Education

Raising Our Children with the Book of Allah | Special Speeches by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi & Umm Reem

Published

September 4, 2013

All praises are due to Allah . We praise Him azzawajal, Seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. We also seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from our impious intentions and deeds. Indeed, whomsoever Allah guides none can misguide and whomever Allah misguides none can guide.
I bear witness and testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except for Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His final Messenger.

When my first born, my daughter Reem, was about to turn five, I started looking for options for her schooling. Public schools were not an option for us, so I explored a few Islamic schools but I wasn’t satisfied with the academic standard. Then I started considering homeschooling.

The Decision

One day my husband came home from work and asked me if I had finalized my decision on Reem’s schooling. I was still venturing and was completely indecisive. It was then, at that very moment, (I still remember, we were in the kitchen, he was helping me stir the food on the stove and I was taking spices out of the cabinet), he made a suggestion which marked the beginning of next few years of my life and the beginning of a long blessed journey inshaAllah. He suggested, “Why don’t you just keep her home and make her memorize Qur’an!”

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A casual statement, an untailored suggestion, but by Allah’s Blessings, it entered my heart and settled in my mind. Neither my husband nor I realized what had happened in that very moment. Alhamdullialhi Rabbil ‘alameen, the next morning when I woke up I knew what I was going to do with my daughter. I was going to keep her home and make her memorize Qur’an. I had always dreamed of my children becoming huffadh, but I never thought that I myself will end up assisting them at home becoming their very first teacher!

That was 11 years ago when our journey started of two and a half years, long years but full of blessings, full of bitter and sweet memories, full of moments of regret and indescribable happiness, full of mistakes and full of achievements, full of moments of almost-quitting and moments of rejuvenating and, alhamdullialh, by the end of those long years, at the age of seven and a half, my daughter Reem finished memorizing the Book of Allah azzawajal. May Allah accept the noble act from my daughter, myself and my husband, and purify our intentions, and make this action a way for us to enter Jannat-ul-Firdous.

Share the Khayr

For years, I didn’t share this video with anyone out of fear of evil eye or showing off. However, I’ve been asked countless times about Reem’s journey of memorization and why I was inspired to take upon this mission by myself. Hence, instead of being selfish, I had to put aside my fears and decided to share these amazing inspirational speeches with all my Muslim brothers and sisters that were delivered at the auspicious occasion of Reem’s hifdh celebration. I often watch these videos with my children to re-inspire myself and uplift my kids’ spirit.

In addition to this, I’ve also compiled all the advice and practical steps of assisting children memorize Qur’an and raising children with the Book of Allah in a book, which is in its final steps of completion, inshaAllah.

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Saba Syed (Umm Reem)

Saba Syed (aka Umm Reem) is the author of International award winning novel, "An Acquaintance." Saba has a BA degree in Islamic Studies. She studied Arabic Language & Literature at Qatar University and at Cairo Institute in Egypt. She also received her Ijaazah in Quranic Hafs recitation in Egypt from Shaikh Muhammad al-Hamazawi. She had been actively involved with Islamic community since 1995 through her MSA, and then as a founding member of TDC, and other community organizations. in 2002, she organized and hosted the very first "Musim Women's Conference" in Houston, TX. Since then, she's been passionately working towards empowering Muslim women through the correct and untainted teachings of Islam. She is a pastoral counselor for marriage & family, women and youth issues. She has hosted several Islamic lectures and weekly halaqas in different communities all over U.S and overseas, also hosted special workshops regarding parenting, Islamic sex-ed, female sexuality, and marital intimacy.

14 Comments

Umm Esa

September 4, 2013 at 11:04 AM

JazakiAllahu khyran

Reply
Hyde

September 4, 2013 at 7:30 PM

Well…I am in tears…that is the best way to say that. The humbleness, the cleanness, the wholeness and the purity all radiate out from such a simple event. The nature of your husband and the sheer love that is conspicuous throughout the event. Bless you and your daughter! Very touching indeed.

Reply
Maryam Jamal

September 4, 2013 at 10:18 PM

Subhan Allah. Masha Allah.

