INTRODUCTION:
We live in a world where children are constantly exposed to the media. It’s impossible for our children not to get influenced by what they see. Media is a double-edged sword, and we can use it to instill Islamic values in them or leave a negative impact on our children, unlike in our times when we had limited media to gain Islamic knowledge. Today our children have access to some amazing Islamic content available at their disposal just a click away.
With such a wide variety of content and resources available today, we bring to you 12 Islamic cartoons that are fantastic and highly informative.
These are a mixture of shows available on television, but most are YouTube channels because I believe that is the source of most children’s content.
But first, let’s understand what an Islamic cartoon or show is and why it is essential for child development.
What are Islamic cartoon programs or show?
These are cartoons with an Islamic theme, intended to teach kids something regarding Islam. The result of these shows and videos is to help children gain Islamic knowledge through media. It could be stories of Prophets or Nasheeds to learn some duas. But why is it essential for a child to feel represented in media?
Why do children need to be represented in media?
According to Jordan Levinson in Psychology in action, in general,” When children see themselves represented as main characters in books and media. These representations help children feel seen and understood. The experience boosts their self-esteem and self-worth.”
Because children find education, entertainment, and fun in the content on screens, it quickly becomes the media’s responsibility to ensure that the content children interact with enriches their lives, builds up their character, and provides them with an authentic look at the world around them.
Representation of Islamic identity matters:
Children are the future of our Ummah, and the messages we send to them directly or indirectly make a massive difference in the adults they grow up to become.
And lack of representation in media can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and struggling to feel included.
When children see characters representing them, they feel encouraged motivated and often aspire to be like those figures.
Including the lives of Prophets and other sahaba as their bedtime stories, either in the form of books or shows, helps children enrich their lives with their characteristics and makes them their role models and strive to become like them.
Unlike other heroes that are unrealistic Islamic heroes are something they can mimic. Inculcating the love of religion early in their life helps children be prouder of their identity and real-life goals.
So, here is our list of 12 Islamic cartoons/shows that are fantastic and highly informative.
1. Zaky (one 4 kids production):
Zaky is an animated fictional character developed by one4kids; an animation company started in 2006. We can proudly consider One4kids the Disney of Muslim cartoons in the west. This animation company has become a household name for providing excellent Islamic content in Australia. They have loads of Islamic education that help Muslim kids learn duas surahs perform wudhu and Salah. They have a YouTube channel and ship DVDs on demand which contain high-quality animations.
The series provides high-quality content and is approved by scholars as well. It is my favorite as my children love the characters and have learned a lot from it. There is no music with a solid message in all of them.
2. Iqra cartoon network:
Iqra cartoon network is a nonprofit animation studio that intends to produce short, fully animated videos around Prophet stories in an entertaining way for kids. They provide quality Islamic stories for children that help in child development. The Quran stories is an exciting way of helping children model Prophets’ life. They have become a premier faith and values network parents can trust for their children. The highly innovative approach to media educates, entertains, and morally instructs children.
It is also a fantastic program network that reinforces wholesome, positive family values that children of all ages can enjoy. The one main problem is the voice acting, which sometimes becomes difficult to understand.
3. Stories of the prophets:
It is a YouTube channel where you can find beautifully animated videos on quranic stories of different prophets.
They also have videos on the complete life of Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H.) and his companions. The animated videos help children learn about Islam, the most enjoyable aspect of their lives. They are available in Hindi, Bangla, English, and Russian. These positive modeling stories are an excellent source of instilling kindness, brotherhood, and obedience of parents in Muslim children.
4. One Islam production (Hurray for Baba Ali):
Hurray for Baba Ali is a reminder series from one Islam production. It is a series of short videos for really young children in which Baba Ali entertains young kids behaving like a child, technically a Muslim version of Mr. Bean. But it is just not plain entertainment. This series teaches precious lessons like cleanliness, obedience to parents, kindness to animals, and others. These are amazing for young children and help them replicate Baba Ali’s acts.
5. Mini Muslims:
Mini Muslims is a fantastic YouTube channel and a safe place for Muslim children to learn and grow.
They categorized the channel as Islamic songs for kids, Islamic stories for kids, and Quran and hadith for kids, with beautifully animated content under each category.
The sing-along songs and animations encourage children to love Allah and his message. The lyrics are purpose-driven and catchy, which will help children learn about Islam.
