Islamic Studies

Throughout the elementary school years, students build upon their existing love of and connection with Allah to emphasize practices of faith that are integral and relevant to their life experiences. These practices, and the lessons learned from them, help to answer the fundamental and profound question: Who am I? This is to ask: What is a Muslim? Lessons, while focused on their content area knowledge (i.e. science, art, literature), are delivered through the lenses of TES’s Core Values, instilling within students a practical application of Islam as a deen (way of life). Students also establish foundational knowledge of the Islamic Sciences necessary for a child to know and comprehend, namely:

The TES Islamic Studies curriculum is divided into five content areas:

• Fiqh (Ibadah): Students learn the fundamentals of how to “perform” their religious duties of Ṭahārah, Ṣalāt, Zakāt, Ṣawm, Ḥajj (as appropriate) and associated actions.
• Aqīdah (Īmān) : Students nurture their relationship with Allah by exploring His Names & Attributes, which “informs” their belief. This includes building upon their relationship with the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur’an (āyāt of the book) and Creation (āyāt of the universe).
• Akhlaq (Iḥsān) : Students are shown the methods necessary to develop one’s morals and etiquette, in order to “transform” their relationships: with Allah, Prophet Muhammad, self, family, community, and larger society.
• Sīrah (Prophetic Biography) : Students study all content through the exemplar of the Prophet Muhammad ,صلى الله عليه وسلم making sense of the nature of his prophethood as a mercy to all the worlds.
• Islamic History (Tarikh): Students will study the history of the Khulafaa’ Al Rashideen (the companions) and move on to the rest of the content of Islamic History.

Standards for each content area are outlined and spiraled from KG to 8th grade, written by experienced TES I.S Staff. In Elementary, students interact with these standards as they are integrated into other core subjects, i.e. math, science, social studies, and language arts. This helps students realize deen is not simply a box we check off when we pray, but rather the world-view by which we see. Each content area is to be taught, assessed and reported as appropriate in the report card.