Jesse Bear BFIAR Islamic Adaptation

In our preschool curriculum, we use Before Five in a Row as a core component, and as with many other homeschool resources, there is a Bible component included. Since there aren’t any Islamic publishers that cover core subjects (math, literature, science, etc.), having a Bible component is a reasonable alternative so we can use the ideas to include our religion in these core subjects, too.

Cheer

In the lessons for the book Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?, the Bible section suggests discussing a verse about being cheerful. I’ve compiled a few ayat (verses) that touch on the same subject:

Allah ordained this only as a message of good cheer for you, and that thereby your hearts might be at rest – Victory comes only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise [Qur’an 3:126]

Messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. [Qur’an 4:165]

Discussion points:

Being a good Muslim and living out Islam should bring cheer to you. We are cheerful in knowing we are aiming to please Allah, and that in doing so, we are being a positive light to this world, and working toward the next, in sha Allah.
Messengers were sent with good manners. We learn from them in how to be patient and cheerful in the face of difficulty. The messenger’s example was a form of dawah (telling people about Allah’s message), and when we live out Islam cheerfully, it helps people see that Islam is beautiful, too.

Dress

Given this book talks about the appropriate clothes to wear at different times of day, it makes sense to talk about what we wear at different times, too. Some examples of different times and places where we wear different things:

During salat
When going to the masjid
Eid clothes
What we wear in public
- Hijab shows we are Muslims – why is this important?
Working clothes: when Daddy goes to work and when he works in the yard
What we can wear in front of our family

And here’s just one ayah we can point out that talks about clothing (emphasis my own):

O prophet! tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over themselves (when outside): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not bothered: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Qur’an 33:59]

See the point above about how hijab shows we are Muslims to those around us. We want others to know about our decision to please Allah!

Rhythm

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear is such a fun book to read aloud with a preschooler because of the rhythm and rhyme. We use rhythm and tone to beautify the Qur’an as well.

Listen to some Qur’an, especially a surah that has a lot of repetition like Surah Qariah and notice the rhythm and rhyme. Allah made it beautiful to listen to. Did the author try to make the book beautiful to listen to as well? The Qur’an is superior, but it’s fun to use the words Allah has given us to make rhythm, too!