Sr Alif blogs

We are so excited to interview Rania Shalaby, a mother of 3 who loves to be a part of her children’s education. She is a teacher for LA Public School for over 12 years. She has amazing ideas on educating her children’s non Muslim friends and teachers about her deen especially during the Eid season. Here she gives us ideas on how to involve your child’s teachers and classmates in the celebration of Eid.

“When my oldest child started Kindergarten, I started looking for ways to bring in our Islamic heritage into her school. For my daughter’s birthday, I donated the book My First Ramadan by Karen Katz to her class.

During the winter holiday season, I donated Eid decorations and crafts for the classroom. My daughter’s teacher was totally on board. Typically, schools celebrate the winter holidays (ie Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa) with a holiday performance of some kind. That year, the school’s performance was the Nutcracker, so I couldn’t exactly request an Eid song to be included. They were however decorating the school auditorium with wrapped gifts. So I went on www.silverenvelope.com and ordered Eid wrapping paper and wrapped as many empty boxes that I could find. I don’t know if anyone in the audience noticed but my daughter and I were sure proud of ourselves.”

When my daughter was in 1st grade. I wrote up something describing Eid Al-Adha to the teacher and donated pencils inscribed with “HAPPY EID! EID MUBARAK” that I ordered from www.orientaltrading.com to be passed out to the students. This is the letter I wrote to the teacher….

Dear Teacher,
This weekend our family celebrated Eid Ul-Adha. It is not a very well known holiday but it is one of two holidays Muslims celebrate each year around the world. We follow a lunar calendar so our holidays fall on different dates each year. Our family usually goes to prayers early in the morning then gets together with family and friends where children usually receive gifts or money.
During this holiday season, there are usually discussions in the classroom about different family traditions and students usually learn different holiday songs and/or do holiday crafts. There are 4 Muslim families that I know of in 1st grade this year, 3 of whom are in our class. I would greatly appreciate it if some effort is made to include our traditions in your holiday discussions.
I put an Eid song on a CD and have included the lyrics. I also have a picture book that discusses this Eid. Please use them if you’d like.
Thank You.

This is the link for the Eid song I gave her. The picture book I gave her was 4-3-2-1 Eid ul-adha is so much fun! by Amira Gadd and Mariam Saada.

I realized later that I should have requested to go in myself to the class to discuss the holiday because I found out from my daughter that she didn’t do much other than read the book and pass out the pencils. But again, my daughter felt proud and that was enough for me. During the school holiday performance that year, I listened to Christmas songs in English and Spanish, Hanukkah songs, Kwanzaa songs, and even a Hawaiian Christmas song. I must tell you that I can count the school’s African American and Hawaiian population all on one hand. So, I felt very underrepresented and vowed to take a bigger stand the next year.

When my daughter got to 2nd grade, I had enough courage to plainly request that an Eid song be a part of their holiday performance. This time I got smart, and got 3 other families to sign the letter with me. Here is what we wrote:

Dear 2nd Grade Teachers;

We would like to let you know of an important holiday coming up in Mid-November: Eid Ul-Adha. It is not a very well known holiday but it is one of two holidays Muslims celebrate each year around the world. We follow a lunar calendar so our holidays fall on different dates each year.
During this holiday season, there are usually discussions in the classroom about different family traditions and students usually learn different holiday songs and/or do holiday crafts. We are 4 Muslim families currently in your classes this year. We would greatly appreciate it if some effort is made to include our traditions in your holiday discussions. We would be delighted if you choose an Eid song to include in your holiday program. Here is a link where you can listen to a very easy Eid song and we have attached the music sheet for it. We also have a picture book that discusses this Eid if you wish to borrow it. http://www.nancymusic.com/Eidplay.htm
Thank You.

