Perfection
At the time of its creation, the soul of man is like a clean tablet, devoid of all traits, whether good or evil. As one progresses through life, he develops faculties which are directly related to the way he lives, thinks, and acts. The speech and deeds of man, when repeated over a long period of time, produce a lasting effect in the soul which is known as a "faculty". This faculty penetrates the soul and becomes the origin and cause of man's actions. In other words, the human soul becomes used to these faculties, establishes a union with it, and determines the human being's direction in accordance with their dictates. If these faculties are noble, they manifest themselves as moral and wise speech and behaviour in man. If, on the contrary, they are evil and baseless, they are manifested through immoral and perverse behaviour.
Human perfection has many levels. The greater the amount of self-discipline and effort on the part of the individual, the higher the level of perfection that he would achieve. In other words, he stands between two extreme points, the lowest of which is below the level of beasts and the highest of which surpasses even the high station of angels. The human movement between these two extremes is discussed by `Ilm al-Akhlaq or the science of ethics. It is the goal of ethics to raise and guide man from the lowest animal state to that exalted position superior to that of the angels.
Akhlaq is an Arabic word meaning behaviour or character or, more accurately, “moral character’. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) himself was praised by Allah because he possessed all the virtues and qualities of the highest moral character. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said:
“I have been sent to complete the nobility of character”
It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has also said; “You should create within yourselves the Akhlaq (behavior) of Allah”. For example, Allah is merciful: we should be merciful to others. Allah is forgiving; we also should forgive others when they are at fault. Allah treats even His enemies with love and magnanimity, we also should do likewise.
"Habituate yourself to magnanimity, and choose for yourself the most excellent of all etiquettes, for virtuous behaviour is a habit. Avoid the most low of all etiquettes, and struggle with yourself to avoid it, for evil is stubborn." [Imam Ali (AS)]
With this in mind and with the importance of Akhlaq in the development of our children we adopted a “Practical Akhlaq programme for the older boys and girls where they showcased their Akhlaq rather than just engage in only the theoretical aspect of learning in a classroom environment. With its success we will ensure that this is a permanent feature in our curriculum for the older boys and girls.
Another matter that we would like to share with you is a Quran recitation by a group of Madressa boys on the eve of the Wildat of Sayida Zainab (a.s) where they beautifully recited verses from Surah Muzzammil. A video of this is available on the Madressa website. This group was trained by Mualim Murtazab hai Bandali to whom we are eternally grateful.
Inshallah we can all work together to improve our Akhlaq and seek nearness to Him.
Principal of SIM
Practical Akhlaq
At a time where the beauty of Islam is being tarnished by so-called "muslims" who care little for integration in society and prefer to nurture the misconceptions associated with our religion through their un-Islamic actions, the necessity for role models and true beacons of Islam has become paramount. By implementing Practical Akhlaq in our Madressa we, as teachers and parents, are empowering our youth and helping create role models akin to our Prophets and The Ahlulbayt (a.s.). As Akhlaq teachers, our role has never been more vital in helping develop this quality amongst our students. Our ambition was fuelled further as a result of countless feedback from Parents on Parents Day. “Our son gets 100% in his Akhlaq exam yet at home he does not demonstrate this”
Akhlaq, by its very nature, is the practical implementation of best practice of human conduct as instructed by our Creator. Theory can contribute towards a solid foundation however; one only truly accelerate his learning and has great Akhlaq as an intrinsic part of one’s being through continuous execution and implementation. It is for this reason that the Akhlaq department chose to pilot, for Class 10A, 10B1 and 10B2, a Practical Akhlaq assessment rather than an end of term test.
Students were split into groups of approximately 5 in each and chose a team leader, team name and a particular project theme from a list created by teachers. This project list included for example conducting a lesson aimed at 10 year olds on the topic “A Happy Family Life” or presenting to a Christian audience the topic of Dua and how we establish a connection with God exploring similarities between our 2 religions. The groups have had a number of double lessons over the last few weeks in which to work together to complete their project and make a presentation on a Presentation Day.
The industry and excitement amongst the students has been palpable. We have seen tremendous growth, maturity and creativity. Groups have conducted in-depth research, broadened their horizons, created dynamic power point presentations, role-plays and movies. They have also learnt several life lessons in terms of working effectively as a team, working for and with each other and resolving problems together.
We have witnessed some outstanding moments. One group named themselves “Aquatic Akhlaq”. Upon being asked why, the answer was positively astounding: “Aquatic refers to swimming. When we swim we push aside the water with our hands, propelling ourselves forward through obstructions. The same can be said about Akhlaq. Through good Akhlaq we can propel ourselves forward through life pushing aside obstacles.” Another instance was witnessing, a passionate debate amongst one group who were debating over who’s school should be chosen for their presentation to be made to. Rather than shy away each student was insistent that their school should be chosen so they could show the beauty of our great Religion. Finally, illustrating the students' ambition, we even had one industrious group who made a special request to the Akhlaq department to stay behind after Madressa for 2 hours in order to work on their project.
