Are there any Islamic Homeschool Curriculum options available on the market? There are some comprehensive, well-rounded Islamic homeschool curriculum options incorporating both Islamic and secular subjects (Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, Arabic, Qur’an, and Islamic Studies) nowadays.
Let us take a closer look at those.
Islamic Homeschool Curriculums
1. Iqra Islamic curriculum (supplementary for Arabic language, Qur’an, Islamic history, and Islamic studies)
According to the information on the website, the Iqra curriculum offers a complete program of Islamic studies that builds a positive self-identity, covering the Arabic language, Qur’anic studies, Sirah & Hadith, Aqidah Fiqh & Akhlaq, and Islamic history.
Iqra is a boxed curriculum, and they have books to cover all these subjects that are available to purchase individually or as a set. The advantage of the Iqra curriculum is that they have grade-level books suitable for pre-school, primary, secondary, and all the way up to high school.
As you have seen above, most Islamic Studies curriculum packs offer Learning Materials suitable for pre-school or primary level only (ages 4-11). It’s difficult to find Islamic studies books with activities inside for grades 7 and above, ages 12+. Iqra seems to fill the gap in the market and their books are structured very well according to grades. Moreover, they also offer enrichment books suitable for all ages.
You can see their full curriculum on their website and can purchase the books you need. I am using their curriculum right now and I love it! The books are high quality, very colorful, and interesting. The material is not boring at all. They are US-based, so the shipping fee is reasonable within the USA. They also have e-versions of their books sold separately.
Iqra Curriculum and books: httpss://www.iqra.org/
Iqra e-books: httpss://ebooks.iqra.org/
Iqra Online Academy: http://www.iqraonlineacademy.com/
2. Taqwa Islamic Curriculum
The Taqwa curriculum is only available from reception to Year 2, which is suitable for ages 4-7.
It is a boxed curriculum whereby you can purchase the books separately or as a bundle.
Taqwa curriculum is based on project-based learning which is more like unit studies and the units incorporate Maths, English, Science, Geography, and ICT through the lives of the prophets.
The price is also reasonable when you purchase it as a bundle (price range between £12- £32).
Taqwa boxed curriculum uses authentic Islamic sources and looks light and engaging (most boxed curriculums require a rigorous schedule to study). This curriculum is great for new homeschooling families with children between the ages of 4-7.
Available at www.taqwacurriculum.com
3. Nurture Islam Pre-K curriculum
Nurture Islam pre-Kinder curriculum pack is available from reception to Year 1, so suitable for ages 4-5.
Nurture Islam is also theme based (unit-studies) incorporating Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, and basic Arabic language. It includes 22 themed ebooks and comes with a detailed lesson plan and parental guide.
Nurture Islam Pre-K curriculum is a digital product downloadable after purchase which costs $350 (the cost seems the only downside as it is not cheap, especially for those homeschooling multiple children). These books are very well researched and well-referenced throughout, using authentic Islamic sources.
Available at http://www.umm-maimoonah.com/
4. Ad-Duha Islamic Curriculum (supplementary for Islamic Studies ONLY)
Ad-Duha is a more established institute providing Muslim families with Islamic Studies curriculums.
Ad-Duha is not a comprehensive curriculum incorporating mainstream school subjects. However, their sets of Islamic books for children are fun and engaging.
The books are available in printed or digital format. If you can’t afford printed books or the books are not shipped to your location, then you can simply purchase ebooks, print out, and use to complement the Islamic studies part of your homeschool.
Their most popular product:
- Ad-Duha Mini Tafseer Series which includes 38 books at the cost of $79.95
They also have the following available on their website:
- Reflecting the Pillars Set, a set of 10 books on Tawheed, 99 names of Allah and Salah. The books are suitable for children Grade 1 to Grade 5, $79.95
- Ad-Duha Storytime Series, set of 9 books featuring an ayah (verse from the Qur’aan) or Sahih hadith about good character, morals, or manners followed by a fun, fictional story to help reinforce the reminder. $29.95
- Asma-ul Husna, a set of six books that teach students about the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah. These books are part of the Perfecting the Pillars Series but have been offered as a stand-alone set $39.95.
Ad-Duha is highly recommended by Iroda Ahmed. She recommends it to all Muslim families looking to supplement Islamic Education at home (even if they don’t homeschool).
Ad-Duha packs cover the Islamic Studies part of your homeschool curriculum, and most of their books suitable up to grade 5, ages 9-10. Therefore, you will have to purchase other curriculum packs for regular school subjects (Maths, English, Science, and Arabic language) and also search for alternative Islamic curriculums for children 11+.
Available at: httpss://www.ad-duha.org/
5. Safar Publications Curriculum (supplementary for Arabic, Qur’an reading and Islamic studies)
Safar Publications is based in the UK and provides a boxed curriculum for Islamic Education only.
