Bismillah

Muslim ceremony to mark the beginning of a child's learning about Islam. It takes place at the age of four to five, the same age at which the angel Jibra'il (Gabriel) visited Muhammad. The child is asked to recite the Sura Fatiha (the opening verses of the Koran, or Quran or Qur'an), and some other suwar (chapters) that have been learnt by heart. The child may then show that he or she can write the Arabic alphabet.

The ceremony is a very special occasion for the child, dressed in his or her best clothes and sitting in front of the Koran. The guests pray that the child's knowledge and their own will be increased, and then sweet food is shared out.

There is no initiation ceremony into Islam. Muslim children are believed to be born into the faith from birth, and to have the will to follow Allah or not.