Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets
- ★★★★★
- ★★★★☆
- ★★★★☆
- ★★★★★
- Gratitude
- Reverence
- Routines
Values
Struggles
Why Should My Child Read This Book?
This four-book collection invites children to notice the beauty in Allah’s creation—through color, shape, number, and relationships. Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets earns our gold star for capturing the simple beauty of our traditions. The second in this collection of highly recommended books focuses on shapes found in Islamic art and architecture, weaving in the beauty of mosques, prayer, and traditions sacred in our faith. This book lends itself easily to corresponding art projects related to shapes: create mosques using cut-out shapes from colored or patterned paper, reinforcing concepts of warm, cool and contrasting colors. The Author’s Note found at the end of the book explains why shapes and geometry are infused in Islamic art and architecture in a way that young children can easily understand.
How Can I Use This Book?
- Before reading, ask:
- Name some shapes you see around you. Can you find something round? Something pointed? Who created all the shapes around us? Allah ﷻ created so many beautiful shapes. We see them in nature, and we also build with shapes.
- Discuss the following part of a hadith: The Prophet ﷺ said “Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.” (Muslim) What do you think this means? Allah created the world with beauty, and it is our responsibility to preserve and reflect that beauty. We begin by tending to our own hearts—because when the heart is beautiful, our words, actions, and choices become beautiful as well.
- Allah ﷻ made the moon. What shape is the moon? The moon is like a round ball, a sphere, but sometimes it looks like a crescent. Is the moon beautiful? When do Muslims look for the new crescent moon?
- What is a minaret? What shape is this minaret on the front cover? What do you usually hear before prayer time at the mosque or when praying with a group? The adhan. It is the call to prayer. Why is the adhan called before prayer? Have you heard the adhan at the masjid or in your home? Why do you think the adhan is called so loudly? In many places where Muslims live, the adhan can be heard before every prayer, helping everyone to remember Allah ﷻ and to come together to pray, even at Fajr time.
- Have you noticed the shapes at the mosque, like the tall rectangle of the door? Did you know that there is a dua that you say before you enter the mosque? Learning the sunnah duas for going into the mosque and leaving the mosque is a beautiful way to remember Allah ﷻ and stay connected to the Prophet ﷺ.
- Has anyone visited mosques in other countries? What do they look like? In mosques, we decorate with beautiful shapes, designs from nature like flowers and trees, and Islamic calligraphy instead of pictures or statues of people or animals.
- It’s time for an art project! Cut out solid-colored, patterned, and metallic shapes: triangles, rectangles, squares, hexagons, and domes. Choose a colorful background and plan out a mosque design. Once the design is complete, glue the shapes to the paper.
What’s This Book About?
Anything I need to be aware of?
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