teaching nephews about islam

[tany_rulz786]

aslaam wa alaikum brothers and sisters.

i need some advice in regarding educating my big brothers kids. my brother who passed away last month. ( may allah grant him jannah) i was thinking about giving them a few lessons about islam a couple of times a week without impacting to much on my studies.

i need help because i do not know how to approach it but i have the intention to-do so. thank you

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

Aslamu-alaykum..
I would recommend buying a few lectures from Islamic Shop or download them if possible, whatever way you find easy, like, Shiekh Bilal Phillips, Shiekh Sirah Wahhaj, Shiekh Yusuf Estes(he has good lectures on islaam based on the lifes of prophets and many more) and many more..You can teach them stories of the prophets Lifes and how they have an impact on our lifes, for e.g.When Prophet Ibrahim (as) was tested , a huge test and how much trust he had in Allaah, and many other stories of the Prophets, and how to use them in their Life..For. e.g to control your anger as its not good for you, and what silly things it can lead a human too.. Insha`Allaah thats my advice, i hope it helped, i am sure a lot of other Brothers and Sisters have more to say Alhamdulilah ..May Allaah make it easy for you and your brothers kids, Ameen
Wa alaaykum salaam..:)

[Muhammad]

aslaam wa alaikum brothers and sisters.

i need some advice in regarding educating my big brothers kids. my brother who passed away last month. ( may allah grant him jannah) i was thinking about giving them a few lessons about islam a couple of times a week without impacting to much on my studies.

i need help because i do not know how to approach it but i have the intention to-do so. thank you

:wa:

Innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raji'oon. I'm really sorry to hear about your brother - may Allaah (swt) have mercy upon him and grant him Jannah, Aameen.

Regarding educating your nephews, that's a really good idea Masha'Allaah and it is very rewarding and enjoyable also. Your approach will probably depend on the ages of the kids (and whether ages are fairly close to each other or not) and how much they know already.

If you're quite busy with studies, you could start off with once a week and see how that goes. Have a fixed time every week to hold a little class with them and use the time during the week to plan what to do.

Do you have to teach them Qur'an aswell? If so, you can perhaps divide the time or have more classes to incorporate this.

But do take up this task. May Allaah (swt) make it easy for you and your family, Aameen!

[Ummu Sufyaan]

:sl:
first and foremost you have to have the knowledge yourself. you have to know what you are talking about and ensure that you are taking this knowledge from reputable mashayikh and sources. if you dont, you risk raising the child believing and practicing the wrong things.

secondly, best way to teach someone is by teaching them according to their level of understanding and mentality so you have to "shrink" down the big information because it is sooo pointless to teach a child say tawheed by opening say kitaab ul-tawheed and reading it off to them. they dont get because its not how their brain works.
no, take the information/main point from the book and as i said "shrink" or "mould" it to conform to their level of understanding.

teach them the seerah/stories of the prophets. people can and will relate to one another and children are no different so when you tell then that the Prophet's (sallalahu aleyhi wa sallams) parents died when he was very little they will feel sorry for him/sympathies with him because they know how much they love their own parents and through this means a love and respect will inshallah develop and hence this may be a foundation to following his sunnah.

be kind, understanding and a gentle teacher.

dont make up answers to the questions they may ask. seriously know your stuff. and if you dont know just tell them that you will look it up and this way you're teaching the importance of asking (an imam) when they dont know.


make sure you are practicing what you preach so that they genuinely look up to and so that you avoid teaching them hypocrisy

always be encouraging, listen to their ideas and disagree politely as to not make them feel dumb.

if possible, teach them with other kids so that they have someone their own age to relate to. i mean consider the age gap between you and them...it maybe about 20 years or something so they may not be able to relate to you and get restless, etc.

if a child's parent/s arent practicing, or dont do something right, preach to them as well because a child's parent/s are their role models. for example you can say to a child its haraam to.... but they may not listen to and if they do, they will be hesitant becuase they dont see that their own parents are practicing this certain thing, in fact they will probably turn around and tell you "but my mum does that" so they wont be very willing to listen to what you are telling them.


know when to be kind and when to be stern, avoid both extremes and seek a balance between the 2. with children they will say things innocently but even then, some things they ask (or even the manner they ask) isnt always acceptable. for example you may hear a kid speak ill of Allah. so in this case, you need to be stern. dont be scared that you being stern will put them off the deen and make excuses "oh they are just kids, they are not responsible for their actions just yet"!! dont do that!!! avoid it like the plague! their childhood is like the blueprint for their adulthood...if they cant get rid of this now or if they dont know this is wrong now, they will grow up thinking this type of stuff is acceptable!....no, as long as its in its right time and place, and done MODERATELY, it shouldn't be a problem, inshallah.

make sure they hang out with the right crowds and make sure they are in good (well mannered preaching) schools.

dont be afraid or dont scold then if they correct you. no encourage this and praise them when they do because they will respect you more and if they respect you more, they will listen to you more and also it will teach them to accept the truth no matter who it comes from.

make your relationship with them informal. dont always be so serious...joke around, take them out and in engage in dunya activities. when they see you are a spoiling, fun person, they will develop a love and respect for you, which will be a major aid in teaching them so in other words, make sure make sure they love you

have a routine and timetable for them and make sure they follow it. like reward them when needed, etc.