ALHAMDULILLH, most people today know at least one person who is attending a Quran course. Yet, the Quran is not just for aunties, grandmothers or older people. Our Guide Book is as much for the young as it is for the old; it was as relevant 1400 years ago as it is today. It is as much for women as it is for men.
Oddly, studying the Quran is considered the domain of the older generations now. Therefore, we need to use some creative ways to attract and retain the youth, and connect them with the Quran.
Make it fun
Without compromising the respect of the Quran, keep the atmosphere light when you are addressing the youth. In order to attract today’s generation, choose topics and the style of delivery which they can relate to.
Choose your topics carefully
Select a Surah from the Quran that hits home with the youth. If you just talk on a topic, they might feel this is your opinion. I chose Surah Kahf for my first youth circle, as it talks about the youth that withdrew to a cave when they saw their society falling into disbelief. Even today the youth can withdraw and form their own group, if they see their friends falling prey to the dangers of smoking, dating, etc. Stories are always interesting for young people, so choose them accordingly.
Do not make it a one-way street
Ask questions while explaining the Surah, instead of having a test at the end. Divide the group into teams and have them compete in Quranic knowledge. You can hand out play (e.g., Monopoly) money whenever anyone answers a question correctly, and award a prize for the person with the most ‘money’ at the end.
Involve them even more by asking them to choose a Surah to learn. Does the story of Prophet Yusuf (as) intrigue them, or would they like to hear about the Battle of Uhud?
Do not say the ‘h’ word
They get enough homework from school – do not put them off by assigning pages and pages of questions. However, you do want them to remember what you learned together. Ask them to read a short Dua a few times a day and they will automatically learn it. Do not photocopy the Dua and give it to them. Have them open the Quran, find the Ayah and read it. Who knows, they might want to read a little more.
Include trivia
Insert some general knowledge and trivia to make the session even more interesting. If you talk about the alternation between day and night, you can, perhaps, show some slides from a science unit, making them appreciate the balance and beauty of Allah’s (swt) creations. There are lots of games and flash cards with Islamic knowledge available today, so make the best use of them.
These are just some ideas you can use for making the studies of the Quran interesting and exciting for our youth. Implement these ideas or use your creative imagination to come up with even better ones of your own!
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