You’re too little.”

“No,” Meryem said.  She stuck out her lower lip and folded her arms.

Nur threw her hands up in frustration.  “Meryem!” she groaned again.

“Nur, you’re supposed to be patient,” Huda said.  “Remember the four exceptions?  Believe, do righteous deeds, tell the truth, and be patient.  You don’t want to be in loss, right?”

Nur took a deep breath.  “I guess you’re right.  Come on, let’s pray Tarawih.”

The night went by and Nur and Huda read Quran, prayed Tarawih, read Islamic books, did dhikr, read Hadiths, and made duas.   When they got tired, they encouraged each other to stay awake. At around 4, they ate suhur and then prayed Fajr.  The boys came home and they talked excitedly to each other about the night before and everything that they did.

“I can’t believe we stayed up the whole night,” Yusuf said.

“Me neither,” Furkan said.

Sleepy, but happy inside, the four kids went to sleep, thinking about the great time they had had this Laylatul Qadr.

The End

Ramadan Poster By Maryam

Artwork by Yusuf Kose Age: 8  State:  DE

Materials:  scissor, tape, foam, 8/11″ paper, three circles, and notecards.

Steps to Make Poster:

First, get your 8/11″ paper and tape the three circles on the paper.

Then you make a sofa for the person who is reading Quran.  Draw a sofa on the piece of foam and cut it out and tape it on one circle.

Then get a notecard. Cut out a shape of a person sitting. Cut it out and tape it on the sofa.

Then get another notecard and on it write what the person is doing.  Now you’re done with one of the circles.

So now we are on the praying circle.  Get a notecard.  Cut out two people who are the ones that are praying.

And then get a piece of foam for the prayer rug. Then cut it out and tape it under the people.

Then get a note card and write what the person is doing again and tape it on top of the circle.

Now we are on the last circle which is giving zakat.  Cut the person that’s giving zakat out, and draw a small box and cut it out and tape it.

Then draw a table for the box to be on and cut it out and tape it under the box.

Then, the last step is to get a note card and write what the person is doing and tape it on the paper.

You are done with the poster about “How I Spend My Ramadan”.

Poem: What To Do in Ramadan  By Huda Kose, Age 6 State: DE

In Ramadan, we shouldn’t eat food,

And shouldn’t be rude.

In Ramadan, we fast all day.

And when it’s Iftar time, we get to eat from food on a tray.

In Ramadan we break our fast with a date,

And, inshallah, we will go through one of Jannah’s gates.

In Ramadan, we fast all day,

And we got to Taraweeh to pray.

In Ramadan, we pray Taraweeh and end with witr,

So, inshallah it will be fun in Eid ul-Fitr.

In Ramadan, we read lots of Quran,

So, we will get good deeds in Ramadan.

In Ramadan, we help the poor,

So, inshallah, we can go through one of Jannah’s doors.

In Ramadan, we help the poor,

And we should help others some more.

In Ramadan, we shouldn’t eat food,

And shouldn’t be rude.

Ideas for Eid by Reem Shaikh from Qatar

Ever think what you should do on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr? It’s only once in the whole year, and you don’t want to spend it in boredom! Well, I’ve got some ideas for you what to do on Eid or ideas for the preparation for Eid. Here are the preparation ideas:

Gather up your allowance or pocket money or just ask your parents for some money, and go to the store with them, and buy gifts for some friends and family.

Decorate your house! I always find that loads of fun. You can make your own home made streamers (below), and blow up balloons and stick them on the wall. Just don’t make too much of a mess!

Make goody bags to give out to little kids at the masjid! We did that 2 years ago, and that was fun. And sometimes little kids bother their parents at Eid prayer, so when you give them the goody bags, the parents get happy, and you’ll get reward from Allah, InshAllah.

Ask your parents to buy you some new and fancy Eid clothes if you don’t have them. Girls can always get some jewelry! Its loads of fun to dress up on Eid.

Hold a party! Maybe, just maybe your parents will agree to let you have an Eid party for your friends. But if they don’t want to, then don’t bug them! It’s always a big hassle to hold a party!

Of course, sleep early the night before Eid. You’re going to have to wake up early for Eid prayer, and you don’t want to have dark circles on your eyes on Eid day! Also, try and have a good dinner, because you probably won’t eat breakfast until after the Salah.

Of course, you’re going to get up, wear your nice and new Eid clothes, and go to Salatul-Eid first, right? Remember to try and give some money to the Sadaqah! Then you’re going to probably come home and eat some breakfast, and your family might give you some gifts, or what we call Eidi which means Eid money. But then what?

