Knowledge

Everywhere we look, hear and read there is depressing news about the doom and gloom of the global economic situation, with trillions written off. Governments are trying to prop up companies, reducing the cost of borrowing and pumping vast amount of money into the system. Consequently the people at the end of the food chain are wiped out of their dwellings and some are even resorting to fraud and suicide. We are lead to believe we are going to witness depression worse than the 1920 and 1930s.

Where do we stand in all of this turmoil.......We take our inspiration from the nearly 900 students that we have in our institution and from the teachings from of our Ahlul Bait. With this in mind we feel we are well guarded and insulated against what is going on in today's world. This reminds me of Kumail and Imam Ali (AS):

One day, he took Kumail with him outside Kufa. It was night. The sky was full of stars. Northern fresh breeze was blowing. Imam Ali (A.S.) said to his companion:

"Kumail, these hearts are containers (of knowledge). The best of them are those that best preserve the knowledge. Therefore, preserve what I say to you: There are three classes of people. The first class knows Allah. The second learns knowledge as means of salvation. And the third is rabble, - followers of every crower, who bend with every breeze. These men do not seek to be illuminated by the light of learning, nor do they resort to any authority. Kumail, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge guards you while you guard wealth. Wealth is diminished by expenditure while knowledge is increased even by giving it away. Kumail, those who amass wealth die even as they live, while those who have knowledge will continue to exist for as long as time lasts."

I would like to share with you the amazing work of our children, the future of our community. They have raised in excess of £11,000 in approximately six weeks for the Ali Asghar Water Appeal, a COEJ project, (further details are mentioned below) in times of such financial difficulty. It's due to your continued support that our children are prospering with the light and knowledge of gaining the eternal wealth of the hereafter rather than the transient and temporary wealth which can disappear with a brush stroke.

The success of this institution can be attributed to you as parents for your continued support. I would be failing in my duty if I did not acknowledge the exemplary services of the volunteers and of course the Hujjat EC.

We have virtually come to the end of the first assessment period of the 2009 SIM year. We will share with you our experience and results at the forthcoming parents day which is scheduled for June 7, 2009. We request you to make time to attend these meetings, like you do for the secular schools, as we are sowing the seeds of the hereafter which as Imam Ali (AS) has said "knowledge is better than wealth".

Principal of SIM

AAWA – ALI ASGHER WATER APPEAL

The Madressa's SIM Cares department strives to increase awareness in our Madressa students of the suffering of Muslims around the world and to encourage them to assist the less fortunate.

SIM Cares agreed to co-operate with COEJ Relief in the latter's Ali Asghar Water Appeal which was a project to raise funds across Madaris in Europe for improved access to clean water and better sanitation for communities in India (Gujarat and Lucknow) and East Africa in memory of the youngest martyr of Kerbala, Hazrat Ali Asghar.

The scheme was run for a period of four -six weeks when sports water bottles were distributed to boys and girls in classes 5-11 as containers for their fundraising collections.

The SIM students collected in excess of £11,000 of the total of approximately £15,000 collected in Stanmore and would like to thank the children, their parents and all well wishers for all the efforts they put in to achieve such a significant amount.

Learning Support Department

The Learning Support Department continues to go from strength to strength. Alhamdulillah we have now recruited more than 15 new Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). All LSAs have received an induction training session and attend regular break time and team building sessions. We are continually providing training on areas such as Makaton, adapting resources for Madressa activities and using visual timetables. We also provide opportunities for LSAs to be observed and given feedback on ways they can improve the support they provide to students, if requested. All LSAs are receiving more support, networking more with teachers to feel truly 'inclusive' and are contributing to the development of the Learning Support Department on projects such as an LS 'Fun Day', Story Bags and Communication Passports.

This month, we have arranged training by speakers on Neurolinguistic Programming and Behaviour Management-the latter being open to all Madressa staff.

As always, if you feel your child needs additional support or if you feel if you have any skills or expertise to share with the staff and students, please contact us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Reaching for Excellence in Quran Recitation

In 2008, a tailored Qur'an recitation scheme was introduced to be incorporated within the S I Madressa syllabus, with the aim to further enhance the recitation skills amongst our students.

New manuals were designed with different levels of introducing the recitation from the alphabet recognition to reading fluently using makharij. From then on students are taken onto normal Quran and given practice on reciting it with fluency and taught tajweed rules. More teachers were recruited and trained to ensure optimal implementation of this newly introduced program. The idea was to categorize the students according to their level of ability, allowing them to progress at their given pace and capacity.

Alhamdulillah, twelve months on, the results have been encouraging. A significant proportion of students were upgraded to the higher levels during the year and we have witnessed improved quality as well fluency in Quran recitation.

Once they are fluent in their recitation, they are introduced Dua recitation in small groups and given understanding of the dua.

In 2009, SIM also believed that there was a need to identify a smaller group of students who would show the potential to excel in Quran recitation and to encourage and support these children to realize their potential.

The Quran itself lays emphasis in Surah 73:4

"Or a little more; and recite the Qur-an in slow, measured rhythmic tones."

