Muslim Child
Eight short stories by Rukhsana Khan about Muslim children around the world, from Fajr and Ramadan to Eid and Hajj, in an audiobook for ages 7 to 9.
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What is Muslim Child about?
Muslim Child is an Islamic audiobook for children aged 7 to 9 that brings together eight short stories and a set of poems by the Canadian author Rukhsana Khan, each about a Muslim child in a different country.
In Fajr, Hanif in the United States rushes his dawn prayer and spoils it, then finds that a prayer said slowly and with meaning brings peace. In Black Ghost, Nabil in Canada hides his mother's niqab from his new friend Danny, until she climbs a tree to rescue him. Aziza's First Fast follows a girl through her first day of fasting in Ramadan, and in I Love Eid a girl in Canada describes her family's Eid al-Fitr. In Samosas, Ahmed, a boy in an orphanage in Karachi, finds a gold coin in his samosa and gives it back. In Jumbo Jelly Shoes, Jamila in England finds that the sweets she has bought are not halal, and learns how bad it feels to eat them anyway. In The Year of the Elephant, Halima's grandmother in Nigeria tells the story of Abraha's army and the year the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born. In Lost in Hajj, Bilal from New York is lost in Makkah and searches for his parents through the pilgrimage.
Most stories end with a saying of the Prophet ﷺ or a surah of the Qur'an. The collection closes with the names of the twenty-five prophets in the Qur'an and two poems, One Big Family and Muslim Child. Read by Rania Kurdi, it runs to about an hour and a half, and together the stories show children that Muslims live all over the world and share one faith.
What your child will learn
- A prayer said slowly and with meaning brings peace to the heart.
- We should not judge people by how they look or dress.
- Honesty is right even when no one else would know.
- Allah sees what we do, even when no one else does.
- Muslims all over the world are one family with one faith.
Chapters
- Fajr
- Black Ghost
- Azeeza's First Fast
- I Love Eid
- Samosas
- Jumbo Jelly Shoes
- The Year of the Elephant
- Lost in Hajj
- The Prophets of Allah and Two Poems
Where this audiobook comes from
- Surah Al-Fatiha 1:1-7: Recited at the end of Fajr.
- Surah Al-Fil 105:1-5: How Allah dealt with the army of the elephant, recited at the end of The Year of the Elephant.
- Surah Al-Hajj 22:26-29: The call to Hajj given to Prophet Ibrahim (AS), recited at the end of Lost in Hajj.
- Sahih Muslim 2564: Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth, but at your hearts and your deeds.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 8: Islam is built on five pillars.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 13: None of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.
- Al-Adab al-Mufrad 112: He is not a believer who eats his fill while his neighbour goes hungry.
Talk about it afterwards
- Which story did you like best, and why?
- Why did Hanif feel better after he prayed the second time?
- Why was Nabil worried about his friend seeing his mother?
- What would you have done with the gold coin, if you were Ahmed?
- What is the same for all the children in the stories, even though they live in different countries?
Words to know
- Fajr
- The dawn prayer.
- Wudu
- The washing Muslims do before they pray.
- Niqab
- A cloth some Muslim women wear over the face.
- Sadaqah
- A gift given in charity.
- Tasbih
- Saying Subhanallah, glorifying Allah; also the string of beads used to count it.
- Iqamah
- The second call, made just before the prayer begins.
Frequently asked questions
What stories are in Muslim Child?
Eight stories, Fajr, Black Ghost, Aziza's First Fast, I Love Eid, Samosas, Jumbo Jelly Shoes, The Year of the Elephant and Lost in Hajj, followed by a short piece on the prophets of Allah and two poems.
What age is Muslim Child suitable for?
Children aged 7 to 9. Each story is short, but together they last about an hour and a half, so they work well one at a time.
Who wrote Muslim Child?
Rukhsana Khan, a Canadian author. The audiobook is adapted from her book Muslim Child, a collection of short stories and poems, and is read by Rania Kurdi.
