Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuhu

Alḥamdulillāh, Safar Islamic Studies Textbook 8 is the second in our series of textbooks and workbooks for teenagers and advanced learners. The project is now complete and is currently in production. The first edition took more than 3 years to complete and it has been one of our largest and most complex projects yet, in terms of time, investment and effort.

Textbook 8 is specifically written for ages 13 and above and is designed to equip learners with the necessary knowledge and tools to develop a deep-rooted love and relationship with Islām. Our secondary series – as a follow on from the primary series (ages 5-11) – continues the development of learners to fulfil their religious rites and duties in an informed manner through learning, understanding and embodying the Qurʾān and Sunnah. Furthermore, this new set of books maintains ample focus on personal and spiritual development, thereby ensuring learners grow to make good moral choices and decisions as confident Muslims living in globalised and modern communities.

Highlights include:

  • More than a textbook

This set of books continues to deliver our aim and ambition to ensure our books are not just perfect for use in the classroom, but they are also life guides for Muslims growing up today.  Our secondary series fulfils a purpose beyond the classroom; the books may be used by advanced learners, home schoolers, youth clubs, informal study groups, ḥalaqahs and independent readers and adult learners.   

  • A learning tool fit for today’s learners 

The secondary series has been developed with a wide frame of reference in mind. This includes consideration of subjects taught in state schools, such as Religious Education (RE), SRE (Sex and Relationship Education) and humanities, current political and cultural trends, and contemporary socio-economic issues and contexts.  

This makes this textbook not only relevant to the experiences of young Muslims today, but also a guide to thinking about and developing a good understanding of the world and actively engaging with complex questions and issues they face growing up.  There is a wide range of new content in this book which we know our readers and teachers will love and appreciate. Examples include:

  • An expanded and comprehensive unit on Islamic beliefs that also covers contemporary questions and issues such as belief in God in the modern world and understanding divine justice in a world that is often fractured, unstable and complicated.
  • A complete new feature on Muslim history with a unique fold-out map and timeline. This not only provides information on the rich cultural and religious history of Muslim civilisations, but also brings to light insights to more recent events, such as Muslim migration to Europe and America.  
  • An expanded unit on personal and spiritual development that covers spiritual purification (from a knowledge-based and practical perspective) as well as a creative and functionally designed feature on the beauty of the Prophet ﷺ.
  • Keywords and vocabulary lists help with overall Arabic and English literacy skills of students, ensuring we introduce a rich variety of vocabulary with clear and simple definitions.
  • The textbook actively engages issues related to contemporary society, identity and modernity across all the chapters. This will equip Muslim students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to navigate the moral and ethical maze of a postmodern secular world, and do so with confidence, integrity and flair.
  • As a continuing feature of all our books, we have ensured chapters contain interesting supplementary information, case studies, connected learning and thought provoking facts to enhance the learning experience of both the student and the teacher.

Finally, we hope these books form the starting point for students to deepen their knowledge of the Islamic tradition and are inspired to pursue education at a higher level. We also hope the new publication brings as much pleasure to our readers and learners as it has done to the team behind the project, alḥamdulillāh.

As always, perfection belongs to Allāh (swt) alone. We kindly ask our readers to notify us of mistakes and errors, or provide further suggestions.

– Shaykh Hasan Ali and the Safar Publications Development Team