The pilot has been a tremendous success. As Teachers we have been so proud of Class 10A, 10B1 and 10B2. We can say wholeheartedly, that the future of our community is in very good hands when we see such greatness & talent developing within our students.
The best judges of the success of the practical Akhlaq assessment are of course the participating students themselves. The feedback has been extremely positive as exhibited by a Class 10A Student:
“Replacing the Term 1 Akhlaq test with a practical or presentation has been very worthwhile for myself and a thoroughly enjoyable experience!
If one defines the word Akhlaq, it means firm and good behaviour, etiquette and morals. I personally don't think a written exam can portray Akhlaq with as great effect and impact. However, performing a chosen topic from the Akhlaq syllabus helps students to understand and interpret with their own knowledge through actions rather than words. Consequently the aspects in which I have benefitted from the practical/presentation are:
- Team co-ordination
- Less time consumption and pressure
- A build up of creative skills
- Punctuality and organisation
- Enhancement of confidence in front of a large audience.
I recommend that this project should be carried out with each class in the future and that a lot will be gained in terms of learning whilst also having fun!”
Fatima Jaffer, Class 10A.
Qur’an Recitation on Wiladat of Sayida Zainab (a.s)
Learning and teaching, reading and memorising, planning and acting on the contents of the Holy Qur’an, there are numerous traditions in the Sunni and Shia sources that its studying can display and manifest the importance and greatness of this Heavenly Book.
The Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w) has said:
“Everything has an adornment and the adornment of the Qur’an is a graceful voice”
Even though the Hadith means to recite the Qur’an with a rhythmic tone called ‘Maqaam’ in Qur’anic terms, one must never give up rules of Tajweed.
What is Tajweed?
It is to recite the Qur’an with excellence and precision as it was revealed to Holy Prophet (s.a.w) following its components, Makharij (articulation point) Al Huroof (Arabic letters), Sifaat (qualities) Al Huroof and Ahkam (rules) Al Huroof. Qualities of Arabic letters being unchangeable always, rules of Tajweed can change according to pronunciation of the letters when combined with others.
Once the accuracy of Tajweed is attained in recitation, the next level is to apply the beautiful voice and style without compromising any of the above components. It does not refer to the voice of the person who recites but it is a technique that has its own rules and fundamentals that aim to give order to the recitation and add beauty to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
The voice and tune applied have to be according to the relevancy of Qur’anic verses, for e.g, the verses of describing the bounties of Heaven have to be recited in different tone to the verses that describe Hell or the verses that talk about believers and unbelievers. Reciting the Holy Qur’an with the right tune and proper vocal pitch would increase the effectiveness of the words and result in humility, fear and piety towards Allah (s.w.t) in the listener’s heart.
There are different tunes (Maqaam) and melodies that are applied when reciting the Holy Qur’an. There are seven main tunes and various minor ones.
The names of the seven tunes are combined in 2 words “Suni’a Bisahar” and they are:
Sabaa
Nahwand
Ajam
Bayaat
Sigaah
Hijaz
Rast
Many of our community children have acquired the higher levels of Tajweed and hence some of them have been introduced to the learning of ‘Voice and Tune’. 20 boys and 8 girls have been under thorough training of our qualified and experienced teachers who are teaching them every week. The boys practised and were given the opportunity to show their talents on the Wiladat of Sayida Zainab (a.s). The beautiful result of tune ‘Bayaat’ applied in Surah Muzzammil, verses 1-14 can be viewed on www.madressa.net. SIM is always thoughtful and appreciative towards the support of our team of dedicated teachers and parents in learning every aspect of this Heavenly Book – The Holy Qur’an.
Preparation for stepping into adulthood - Buloogh Discussion Session
SIM Fiqh Ladies department held an annual session for all girls and their mothers who are reaching the age of buloogh to discuss Buloogh related issues.
Whilst the topic is part of the students' syllabus, the objective of this session is to inform the mothers of certain aspects and elements of the subject as it will play a major role in helping their daughters go through this stage and stand into adulthood inshallah with a firm Islamic base.
There was a discussion about the rituals we do and to understand why we do them. The majority of us know how to perform the wajibaats, however, the main thing we are perhaps lacking is performing these wajibaats on time and with the spirit Allah (s.w.t) intended us to do them.
Inshallah in this we hope to achieve understanding of adulthood throughout all the girls of this age, and we pray to the Almighty that He is worshipped with a sincere intention and devotion.
We thank all the students, mothers and teachers who participated and contributed in this session.
Muslim Mums Issue 12 – Jamadiul Akhar 1432
This Issue contains numerous features:
- - Growing Feet
- - Sibling Birth Order
- - Living with Disability
- - Days Out
- - Kids Page
- - Amina – The Brave Warrior
- - Free Time For Ibadah
- - Recipes
Please pick up your free copy during program at Hujjat ior download your e-copy from www.madressa.net
2011 - Dates for your diary
Sunday 29th May 2011 – Madressa Outing -Chessington Theme Park
Sunday 12th June 2011 – Parents’ Day
Sunday 10th July 2011 – Last Madressa day before Ramadhan/Summer Holidays