Fasting Six Days of Shawwaal

Abu Ayyoub reported that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said �Whoever fasts the month of Ramadhan and then follows it by fasting six days during the month of Shawwal will be rewarded as if he had fasted the entire year
(Saheeh Muslim)

Fasting Six Days of Shawwaal (The ClearSunnah.Blog)
The reward of fasting the six days of Shawwaal, the manner of observing this voluntary fast

Excerpts:
Fasting the six (days) of Shawwaal is a recommended act of worship and not an obligation.

It is not a must for him to fast immediately after �eed al-fitr, rather it is permissible to begin fasting after �eed by a day or (a number of) days. And (also) to fast them continuously or intermittently in the month of Shawwaal according to that which is easy for him. And the issue is quite open in this matter, and it is not obligatory, rather it is a sunnah.

"These days can be anytime during the month of Shawwal except the first day because it is unlawful to fast the day of Eid. These days do not have to be at beginning of the month nor do they have to be consecutive. Hence, Muslims should seize this opportunity and fast these six days to get Allah�s reward."

He should not do the voluntary fast whilst he has a day or days to make up from Ramadhaan. Rather, he should begin by making up that which he has (outstanding) from Ramadhaan, then do the voluntary fast.



Related:
TJ Printable: Fasting Other Than Ramadan
Voluntary Fasting in Islam - Salafi Publications

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Countdown to Ramadan (and Eid!)

There's nothing like a Ramadan bulletin board to get people thinking about Ramadan. I finally got around to starting ours this year. The first thing I put up was a countdown to Ramadan poster that I made this year.



and sure enough, it got us talking about Ramadan and its approach. This poster contains digits cards to cut out and I made a little pocket to hold the cards. I laminated the poster, number cards, and pocket for durability.I attach the numbers to the poster with velcro dots.


We've had it up for a couple of days and the kids get a kick out of changing the numbers in the morning.

I thought while I was at it, I would make a similar poster for Eidul Fitr:

To make them "pop" you can have the kids color in the white spaces (which I had intended but to do but my kids are not too often in a coloring mood, so we're going with black and white).

Download Countdown to Ramadan and Eid Posters 

Other Countdown Ideas


Ramadan Countdown Chain
Count down the days until Ramadan by making a Ramadan Countdown Chain. 

Cut out the strips and link together to form a chain. Tear off a chain each day.

Print out on colored paper to make your chain "pop." If you want each chain to be a different color, make the chains by hand instead.

One year, we draped our chain across our Ramadan Bulletin Board


Ramadan Countdown Chain



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Getting Ready for Ramadan: Learn about the Month of Shabaan!

The month of Shabaan, the month just before Ramadan, has arrived! And as such, it's a great time to review/learn about this month.  Below are some ideas that I have brainstormed to teach my kids about Shabaan this year, in shaa Allah.

Sample Unit Outline

I. Review the Islamic Calendar 

  • Briefly review the months of the Islamic Calendar. Give children a blank yearly calendar/worksheet and have them write in the names of month in order for reference. Start a Shabaan notebook and put this in. Check out my Islamic Months tag (at TJ Homeschooling) for resources with the month names for reference.

II. Review the Phases of the Moon

  • Briefly review the phases of the moon and how we know when a new Islamic month begins. Give student a moon phases worksheet to show how an Islamic month progresses. You can check out my Moon Phase Notebooking page here and check out my Moon Phases tag for other resources.
  • Make or print out a moon observation log for student to record what the moon looks like each night. Keep up the log until the end of Ramadan!  (I'm really looking forward to this activity this year as we have a telescope for the first time, alhamdulillah!)
  • Add these printables to your Shabaan notebook

III. Learn about month of Shabaan


 . Aa�isha said: �I have never seen the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, completing the fast of a month as he did for Ramadhan, and I have never seen him fasting so much as he would in Sha`baan.� [al-Bukhari and Muslim]

1. The desirability to fast during Shabaan

-Aa�isha said: �I have never seen the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, completing the fast of a month as he did for Ramadhan, and I have never seen him fasting so much as he would in Sha`baan.� [al-Bukhari and Muslim] Source: AbdurRahman.org)

-Read Fast the white days of Sha`ban Month (use your moon phases worksheet in your Shabaan notebook to review what the moon looks like during this time of the month).

