Sr Alif blogs

During the Hajj season, most Islamic schools around the world use this time to study the Islamic History and the rituals of Hajj.

Some have traditionally copied the entire ritual turning their school into Hajj sites. It becomes a week of excitement as teachers and students get out poster boards, hot glue gun, paint, and glitter to make the Hajj monuments come to a reality.

One upcoming Islamic School in New York,  Hamza Academy, attempted to pull off a “Mini-Hajj ” in 2 1/2 weeks! Fortunately, the strong sisterhood and teamwork  produced an extraordinary event which left memorable time for the students.

The teacher, Sr Bushra commented,”This Islamic month of ‘Dhul-Hijjah’, our school explored the history behind hajj and its tenets.  Students studied about   Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and the great sacrifices he had made for Islam.  As Language Art extension, The students wrote poems about this extraordinary prophet and the struggles he faced.  For Social Studies connection, students learned about the history of Makkah and how the patience of Hajar (A) and her son Ismael (AS)  built the foundation of this honorable city.

We ended our unit with our very own mini hajj.  Students acted out the actual procedures of hajj in a simulated environment. Our teachers enjoyed being the flight attendants and our principal was the chief pilot! Each class made a visual representation of a particular monument in Hajj and presented some information about that monument. One class had even made the Medinah site including a camel !All the students carried their Hajj Bags decorated by the students with drawings of the Kaba and other Hajj sites. Insha’Allah we hope to keep the lessons learned in Hajj alive for those of us who have not had the opportunity to go on this tremendous journey.”

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