What is important to teach your children about Islam? How to pray? The names of Allah? Qur’an? Do Islamic biographies make your list? There are so many wonderful benefits to teaching kids about the lives of the Prophets, the Companions, the Salaf and Scholars, here’s an outline of just a few.
Islamic Biographies Provide Good Role Models
It’s a common complaint in the media that children suffer from a lack of positive role models. Alhamdulillah, this is something that we can do something about. We can teach our kids about the very best people. We know the stories of the Prophets and Messengers, the names of the 4 perfect women, ten Companions promised paradise and more!
They provide great role models for us too. If we take inspiration and try to copy their character we have the added benefit of becoming role models for our kids.
Kids can’t take people for role models that they don’t know anything about. Teaching Islamic biographies gives them details of the lives that are truly worth copying.
Heart Softeners
The life stories of great Islamic personalities are incredibly affecting. It is difficult not to be moved when you read the story of when Yaqub and Yusuf were reunited (upon them be peace), or when you hear how the early Muslims suffered in Makkah before the hijrah or the humility of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) tending to the needs of an old woman in Madinah whilst Caliph of all the Muslim lands.
Softening our hearts and the hearts of our children is a beautiful effect of studying Islamic biographies.
Imaam Ibnul Jawzi [rahimahullaah] said:
I saw that solely being preoccupied with studying Fiqh and listening to [transmission] of hadeeth is not enough to rectify the heart, except [when] combined with [the authentic narrations concerning the] softening of the hearts, and looking into the biographies of the pious predecessors.
Gratitude and Patience
Every single biography of pious Muslims is full of examples of gratitude and patience.
Their lives were full of trials and their patience in the face of these difficulties is truly inspirational. They are also full of practical examples for kids of how to be patient.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, which people are tested most severely?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “They are the prophets, then the next best, then the next best. A man is put to trial according to his religion. If he is firm in his religion, his trials will be more severe. If he is weak in his religion, he is put to trial according to his strength in religion. The servant will continue to be put to trial until he is left walking upon the earth without any sin.”
(Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2398 Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani)
Islamic Biographies Provide Connection to the Sunnah
The stories of the Prophet and his Companions really help children to feel a connection to the sunnah. They become familiar with the narrators of the ahadith and the people mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah. They understand the relationships between the various Companions and have a deepened sense of the lives they lead and the context to the different rulings they learn in fiqh.
Inspiration through Stories
Children love stories. They connect with them, enjoy retelling them and learn and remember through the narrative structure of beginning, middle and end. Stories are a great way of teaching concepts. For example, the stories of Prophets in the Qur’an illustrate the importance of tawheed, patience and persistence in following the truth. Biographies in their simplest form are life stories and kids thrive in their telling.
Free Islamic Biographies for Kids
There are a variety of free biography packs available to you in the free resource library. Sign up here and gain access to:
⭐A biography of Imam Bukhari,
⭐A biography of the female sahaba who cleaned Masjid An-Nabawi,
⭐A biography of the beloved cousin of the Prophet, Jafar bin Abi Talib
⭐A biography of Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) one of the 10 Noble Companions promised paradise.
Complete biography sets are available below!
Biographies of the 10 Promised Paradise TPT and Etsy.
The Child Companions Bundle: TPT or ETSY
Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) TPT and Etsy
Here are some other blog posts you may be interested in:
How to teach Islamic content all day long
What are Islamic Comprehension Passages and why you should be using them?
