Amal Al-Sibai
Ramadan is the month of forgiveness, mercy, and fasting, a time when we experience spiritual growth. Ramadan can also be a time of intellectual and educational growth for adults and children as well. Take the opportunity this Ramadan to teach your children about why Ramadan is so special, teach them a new chapter from the Qur’an and read the translation of the verses with them, or teach them about the Prophets, or read about the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
For children to enjoy learning something new and also feel engaged and excited about Ramadan, organize a quizbowl or question and answer competition in your home. Be creative with the way you hold the competition. You can write the questions on small, crumpled up papers and the kids pick questions from a small basket like a raffle, or you can split your kids up into two teams and ask questions, or you can make a game using a slide show, similar to Jeopardy. You will be surprised how much information children can retain using these types of games.
Researcher and educator, Gail McGrew, said, “Research has shown that games create a positive learning experience for students and decrease the stressful emotions around learning. Like game shows, Quiz Bowl capitalizes on the link between strong emotion and memory to increase the retention rate of information through the positive emotions engendered. Because students are having fun, they don’t necessarily realize they are learning in the process.”
We have provided a set of 30 questions and answers for you to quiz your family. The ways to use the Q and A are limitless. For example, you can ask two questions every day one hour before the iftar meal. Or you can ask the questions after sunset so you can serve popcorn or ice cream while quizzing them. Or you can hold a quizbowl in your home inviting your children’s friends and relatives to play too, and ask all the questions on one day. Be sure to have simple prizes for the winners!
To maximize the actual learning, you may pause after the children answer each question to add some information relating to that question or to do a bit of explanation. If the kids get stuck, fill them in on the answer and a very brief explanation, or tell a short story behind it.
My family played this quizbowl last Ramadan and we all had a blast!
Let the games begin!
1. What is the longest surah or chapter in the Holy Qur’an? Al-Baqarah
2. What is the shortest surah or chapter in the Holy Qur’an? Al-Kawthar
3. How many surahs are there in the Holy Qur’an? 114
4. Who is the Prophet whose name was mentioned the most frequently in the Qur’an? Prophet Musa or Moses
5. Which lady was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an by her name? Maryam
6. Which companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an by his name? Zaid bin Haritha
7. Which was the first verse in the Holy Qur’an to be revealed? {Recite in the name of your Lord who created} (Surah Al-Alaq, Chapter 96, verse 1)
8. Which was the last verse in the Holy Qur’an to be revealed? {And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged [i.e. treated unjustly]}. (Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, verse 281)
9. How many Prophets were mentioned in the Holy Qur’an? 25
10. Name the Prophets mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Adam, Nuh, Hud, Saleh, Lut, Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, Yusuf, Shoaib, Ayyoub, Dhul Kefl, Yunus, Musa, Haroun, Ilyas, Al-yasa’, Dawood, Sulaiman, Zakariyyah, Yahya, Esa, Muhammad
11. Name the surahs or chapters in the Holy Qur’an that are named by the name of a Prophet. Surah Yunus (Chapter 10), Surah Hud (Chapter 11), Surah Yusuf (Chapter 12), Surah Ibraheem (Chapter 14), Surah Muhammad (Chapter 47), Surah Nuh (Chapter 71)
12. How many surahs or chapters are there in the Holy Qur’an? 114
13. What is the name of the wife of the Pharaoh (Fir’awn)? Asiya bint Muzahim
14. How old was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he began to receive revelation? 40 years
15. How old was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he died? 63 years
16. Which companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was nicknamed Dhun-Nurayn (Possessor of Two Lights), and why? Uthman bin Affan, because he was married to the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and after she died, he married another of the Prophet’s daughters.
17. What is the name of the Gate in Paradise that the believers who used to fast frequently will enter Paradise from? Al-Rayyan
18. How many times did Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) perform Haj or pilgrimage? Once
19. Who are the best women in Paradise, as mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (the Prophet’s wife), Fatimah bint Muhammad (the youngest of the Prophet’s daughters), Maryam bint ‘Imraan (the mother of Prophet Esa or Jesus, and Aasiyah bint Muzaahim (the wife of Pharaoh).
20. Which surah or chapter in the Holy Qur’an is named by the name of a fruit? Surah At-Teen, or The Fig
21. What was the nickname given to Umar Bin Al-Khattab and what does it mean? Al-Faruq and it means the one who distinguishes truth from falsehood.
22. Which surahs or chapters of the Holy Qur’an were titled by the names of an animal? Surah Al-Baqarh, the Cow, Surah An-Nahl, the Bee, Surah An-Naml, the Ant, Surah Al-Ankabut, the Spider, Surah Al-Fil, the Elephant.
23. What is the name of the muadhin or the caller to prayer at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Bilal bin Rabah
24. What are the names of the daughters of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Umm Kulthum, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, and Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with them)
25. What is the nickname given to camels? The ship of the desert
26. What is the name of the camel of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Al-Qaswaa
27. Who was Prophet Muhammad’s best friend? Abu Bakr As-Siddiq
28. Who was the first person to believe in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and embrace Islam? The Prophet’s wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
29. Who was the youngest person to embrace Islam? The Prophet’s young cousin, Ali bin Abi Talib
30. Name any ten of the Beautiful Names of Allah. Of the 99 of the Beautiful Names of Allah are: Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Malik, Al-Quddus, As-Salam, Al-Aziz, Al-Khaliq, Al-Ghaffar, Ar-Razzaq, Al-Aleem, Al-Lateef, Al-Kareem, Al-Qayyum, Al-Wadud, Al-Hakeem.