As a consequence, the Quran department initiated a pilot scheme to work with these short listed students. This group (of students from ages 4 – 14 yrs) is put under Quran Tarteel Class. Students are divided into small groups and given a surah at a time from the Quran to recite it with Tarteel applying all the rules of tajweed, makharij and fluency. These students showed their full potential and excelled in reciting Qari style. To boost their confidence SIM together with Hujjat EC provided the boys a platform in the Gents main hall to recite 2-3 verses of Quran at the start of every program. Alhamdulillah, this is running successfully.

All this could not have achieved without the continuous support of parents, teachers and last but not the least Hujjat EC.

Parents Forum – Teen Workshop

Having previously discussed the very helpful and effective sessions that took place when we organised a forum for parents of teenage children – we thought a summary of some of the points raised would form a helpful reference, and an aid for parents to understand their own children.

The points below came out of the discussion, at which over 50 parents attended:

- Teenage time is time when changes occur, and concerns and worries often take place.

- Prevention is better than cure. We are not alone; parents across the communities face the same problems / concerns.

- A teenager goes through stressful times – they have a full day at school with homework that is starting to pile on, as well as having to deal with many new emotions and thoughts which are now entering their mind. Not to mention being much more aware of their friends, and peers to continuously compare and question themselves against what the "rest" are doing.

- TIP: Inform yourself and talk to other parents who have gone through a similar stage. By sharing experiences – we can help each other to understand.

- TIP: Think about your own teenage life – even though circumstances were different – i.e. in Africa you may have had a big family environment, and the parents may have had help around the home – much of which has changed today.

- TIP: Maintain your expectations - we expect a lot from our children, education, results, career etc. It is important to have expectation, but guide them through what "they like" – and not necessarily what "we want." We should not impose but – judge and guide.

- Parent / Teen Contact:

- ■ Stay Involved in their lives – i.e. ask them ■ what's happening at school, what happened during their day, but balance between asking vs nagging. ■ Try and talk in their language, and at their level. "Win" their confidence so that they can share more with you. ■ Avoid "not seeing" your children – i.e. ensure if you don't see them, you call your son / daughter every day. Make the effort – even if you both have hectic / busy lifestyles. Contact flourishes friendship between parents and children. ■ Don't impose yourself on your children – there are times you need to talk / nurture / explain – however if you step back and insist, the time may come when they turn around and put their foot down "No." – try to avoid that confrontation.

- Try to understand ourselves and explain to our children (win them over), otherwise if we impose ourselves and lose our temper, our children may start to rebel. The result is parents feel terrible – why their children have "stopped" listening to them.

- Going out with friends

- ■ We need to try and understand their desire to spend time and have "fun" with their friends. ■ We need to get to know our children's friends - what type of friends they have, understand their friends – because when the time comes that they may want to go out late or far with their friends you suddenly are in a tense situation because you have not invested in knowing their friends. If you know the movement of your child, the contacts and friends they keep, you have a sense of comfort. You can make a judgment that the friends parents are all in the same wavelength, you can then communicate directly with the friends parents (on an informal relaxed basis), as parents and understand. ■ If you don't do this – you may end up in a confrontational basis where your child will tell you "I am going" and you can't really say anything other than a stand off.

- Tackling Situations:

- ■ We need to understand ways of tackling the various situations. ■ Key point: "Don't lose your temper in front of your children" – if you lose composure and control, you have shown your weakness. Teenagers are very intelligent and once they find a weakness they can play on it. ■ Try to keep control of every situation. If you need to buy some time – simply inform them that you need some time to consider / think about the issue and you will get back. ■ It is vital that husband & wife on the same wavelength and understanding because if the teenagers see a gaps / cracks – they end up playing one against the other.

- Rules Within the House:

- ■ Set out rules, which need to be maintained with full understanding. ■ You can't use the same rules you were brought up with – because a different set of rules for a different age. We are living in the 21st century. ■ The rules need to be something which we are all comfortable with. ■ Involve your children in the setting of the rules. ■ Some will need to be pushed through by the parents, and some need to be flexible for when the children need something.

The above was a short summary of part of the first session. InshaAllah if parents and community members find the above useful, we will try and provide further information.

An idea that was floated was to have regular weekly sessions where parents of similar aged children can meet to discuss and share experiences, as well as some guidance from experienced teachers and parents so that specific and regular issues can be tacked. If you feel you would like to take part in such a session, please email us.

Feedback

If you have any feedback that you would like to send to the Madressa, either as a student, a parent or otherwise – please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Muslim Mums – focus on the Holy Qur'an

In the sixth issue of the Muslim Mums magazine, the focus is on our Holy Book. As mums we strive to teach our children about the best of everything. But what of our Holy book? Do we really strive to convey and teach the true nature of this divine book so that they may grow up understanding and cherishing the Quran?

In his final will and testament Imam Ali (as) instructs his children:

'Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you on being intent on it or more sincere in implementing it.'

Also, in this issue, you will find:

• Changing the way we recite Quran
• Pre and Post Natal Yoga
• Book Reviews - Dadima's Story
• A Different Kind of Marriage
• Budget Holiday
• Mothers as Leaders
• Food Focus
• Product Review
• Kids Activity
• Kids Competition

Download your e-copy from www.madressa.net