-Making up missed fasting days before Ramadan

...who broke his fast for some valid legal reason, is obliged to make up for it, in obedience to the Command of Allaah, the Most Glorified, the Most High. He must make it up in that year, and he should not delay it until after the following Ramadan. �Aishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said:

"I had days to make up from Ramadan, and I was unable to make them up until Sha�ban (i.e. the month before the following Ramadan).�

This is due to the Messenger of Allaah�s relationship with her, so her saying �I was unable to make them up until Sha�ban� is a proof that they must be made up for before the start of the next Ramadan.

But if he delayed it after the following Ramadan, he should seek forgiveness from Allaah and repent to Him, and be remorseful for what he has done, and make up for these days. The obligation to make it up for is not removed merely because it has been delayed, so he should make up for these days even if it was after the next Ramadan. And Allaah is the Granter of Success.


If your child fasted last Ramadan and made a Ramadan fasting tracker, this would be an excellent time to review it and start (or continue) making up fasts. 


4. Learn about innovations regarding the month of Shabaan

Al ifta.net has a section on Shaban fatwa which includes innovations carried out during the month of Shabaan. You might make a notebooking page that lists innovations carried out during the month of Shabaan.

5. Begin a countdown to Ramadan when the month of Shabaan begins. 

Use numbered paper chains or a Shabaan calendar  (or other creative art project) and mark off the days as Ramadan approaches. (of course, be sure to review with your child that this may be off by a day as we won't know for sure when the month of Ramadan will begin until the crescent moon is sighted.)

Here are a few ideas for inspiration:

Countdown to Eid Blocks (Make your own base that says Countdown to Ramadan) I like this idea as you can use Hindi numerals to reinforce/teach these numeral concepts.  If you want to make blocks from paper/cardstock, here is a cube template you can print out. I've also done something like this before with some numbered cards (as opposed to cubes) and just hang a background page on the wall and change the digits each day.

Make paper chains. (Here is a cute display of countdown chains in general). Some years ago, I made this numbered template for countdown chains but you will probably want to cut out individual chains on construction paper so that you can alternate between colors to make a more vibrant display).

Mark off a calendar. You can grab one of my perpetual calendars to print out a calendar for the month of Shabaan. Each month has seven templates, so just go to the Shabaan calendars and find the calendar that starts on the same day of the week that Shabaan starts on this year and print or have fun making your own!



There's less than a week left until the month of Shabaan arrives, so now's a great time to start learning about it!


Do you have any Shabaan related printables/ideas? If so, please share with others in the comments!   Happy Learning!


Original Post: 5/2/2016
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Ramadan Childrens' Library

A collection of PowerPoints I've made over the years in addition to other resources I've found on the internet.

TJ Originals


A Day of Fasting
A Day of Fasting (2014 Version) from TJ Homeschooling

My Little Ramadan Primer (PDF, 27 pages)




Elsewhere on the Net

Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan - from A Muslim Child is Born blog
PDF printable book.



















It's the Day of Eedul Fitr a poem from Islam4Kids


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Ramadan Activity & Coloring Pages

Coloring Books
TJ Ramadan Coloring Book 11 pages


Ramadan Coloring Book  - originally posted from Salafi Sisters

Ramadan Coloring Book

Welcome Ramadan Coloring Books - Diary of a Muslim Homeschool has two printable Ramadan coloring books from 2012.