Reply
Aasia

September 5, 2013 at 1:05 AM

Salam alaykum…

A quick question to Umm Reem: Did you start teaching your daughter how to read at 5 years of age and finished the memorization in 2.5 years or she could already read by the time she reached 5 years of age?

Reply
Ahmed Fuseini Alhassan

September 5, 2013 at 11:53 AM

maashaa Allah tabaarallah!

Reply
Ipad lovers mom

September 5, 2013 at 6:19 PM

My public school attending six year old son has by hearted Surahs Maryam, Kahf, Az-Zumar and Yasin. He does not know how to read arabic and neither does he speak or understand arabic. He learns Quran by merely listening. He has won at local Quran competitions.

His method is as follows:

He plays games and watches videos and learns Quran all on the IPad.

He gets 25 minutes to play games or watch cartoon videos on the Ipad followed by listening to an ayat been recited 9 times by a Quran app. Then its back to 20 minutes playing games or watching videos on the Ipad itself.

So its pretty much 20 minutes of games followed by 30 to 60 seconds of Quran audio in alternate order.

I am aware it is a disrespectful method of learning but it appears to be the only way he learns the Quran.

Reply
Ihsan

September 25, 2013 at 6:09 AM

MashaAllah.. I have been waiting for u to post this since u wrote the sex educatioin series.
Alhamdulillah for ur children.how do we get to know when ur book is ready?

Reply
ummfatima

October 8, 2013 at 7:49 PM

Aslamualeikum Sis, masha’allah may Allah continue to bless you and your family. Jazakallahu Khayrun for sharing this. What are your thoughts on online qur’an classes for children -I have seen these become common over the past few years (teaching via skype through institutions)? Esp for mothers who are not as qualified as you were mashallah to teach.

Reply
AbuMarjaan

February 3, 2014 at 4:31 AM

My 5 year old daughter is attending Darul Furqaan tahfeedh school in JeddahAs Mentioned in the article, In addition to this, have you finished the compilation the advice and practical steps of assisting children memorize Qur’an and raising children with the Book of Allāh ? I highly appreciate if you could share .

Reply
- Umm Reem
  
  February 4, 2014 at 5:09 AM
  
  salam alaikum Abu Marjaan,
  
  It is funny that you are Abu Marjaan, because my niece named Marjaan also lives in Saudi and is a hafidha :)
  
  Unfortunately, I have not finished my book yet. It is in the final stages. Please make du’a that I get barakh in my time. May Allah make your daughter from among the huffadh with ikhlaas, and may Allah reward you with the crown on the day of judgment as promised for the parents of huffadh.
  
  Reply
  - sabeelsaleem
    
    February 10, 2014 at 3:16 AM
    
    Thanks for the kind words and Jazak Allah Khayr for your prayers.
    
    I found these word of wisdom by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
    
    “How many people have caused misery to their own children, the apples of their eyes, in this world and in the Hereafter, by neglecting them, not disciplining them, encouraging them to follow their whims and desires, thinking that they were honoring them while they were in fact humiliating them, that they were being merciful to them while in fact they were wronging them. They have not benefited from having a child, and they have made the child lose his share in this world and in the Hereafter. If you think about the corruption of children you will see that in most cases it is because of the parents.”
    
    There is clear lack of vision and action in Ummah about the right parenting .Your experiences and guidance in parenting articles are a good resource.
    May Allah reward you in abundance.
    
    Reply
  - AbuMarjaan
    
    April 5, 2015 at 11:32 AM
    
    Assalam alaikum ,
    It has been one year now ;I hope you have progressed with the compilation . I appreciate if the book is ready to share .
    Barak Allah Feek
    
    Reply
zaakiyah

February 15, 2014 at 4:16 PM

Asalaam my name is zaakiyah I’m thirteen years old I myself will love to reach the quran inshallah this message inspired me a lot I hope to hear more from your inspirational stories inshallah ameen

Reply
Mrs.A

April 29, 2014 at 12:27 PM

Salaams! Masha allah tabarak Allah! Wow! Just wow! Im in awe,, im pregnant, and i was just looking at islamic parenting and i came across your article,, im just amazed,, one question sister,, what does your daughter do now?

Reply