The lessons of faith, courage and good character are instilled in children through positive modeling stories. It is an excellent quality source for Islamic and Quran stories.
The unique and highly recommended feature of this channel is its Quran learning series which will encourage children to recite the verses of the Quran and explore the beautiful meanings behind them. Even the hadith in pictures is an excellent list of videos of getting children excited about learning and understanding the hadith of Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H.).
6. Free Quran education:
They claim to be the world’s most extensive animation and illustration studio in Jakarta. They have substantial animated series that is valid not only for kids but also for adults.
These videos are one of the best ways to engage your older children in Islamic learning. Their channel has around 1.81 m subscribers and has more than a thousand short and lengthy videos. Their animation covers everything from learning Arabic to Tafseer, Surahs, and even stories of Prophets and significant Islamic figures. They even run side channels in various Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, and German languages.
One of their channel’s unique features is the animation and illustration in appealing colors and designs. Their primary aim is to bring Islamic education to mainstream media by making it appealing and still keeping it free and accessible to everyone. Though the animations target children and teenagers, they appeal more to the new converts.
7. Muslim kids T.V.:
Muslim kids T.V. is a Canada-based digital entertainment platform recognized worldwide for its highly valued English entertainment for Muslim families. Its main aim is to provide cartoons, video series, and games around Islamic content to make Islamic learning interactive and entertaining.
They have a YouTube channel where they provide some free Islamic content too. But most of their resources are available on their digital platform for subscribers who pay for their digital platform, where one can easily access their entire library of games and videos.
Though paid, it is a healthy alternative for families worldwide who seek quality Islamic resources for their children.
8. Learn with Zakaria:
Learn with Zakaria is a YouTube channel and, unlike other cartoon animated series, is different in a way that it is more of an educational channel. It has a great series of educational videos that will make children laugh and smile while teaching them the Arabic alphabet, colors, shapes, names in Arabic, English, and French. Each video teaches something such as Arabic letters and words.
It has fantastic videos to help children memorize Quran in a fun and unique way, with their cute characters. The video is of outstanding quality and doesn’t contain music.
9. Omar and Hanaa:
Omar and Hanaa are my favorite series. I find it quite innovative and very entertaining and educational for children. They teach the fundamentals and concepts of Islam through the adventures of a brother and sister. It originated in Malaysia and is broadcasted on satellite T.V., But it is being watched in about 50 countries v.i.a YouTube. The quality is fantastic. It is in full 3D. It depicts the daily life of Muslim children Omar and Hanna and the ways their parents try to instill Islamic education within them. The stories are an excellent way to show kids how to instill Islam in their day-to-day lives.
It is available in other languages like Urdu and Arabic. There is one disadvantage: they have a lot of music, and the show’s premise is learning duas through music.
10. The Muslim cartoon series:
The Muslim cartoon series is an animated series and a fantastic way of depicting Muslim life in a cartoon. The quality of the animation is excellent, and they present the Islamic education material in a fun and entertaining way. Each of these cartoons has moral stories. They air the series on television on British Muslim T.V. sky channel 845 and Islam channel.
You can also watch it on YouTube though only a few videos are available.
11. Aqil story:
Aqil story is an animation series based on Quran and hadith. It is a story of a 9-year-old kid called Aqil. The main aim of the series is to teach Islamic values to young children interestingly. Teaching children through animated videos is much better than dictating what to do. Each episode comes with a problem and a solution, whereby the children made mistakes first and learned from the situation. Based on Islamic teaching, every story aims to nurture children’s moral values, such as being honest, gentle, polite, etc.
12. Five pillars cartoon:
Five pillars cartoon is a mix of 2D and 3D animation. DiscoverIslamUK produces it. It is an excellent way of imparting quality Islamic education excitingly. It teaches the five pillars of Islam simply and creatively.
Conclusion:
This concludes my 12 Islamic cartoons that are fantastic and highly informative. All these shows and YouTube channels are fantastic resources for Islamic education for children. Our children desperately need strong Islamic Edutainment to learn from and help them be proud of their religious identity. As parents, we need to ensure we guide our kids in the right direction. Under correct supervision, YouTube can be a good platform for our kids to use and learn. Also there are other islamic tv series which are also good. By being active parents, we hope and pray that our children become proud Muslims and be the beacons of peace in the world.