The Beloved Prophet

  Author:  Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

  Subject:  Biography of the Blessed Prophet Muhammad

  Grade Level:  5-7

  Rating:  3.5 stars

    "The Beloved Prophet" is a good study & activity book for students in fifth and sixth grades and for anybody who wants to do a quick study about the life of the Prophet (p).

    The writer, Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, is another name in the list of Muslim writers who are striving to bring the light of knowledge and righteousness to young , eager Muslim children.

    She inspires the creative mind of a child through original art exercises.  For instance, in one activity she suggests making a design with six hearts and entering the names of the Prophet's children in them.  The activity is entitled, "The Prophet's Family". 

    Sr. Ruqaiyyah also knows how to test children's memories by asking relevant short questions and some vocabulary words as part of each chapter.

    "The Beloved Prophet" also contains good evaluation and language arts exercises, for example : Imagine you are a TV newsreader. Write a list of five questions that you might ask Uthman ibn Talhah. What possible replies might he give you?  (Extracted from the Chaperon "The Surrender of Makkah".  

    And to add some fun the writer has given word games. It's interesting to have a book with a focus to study and do related activities. Which also helps in enhancing ones knowledge.

    Well, I think a review is incomplete if it is not assessed with a practical point of view.  Firstly, as I was reading this book I came across a photograph of a Muslim bride, which shows us the influence of Hindu culture in our community. Secondly, the writer has used real life pictures to make the book look effective but with little or no information about the photographs. 

    And the last point that I would like to share is that, occasionally the sentences lack clarity, which is very important for a good book.  Also one should not forget that children are very smart they notice everything and ask all sorts of questions. They understand better and quick if everything is clear and concise.

    In conclusion, I would say that overall it is a quite good and interesting outline of the Prophet's (p) life in the form of a text and a workbook.

Reviewed by Sr. Sawleha