We all usually go visit family, or we’re invited to some people’s houses, and that’s always fun, plus it most likely means more gifts!

You could politely ask your parents to take you somewhere fun, like the arcade, an amusement park, a skating rink, or something like that. But if they don’t agree, then don’t bother them, because if you do, they’ll probably get happy and take you somewhere anyways.

Go and give the gifts you bought for everyone (if you did buy them).

Usually we have family over on Eid. So ask your parents if you guys could all go to a nice restaurant to eat. But you’d better behave over there, or that’s probably the last time you’re going!

Do some games at home, and invite just a few friends over to play. But be sure to prepare the games before!

I hope you guys enjoyed all my idea, and InshAllah; you’ll have a blessed and a fun Eid this year.

♥Reem♥

*How to make homemade streamers:

You’ll need:

~A bunch of colored papers~A stapler with plenty of staples in it~ScissorsStep 1: Put all the colored paper together, and cut them in 4-5 long strips. You’ll have a bunch of the strips now, but be sure to cut it together so it’s even. Don’t worry about being too straight.Step 2: This is quite tricky to explain, but it’s easy to do. Just take each end of the first strip, and put them together, a little overlapping, and staple it.Step 3: Then take the next strip (you can do any color order, or any random colors) and put it through the first one, and staple the ends again.Step 4: Just keep repeating step 3, except put the new strip through the newest circle, until it’s as big as you want it to be.

Ramadan Word Search By Reem Shaikh

Poem: Ramadan By Furkan Kose

This poem is about the month of the Quran

Which is the blessed month of Ramadan

Before Fajr I eat a meal called suhoor,

And it gives me the feeling of the hungry poor.

At Maghrib time we eat iftar,

And break our fast with dates from a jar.

We should give more to others,

especially to my poor Muslim sisters and brothers.

In Ramadan, our prophet gave more,

Especially to the weak and hungry poor.

We pray extra salah,

For only one reason which is for Allah.

Extra prayers help you get closer to Allah you see,

And one of these is a prayer after Isha called Taraweeh.

In Ramadan you shouldn’t be mean or do anything bad,

And should not lose your temper and get mad.

Eating is not the only thing that can break your fasting,

It can be broken by saying a bad word or by hitting or shouting.

In Ramadan, you should give to the ones in need ,

Because if you do that, you will get so many good deeds.

In the last ten nights of Ramadan there is Layla tul qadr,

Which is a blessed night that is better than any other.

Now that this poem is over I just want to say,

That you should do the good things you do in Ramadan everyday.

Ramadan Duas-a story by Zaynub Siddiqui Age 9 from CA

“Javairia! Clean up the pantry, clean up every single bedroom, bathrooms, and the grand halls floor,” shrieked Yasmine. “Yes, beautiful grand sister,” said Javairia calmly. “Javairia! Help me get dressed and pick out my shalwar kamees.” “Coming,” said Javairia.

Javairia was a Muslim, a Muslim girl who was bossed around and tortured by her step sisters, even in the month of Ramadan. So that meant she could not eat or drink. Did you now that her mean sisters even shoved food in her face while she was fasting.  Today was the first day of Ramadan. You must not think that ‘ at least Javairia got food for suhoor’ but she did not. All she got were crumbs. (That is why we should be thankful and say alhumdulilah.)

Week after week, Javairia was bossed  around and tortured.  One day an invitation came from the masjid for iftar. In the invitation, it said there was going to be a competition for the best qirat. There would give out a prize!

The two stepsisters talked and talked about the competition until the day was finally here. Of course, the two lazy sisters did not practice but Javairia did. She practiced her favorite Surah- Surah Qadr.

The two sisters left poor Javairia at home. She cried and made dua to Allah (swt). There was a knock on her door, Aunti Zayna was standing at the door.” Do you want a ride the masjid?” Allah (swt) had accepted her dua!

Now the three sisters were at the masjid. They met up with their friends. Then the Imam called for the two sisters to recite. While they were doing it, they made a lot of mistakes. The imam said,” you can’t do qirat you made to many mistakes.”

Then he called for Javairia to do it.  Everybody ohhhed and ahhed and said mashaAllah. Then the Imam said “You win, you get 2 musallahs, 1 Quran and  2 tasbeehs.”

After the contest Javairia was thankful and proud of herself. Her sisters realized that they should not treat her like a servant.  They learnt a lesson in  Ramadan.