Their curriculum is structured into four distinct areas:
- Learn about Islam series
- Learn to Read Series
- Learn by Heart Series
- Learn Arabic series
Their books can be purchased separately or as a bundle. They aim at giving learners a firm foundation in their Quranic reading and understanding, Islamic knowledge, spiritual development, and in grasping the Arabic language.
Unlike Ad-Duha who provides ONLY Islamic Studies curriculum, Safar Publications curriculum includes Qāidah, Tajwid, Juz Amma (Learn to Read Series), Duas and Surahs (Learn by Heart Series), Islamic Studies (Learn about Islam Series) and Arabic language (Learn Arabic Series).
Their books seem fun and engaging and Iroda Ahmed would highly recommend using their curriculum for Muslim families residing in the UK.
The only downside is that as they don’t provide digital products, the shipping may work out expensive for those residing outside the UK. Otherwise, their price is very reasonable for a physical product, especially when books purchased as a bundle. They also provide free online training portal for parents as well as teacher’s guidebooks.
Available at: httpss://safarpublications.org/
6. I Love Islam Curriculum (supplementary for Islamic Studies ONLY)
These are leveled sets of textbooks and workbooks, available for purchase on Amazon and goes all the way up to grade 5. The books are suitable for ages 4-10 and have been very popular with families who just want to grab and go; or teach the basics of Islam.
Their books are engaging, interactive, and easy to use.
You can use these books anywhere – in your kitchen table or while waiting in the car!
The information presented here is very basic, hence these books have been very popular with Islamic Sunday schools and weekend madrassas.
7. Muslim School Books (to supplement English/Language Arts)
You may want to try Muslim School Books too, a boxed curriculum for Literacy/Language Arts/Literature.
They provide Islamic phonics and reading comprehension textbooks for primary school kids. Their phonics books are fun to go through and use Islamic based images such as the hijab, miswak, and Kaba.
They also have leveled Reading Comprehension series for grades 4 through 6. Their reading comprehension books have an all-in-one workbook that includes Islamic based stories with related vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and composition prompts worksheets. This seems like a great option to supplement Language Arts/Literature using Islamic texts and stories.
They are based in the USA and have free shipping for those residing in the USA. For those who live outside, all their books come in printed and ebook formats so you can purchase the digital product and print your own copy.
You can “take a peek inside” all of their products on their website. You can find them at http://www.MuslimSchoolBooks.com
8. Curriculums/books to supplement the Arabic language
- “Madinah Arabic Reader” by Dr. V AbdurRahim, former professor of Arabic at Madinah University.
These are a set of leveled books from level 1 to level 8.
Arabic texts and language exercises presented in Madinah books enable the student to acquire a knowledge of Arabic in the classical structural form. All of the books teach essential language skills through applied grammar. Each lesson is based on a conversation that illustrates distinctive language patterns. A variety of exercises help the student to understand and master each of the patterns – perfect for grammar lovers!!!
The vocabulary ranges from classical and Quranic Arabic to words and expressions current in modern Arabic.
This series of books is currently being used at various schools to prepare students for the GCE O-Level and A-Level examinations in Arabic (UK).
You can find a series of free video/audio/worksheets to supplement each lesson on the internet (some listed below), Youtube, and over at Imaan’s homeschooling blog.
Books are available on Amazon and supplementary materials are available at:
https://abdurrahman.org/arabic-learning/madina-arabic/
https://understand-arabic.com/grammar-for-madinah-arabic-b…/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEOQmQmApOg
- “Gateway to Arabic” by Dr Imran Hamza Alawiyeis, a graduate of Arabic from the University of Madinah who later went on to obtain his PhD in Arabic from SOAS (London).
These are set of leveled books from level 1 to level 9. Unlike Madina Arabic books which are grammar-based and use a traditional method of teaching (identifying sentence structure and grammatical patterns), these books employ a vocabulary-based methodology of teaching a foreign language. Each book is themed and enriched vocabulary is presented around that theme or topic (a little like unit-studies). For example, in Book 1, which is for absolute beginners, the key theme running through the book is the weather and seasons. So, the student will learn the Arabic alphabet and vocabulary to talk about the temperature and climate in various parts of the world at different times of the year. The books are very well-structured, and passages of dialogue and extensive exercises enable the student to put into practice the knowledge he/she has acquired. They also have flashcards, CDs, and extra enrichment materials to accompany each book. These books have been very popular at weekend schools, after school madrassas, and for non-Arab adult learners in the UK.
Available at: https://www.gatewaytoarabic.com/
- “Arabic without tears” by Dr. Imran Alawiyeis. Arabic Without Tears is a colorful new series designed to teach Arabic in a lively interactive manner to younger learners.
There are only two levels available at the moment, suitable for the age range 4-7. It is intended for use by parents or teachers working closely with their children or pupils. These can be a good option for parents with young children and who possess no Arabic language skills at all (including the Arabic alphabet) Available at https://www.gatewaytoarabic.com/
Courtesy of Iroda Ahmed (“Raising Young Scholars”).