Coloring & Activity Pages

A Day of Fasting - draw about a day of fasting










Command to Fast Coloring Page A-  friend of mine cut it apart and used in a lapbook:
Command to Fast Ramadan Coloring Pagecommand-to-fast

Crescent Moon Coloring Page (off site at lilfingers.com) - great for preschoolers


Crescent Moon and Clouds Coloring Page (offsite)


Duaa for Host Coloring Page












Duaa for Host # 2

Fast of a Traveler Coloring Page (part of the 30 day It's Ramadan! Curriculum)










Iftaar Draw and Trace

Layl (Night) Scene










Masjid Coloring Page from TheColor.com (online coloring)

Masjid Coloring Page 2 - Supercolor.com

Masjid Coloring Page 3 - Freecoloringsheets.net

Masjid coloring page from EduPics












Ramadan Activity Packs from Umm Maimoonah Records. There are two packs and a teaching resource pack. You do not want to miss this cute resource! There are now 2 packs and there are parent/teaching notes.




Taraweeh Prayer Rugs - design and color



Toys Activity Page - The Companions used to give the children toys to play with to keep them occupied during the fasting day. This activity is about toys in general.


Ramadan Activity  Book from A Muslim Child is Born - You don't want to miss this, great for the little kids;  75 pages.



Online Ramadan Coloring Pages at TheColor.com
Themes: boy eating date, family, friendship, mosque, praying, reading Quraan (they do contain faces)

Do contain faces and one is the crescent and star which I have read should not be used as a symbol of Islam due to it's pagan origins, but it does have some nice masjid pics and the people can be defaced in Paint or similar program, in sha Allah.
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What Breaks the Fast?


Reference

Does it Break the Fast? - DuSunnah.com has a nice 2 page PDF that answers important questions about fasting and then includes a table with different actions and states whether or not those actions break the fast.




Worksheets & Activities

Does it Break the Fast? Worksheet - A simple worksheet for older students to complete (it contains mature subject matter)
Does it Break the Fast? Worksheet for Older Students

Does it break the fast? sorting activityDoes it break the fast? sorting activity

Things That Break the Fast Mobile

Here's a cute mobile to illustrate things that break the fast.  It was made by Umm Abdul Basir on our collaborative Islamic Bulletin Boards site.



 You can download the Things that Break the Fast Mobile at Islamic Bulletin Boards!!!!!
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Laylatul Qadr

Learn About Laylatul Qadr

When is the Night of Qadr? -  Shaykh Albanee and Shaykh Uthaimeen


Laylatul Qadr PowerPoint

When is Laylatul Qadr? What are the signs of Laylatul Qadr?  Why is it important?
Find out in this TJ PowerPoint!



Download Laylatul Qadr PowerPoint (.pps) (2010 Version)


Laylatul Qadr Duaa

Meaning of the Best Duaa for Laylatul Qadr

According to ahadith (which you can find in my Laylatul Qadr PowerPoint or mini Bulletin board display), Laylatul Qadr could be ( or have been) the following nights this year, and Allah knows best:

(The night comes before the day so the 21st night is considered as the evening of July 7 til the morning of July 8)



 �Aaishah [May Allaah be Pleased with her] asked the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] about the best Dua�a to make on this night and he [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] replied by informing her to say:
????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???
Oh Allaah! You are Al-�Aafoow and You Love to Pardon, so Pardon me.

You can learn  more about the Meaning of the Best Dua to Make on the Night of Laylatul Qadr from the Ahledhikr blog.

Laylatul Qadr Lessons


A friend clued me in on this workbook: "Hey Kids! Laylatul Qadr is the Best Night of the Year"
Activities across the Curriculum

Laylatul Qadr Lessons for Little Children - Blog.JannahSteps.com

Laylatul Qadr Bulletin Board Display

Laylatul Qadr Bulletin Board Display Elements - TJ Homeschooling
I made the elements and the picture below is how my bud, Umm Abdul Basir displayed it one year.

Laylatul Qadr bulletin board display


Suratul Qadr

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