ICO Network Arabic Textbooks and Islamic Studies Textbooks

Asalam alaikum

I am really happy to have found the ICO Network website. Inshallah you will find this a really useful website to aid your child's journey in learning Islamic Studies and Arabic Studies.

The materials published by ICO are of the highest quality. They have demonstrated excellence in their endeavour to deliver high standard, engaging books and textbooks that aim to teach children Islam and Arabic.

My daughter's islamic school uses these text books as part of its curriculum for Islamic and Arabic Studies. I'm sure those mothers who are homeschooling have been searching for a professional set of textbooks for their children. These mothers as well as those whose children are unable to access an islamic school would be very interested in these texts. 

I definately recommend this publisher's works. I like the way the same characters are used throughout the curriculum, it is comforting for children to see Lulu, Yara, Wassim and Shadi crop up in different books and settings. Children find the lively drawings, colours and layout of the pages very engaging. 

The use of creative graphic design and fonts are also aesthetically pleasing. There has been a great deal of child psychology and teaching studies that have gone on in the production of these materials. 

One of the major, very major problems with the texts however is that the text is completely in Arabic. From the title to the end notes. So for those ajami (non-arabic) mums and teachers these books present a hurdle that needs to be overcome. For those who can afford a tutor or an arabic friend to help out with the translation then these books are very beneficial. For those who can not then the books still provide a great of help, especially for writing and recognition of letters and word formation. What the teacher would do at my daughter's school would be to print out a list of instructions with page numbers and fill out a table with translations for that particular unit of the week. 

There is also another website called the First Education website which is listed with the ICO Network's website but I though I'd share it here again. This website is the distributor in the UK. Though I haven't used it I'm sure inshallah it will work for Australia. 

ICO Network website: http://iconetwork.com/

First Education website: http://first-education.co.uk/


I pray that this post is beneficial to sisters and brothers

Asalam alaikum

Umm Musk 

Jan 2015 {Diary} New Islamic College + Moving Houses + New School Year

Asalamu alaikum,

The new year has officially started. I am thinking to start a diary style writing segment for sharing little things and memoirs, rather than full proper articles. Inshallah I can cope up with this sort of writing. I love to write on this blog but just can't seem to squeeze out the time with my babies getting older very fast.

I am currently shifting to Sydney. A beautiful sister in the countryside has kept all my things as I try to hunt down a place here which shows you the love and sisterhood we had as muslim sisters in the countryside. I am missing that with tears and sobs. We had some emotionally memorable farewells as I left that I don't think I can ever write up.

Sydney however is great for all the resources available that weren't in the countryside. We didn't have any learning centres or active masajid where knowledge could be sought. There are islamic bookstores here, halal chicken, halal beef and hijab stores. You just don't know the value of these things until they are not available. Indian stores are also a blessing. In the country we had one. For anyone who knows how indian shops rip you off, imagine a store with no competition for miles. Subhanallah.

I am mostly so glad to be here in Sydney as a new Islamic and Quran Centre has just been inaugrated. I missed out on places for my daughter but inshallah they will try to fit us somewhere. I have signed up to a few classes with the mercy of Allah and the first class was simply breathtaking. It is located in a multiculural business hub in a dingy, busy, noisy parking less cbd. But that centre with its tiny rooms filled with lamps of knowledge just illuminates everything around it with beauty.

Inshallah we are planning to buy a house rather than rent. Are alarm bells going off in the minds of our practising sisters? Don't worry inshallah I am aware of the ahkam of riba. I am not purchasing a house on riba. I will inshallah be purchasing it through a co-op. If anyone is aware of Sheikh Imran Hossein's lectures in Sydney in 2008, they will be familiar with the system he explains as the "only halal way" to buy a house, the one he mentions he says is only found in San Francisco. Well alhamdulilah bi idnillah we found a system similar here in New South Wales. I will ofcourse be sharing the details soon on this blog. Inshallah.

The new school year has begun and my daughter is continuing at her Islamic School. We have a very very lovely, soft spoken teacher who just smiles so nicely at pick up time. We have a new and very much improved arabic studies program. The islamic studies program is smoothly perfect as always run by another lovely sister with a very big smile. A few of my friend's children have also started school and it's nice to have that community feeling, inshallah another thing I can write about soon.

This was supposed to be a short diary note but khair I hope sisters enjoyed reading it as much I do sharing.


May Allah bless you and you family where ever in the world you are. May allah keep you surrounded with the warmth of knowledge and sisterhood ameen.

Umm Musk

Arabic Dot Tracing Wipe Off Workbook

Asalam alaikum,

I have had a bit of trouble finding Arabic writing materials for my preschool and kindergarten children. I took the long exhausting trek ( :) ) and went down to Sana Gifts in Lakemba (I love Lakemba) and alhamdulilah hidden somewhere in the back of the store I found a small shelf of arabic writing books. I wanted something with full colour, good paper, and high quality images. I wanted it also to be cost effective. Alhamdulilah I found it all.

The main thing I was searching for was dot tracing. I could not find Arabic letter tracing anywhere. No where. I would have taken anything in any quality.

Alhumdulilah though I didn't need to compromise. I found this tracing book by Paradise Publishers at Sana Gifts in Lakemba, under $10. It ticked all my boxes with bright colours, cute pictures and best of all tracable letters on plastic erasable pages so I can use them over and over for all four children. Inshallah.

May Allah reward the creators for putting their time and effort into this book. Ameen.

The book is called Al-huruf and comes in varying levels, the next levels take to joining letters and writing full words. All in dot tracing. 

The materials I find and share are not paid advertisements. These are gems I myself have found beneficial alhamdulilah and am sharing with my lovely sisters.

Asalamalaikum

Umm Musk