Reminders 14: Summer Holiday Hacks Quran Reflections by Talha Ghannam Video:

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--- وَٱلْعَصْرِ ١ By the ˹passage of˺ time! إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ٢ Surely humanity is in ˹grave˺ loss, إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ٣ except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance. (103:1-3) It’s the summer holidays. Every moment we have is a moment too precious to waste, and death can come at any time. As parents, it’s tough enough entertaining our kids for 6 weeks alongside work, let alone having to worry about the time they spend. Religion feels like another burden to bear! But the truth is, it doesn’t have to. There are really simple yet effective ‘hacks’ you can do this summer to make yours and their time super productive. Here are 10 Hacks to help you parent like a pro this a summer!

- Make it Communal Don’t do things alone; bring other families in too! You will be amazed how motivating it can be for youth to see friends joining in the same activity with some healthy competition involved. At the end of the summer, arrange an awards ceremony at the park to celebrate what each person achieved. Not only will they have more enthusiasm to do it, but they can build lifelong friendships with fellow good Muslims; the single greatest thing you can do for your children. Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A man follows the religion of his friend; so each one of you should consider whom he makes his friend. (Abu Dawud)

- Positive Associations Think back to your youth; what makes something stick? If you want your children to love a good deed, attach it to something they love. Positive associations are critical in the development of your children, building rituals that will last a lifetime. Even the most secular of Muslims will look back fondly at the days of Eid because of the positive associations connected to it. So if you’re going on a holiday this summer, recite the dua for travel. Visiting another country? Find a local masjid to pray in. Attending a religious circle? Have an ice-cream after. We've got a list of ideas that you can do. The Quran club has built it’s own challenge feature on the app which you can download today. It helps you reward your children for every page of Quran they read. Imagine the habit and positive associations that will create in them.

- Create a Curriculum If you want your kids to benefit in the summer, give them structure. Create a playlist of lectures you would like them to listen to or books they can read. Set some simple questions for them to listen out for in the talk and answer you later on to ensure they are actively listening. It doesn’t have to be all religious; science projects, programming courses or creative writing tasks are incredibly beneficial (and Islamic) too! Remember actions are by intentions. We’ve made a list of some beneficial series for you and your kids to listen to and benefit from. Do share ones you would recommend too!

- Fill your home with reminders Why make practicing faith difficult? One of the most important hacks to help you practice your faith better is to simply make it more convenient! Place a bowl with tasbeehs (Masbha) on the coffee table to reach for when in the living room; that way you are much more likely to reuse them. Write duas around the house to remember to read on different occasions. Perform wudu after using the bathroom to make prayer less burdensome when time. Keep a playlist ready to listen before you go on long car journeys so its ready for when you do. Have a Quran besides your bed to read from just before you sleep. There are so many simple things you can do to make your faith much easier to practice.

- Keep it fun! We often focus on the religious things that can feel a challenge. Why? Make faith fun for your kids by organising fun things for them to do in the NAME of religion! Take them somewhere nice with the intention of following the command: قُلْ سِيرُوا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ ٱلْخَلْقَ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱللَّهُ يُنشِئُ ٱلنَّشْأَةَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ 'Travel throughout the land and see how He originated the creation, (29:20) Invite friends over with the intention of fulfilling this hadith: Abu Huraira Narrated: The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Seven will be shaded by Allah under His shade one of witch two people who love each other only for sake of Allah's and they meet and part only for Allah's sake … Eat nice halal food with the intention of avoiding being the man mentioned in the hadith by the profit ﷺ when he calls upon his lord saying 'O Lord! O Lord!,' while his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered? These hacks are just some of the things you can do this summer to make your time more productive in a few easy steps. Let us know if you have any others, and may this summer be fruitful and fun for you all! --- As-salaamu Alaykum! This is a segment as part of a broader pack that we've made on how to make your summer more productive. If you want a copy of this, join our mailing list, drop us a message on the Quran Club website. Download the Quran Club app and we can share this with you insha'Allah. We want this summer and every summer to be a powerful, transformative and relaxing time for you and your kids. Let us know what you think and do. Send any other hacks that you have insha'allah Talha