 Your identity develops and you start form your own opinion.

 You can think about what is right or wrong, whether something is fair or not.
 You develop personal skills and capabilities that will help you to learn and interact with
others.

 Understanding how we react and behave in different situations help us to

decide if these reactions or behaviors are helpful or not.
 Understanding these aspects of our personality helps us to make the most of
any situation.
 You should know your strengths.
 You should identify the areas that need improvement to help you to set goals
for improvement and to focus on achieving them.
 Understanding how you organize your time and plan out the things that need
to be done
 Note: It is important to remember that everyone organizes and plans in
different ways and you should find the right way for you.
 We receive so much information every day.
 We should know how to find out the information we need, how to decide what
information is useful, how best to record information, and how to make use of it.

 Thinking is a part of dealing with information.

 Thinking helps decide what information you need and how to get it.
 Critical thinking helps you to evaluate the information you have: (is it true, is it fact, or is
it opinion?)
 Thinking helps you to decide how any new information fits with information you already
have, and what might be able to do with the new information.
 Creative thinking helps you to make connections between different pieces of
information, and come up with solutions to problems.

 The languages of the people who settled in the Arabian Peninsula finally developed into
Arabic.
 An early form of the language, now is called Classical Arabic, was originally developed
for the creation of poetry. It was only spoken not written.
 Eventually a written form was developed and used for the texts of the Qur’an, for works
of literature and for texts on mathematics, science, medicine and astronomy.
 Arabic spread with the Muslim conquests of the 7th century and became the official
language of the Muslim empire.
 The influence of the languages that already existed in different parts of the empire
meant that spoken Arabic developed in slightly different ways in the various parts of the
Muslim world.
 Particular forms of a language are called dialects, and the dialects of Arabic are known
as ‘colloquial Arabic’.
 The variation of the spoken language could have caused some problems for traders and
others.
 The written form was the same everywhere, however, which meant that people could
communicate across the whole empire. More importantly, it stood as a symbol of the
unity of all Muslims.
 The written form of Arabic used today, which is known as Modern Standard Arabic, is a
continuation of Classical Arabic, with some changes to grammar and the addition of
modern vocabulary.
 Whatever form it takes, the Arabic language is always held in high esteem and is greatly
valued as the medium of a rich cultural heritage.

 Calligraphy is a decorative art form based on writing. Just as different languages

developed in various parts of the world, so there are different forms of calligraphy.
 In many cases these are seen to be important aspects of culture.
 This is certainly true of Islamic calligraphy which developed alongside the writing of the
Qur’an and the Arabic language.
 Part of its importance is that it uses the form of the language that is shared by all
Muslims. For many people it has a special spiritual significance.
 Islamic calligraphy is found on many ancient objects such as coins and tiles, and as an
element within other art forms.