The Guiding Light: Book One

The Guiding Light series has been designed to teach the essential aspects

of Islamic beliefs and practices to children of primary school age. Areas

explored include the core Islamic beliefs; the five pillars of Islam; the Sīrah

(life of the Prophet) and early Islamic history; good manners and etiquette;

moral training and guidance; and much more. Where appropriate, Qur’ānic

passages and Aḥādīth are introduced to support the central theme of each

lesson.

This book is the first in the series and is tailored towards children aged 7–9

who are confident readers. It teaches basic concepts such as: Who is Allāh

(SWT)?; What is al-Islām?; Who is Prophet Muḥammad (ṢAAS)?; What is

the shahādah?; and What is the Qur’ān? It also explores the concepts of

cleanliness and how to perform wuḍū’; the adhān and iqāmah; and the

movements and words that make up a rak‘ah (unit of prayer). The book

culminates with a lesson on how to perform a complete act of ṣalāt.

Lessons are written in clear, simple English and are kept short to maintain

interest. Most lessons are followed by a comprehension exercise and homework

activities to encourage the pupils to revisit the materials they have

been taught. Classroom discussion points are also included to invite the

children to explore each chapter in greater depth and to think about

how they can apply the lessons in their everyday lives. The passages of

Arabic, where included, are furnished with a pronunciation guide to aid

memorisation and correct recitation, alongside the English meaning to

help foster a good understanding of what is being taught.