9 – 12 years
I do a lot of research about different populations and one of the more interesting projects I’ve worked on recently was on Muslim Kids around the world. The world is changing and the new generation of kids are very different from the kids of the previous generation. This seems like an obvious thing, but the rate at which children are learning and developing these days is phenomenal.
There are good and bad ways to look at this. One the one hand, they are technologically savvy and born to master the world of digital. On the other hand, they are losing touch with their traditional values and roots. The kids are changing, but the things they need to help them grow into well-rounded adults are not changing fast enough around them, education for example.
Their minds are thirsty for knowledge from a very young age, and we usually have a lot of drivel pushed on us through the ever present big brothers like Google and Facebook. Most of the time, it is just there to waste our time and influence our kids in ways we’d prefer not to have them influenced.
Many have lost interest in stories of the Sahaba and other Muslim heroes. If the way of teaching these stories is outdated and boring, children will obviously feel disinterested in it. Seems like an obvious thing, right? So why does it still happen? I’m glad to see a series like Saladin on Ali Huda.
Saladin
Saladin is an animated series inspired by the life of Salah Al-Din Yusuf Ibni Ayub, who was a great Islamic hero. He united Muslims in the holy war against the Crusaders in the 12th century. This animated series brings back adventure and excitement to Islamic history.
Watch the story and follow Saladin as he leaves home to seek his own path but through twists of fate returns back to his homeland and becomes a hero. Each episode has everything your kids are looking for in an adventure story. Sword fights, evil villains, heroic deed, suspense and intense battles. There is also a bit of romance and love thrown in for good measure! (In a halal way of course.)
Features
The series starts with Saladin leaving home and everyone is against him, telling him not to leave, even his parents. Eventually, he saves the day by rescuing the ‘Star of Persia’, the largest ruby in Arabia.
There are many adventures along the way and many weird and wacky characters to meet. You never know what to expect from one story to the next. It will keep your kids enthralled for hours and best of all, they can start to identify with their own Islamic heroes again.
The animation is great and the characters also have a sense of humour. This is no boring history lesson!
Characters
During the series we get to meet Saladin, Tarik, Mustafa, Anisa and many friends as well as evil enemies along the way.
Saladin is the star of the show and he is a true legend.
Tarik is his best friend, and wacky sidekick. He has a great sense of humour and will keep you entertained.
Mustafa is a little bit of a tyrant, but you can make up your own mind about him
Recommendations
This is a great series to start sharing stories of positive Islamic role-models in a modern and interesting way.
Help your kids get more interested in learning about Islamic heroes and history. Let them investigate what some of the real life characters were like and explore other heroes of Islam as well.
If you haven’t seen it yet, watch Saladin and remember, you can get a 50% discount for our blog readers with this link: http://tv.alihuda.com/?code=blog