from our homeschool shelf
Recommended Islamic Books
Books for children and parents that we trust for a home upon the Qur'an and Sunnah, with the understanding of the Salaf. We prefer Darussalam and other Salafi publishers, and we only list books whose covers and illustrations, as far as we can tell, do not show people or animals.
Please check the edition before you buy
Publishers reprint books with new covers and new artwork, and different sellers stock different editions. We have not seen every printing. Look at the cover and a few inside pages before buying, and skip any edition with pictures of living beings. For example, two well-known short books on raising children upon the Qur'an and Sunnah are not listed here only because their current covers show human hands and figures. These are plain links with no affiliate tag: we earn nothing from them.
Qur'an
Easy Explanations series (Juz' ʿAmma), e.g. Surahs al-Faatihah & al-Ikhlaas
Taalib al-Ilm Educational Resources · Taalib al-Ilm Educational Resources Ages 8+
Simple, scholastic commentary on the short surahs with word-for-word vocabulary. A good companion to hifz of Juz' ʿAmma, and the covers we checked carry no pictures of living beings.
View at IslamicBookstore.com →Aqeedah for Children & Families
The Islamic Creed for Children
Shaykh Khaalid 'Uthmaan · TROID (distributed by Darussalam US) Ages 5–12
Aqeedah of the Salaf explained in a warm, simple style, as if the shaykh were speaking directly to the child. Written for ages 5 to 12; younger children need it read aloud. The cover shows grass and flowers only.
View at Darussalam US →Al-Waajibaat and Thalaathatul-Usool (Taalib al-Ilm study editions)
Compiled by Umm Mujaahid Khadijah bint Lacina al-Amreekiyyah · Taalib al-Ilm Educational Resources Ages 11+ and parents
The obligatory matters and the Three Fundamental Principles as self-study course books with workbooks. Excellent for a family study circle with older children.
View at Darussalam US →Duas & Adhkar
Fortress of the Muslim (Hisnul Muslim)
Sa'id bin Ali bin Wahaf al-Qahtani · Darussalam Ages 7+ and parents
The standard collection of authentic daily duas with Arabic, transliteration, meaning and reference. Give each child their own pocket copy once they can read. Our free dua cards follow the same approach of citing every source.
View at Dar-us-Salam USA →For Parents
Tafseer as-Sa'di (10 volumes)
Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahman as-Sa'di · International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH)
The complete English translation of Taysir al-Karim ar-Rahman by the teacher of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen. Clear and easy to read: we use it to prepare the meaning of each surah before teaching it to the children.
View at Dar-us-Salam USA →Use them with our free printables
- Daily Duas Flashcards: pair with Fortress of the Muslim
- Quran Memorization Log and Quran Journal: pair with the Easy Explanations series
Related reading: how to use a Qur'an journal, teaching Arabic at home and our Islamic homeschool curriculum.
Know a book we should add, or spotted an edition with images? Let us know.