One of the 2nd grade teachers, the best teacher in the world in my eyes, responded to our letter and said that 2nd grade will sing this song as part of their winter performance. Here is a youtube of their performance…

This same wonderful teacher also told us that they will be doing a holiday rotation, where the 2nd grade students visit 4 different classrooms and learn about 4 different holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid. We were so delighted. Here is what was planned for the 30 glorious minutes:
The room was decorated with some Eid decorations I found online.The teacher did her own research and created a short powerpoint.She read aloud the book My First Ramadan. Ahead of time, we had baked and decorated star and crescent shaped cookies for the students to enjoy. Students were given a hand cutout and brown markers and they colored in designs similar to henna. And as a goodie bag, students received a couple of dates and a pencil inscribed with “HAPPY EID! EID MUBARAK!”
It was such a great day. The best part is that my daughter now feels that Eid is on the same footing as Christmas and Hanukkah. Alhamdulilah!
I can’t wait to see what I’ll get the courage to ask for in 3rd grade!”

Sister Alif blogs

This year, the Hajj season in Hamza School, NY,  was beaming with a mission. The 6th and 7th Grade students had been given a goal to teach the little ones about the holy pilgrimage. In order to do so, Sister Sarah, their teacher, had a special task to help her students put together a Hajj Orientation for the entire school.

In order to prepare for the orientation, the 6th and 7th graders were given a very informative lecture by Sheikh John Starling on “The Essence of Hajj”. They lapped up the  beautiful slide show depicting the history of Hajj and the ritual. Then the students divided into 3 groups to prepare a presentation for 3 different age levels. They discussed how they would have to address that age group, and began brainstorming ideas. The highlight of their orientation was a fabulous idea given by Sr Sarah to make little booklets that hung around the Hajjis necks with all the steps of the Hajj rites, just like the one she had used when she had gone for Hajj. The seniors got busy by making each student such a booklet that could be easily understood by the young age group.

The Hajj orientation was the day before the Hajj reenactment so that students could experience what a ”Hajj Orientation” might be like.  The group was amazing at presentation, they had researched thoroughly and made powerpoint presentations as well as some trifold presentations. There was a genuine interest on both sides. The young children looked up to their older classmates with enthusiasm and a new interest. And the youthful teachers lively discussed and shared what they knew about Hajj enjoying the taste of educational leadership.

In all, this was a very bonding and special experience for all the students and teachers! If you prepare for Hajj simulation in a special way in your homeschool or school, we would love to hear about it! If you have lessons, stories or pictures that you would like to share on the blog, do email us at jannahsteps@gmail.com

Busy Baby Mama talks with Chef Musa, an 11 year old Hafiz student who loves to cook. If he’s not busy memorizing the Quran, he’s in the kitchen memorizing a new recipe to place in his Halal and Healthy Cook Book Journal.

This busy Hajj season was filled with interesting Qurbani meals from around the world as Musa’s family visited friends and family from various countries and shared exotic Eid meals. This sparked an idea in Musa. After looking at his family’s own Qurbani meat, he contemplated on a possible meal plan. How could he cook an all-in-one meal while he fed a maximum number of people? There was the classic Mogul Biryani from India to choose from, or a quick crock pot meal such as the traditional Beef Chap Stew with Joloff Rice from Africa. He finally decided to opt for the Turkish Kebab with green and red peppers.

His mother helped him pull out the correct ingredients for the recipe from the refridgerator, and he got straight to work. He had to put everything together in 30 minutes before he rushed off to study for his test.

Here is Chef Musa’s recommended recipe. He saves all his recipes in his Recipe Journal which he creates online from a website called www.smilebox.com. The website offers free options that can be used to email friends and family or it allows you to become a member and download & print to make a family cooking album.

Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox recipe

Sr Alif blogs

At Hamza Academy, Sr. Zahra  continues the Hajj re-enactment with a trip to Madinah. She explained, “Our fourth grade student’s at Hamza Academy had the opportunity to replicate a model of Masjid An-Nabawi, which is the original Mosque built by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).They wanted the travelers of the mini hajj to feel welcomed to their Masjid. The goal of the project was to replicate a piece of Islamic history from the time of our Prophet Muhammad (sws). Students decorated the walls with scenes of the desert. Camels, palm trees, and a desert scene adorned the walls of our school.

The children that visited the replica of Masjid An-Nabawi, were greeted with the song,  “Tala’al badru alaya” the song of Hijrah. Then they enjoyed a short presentation by the students building the Mosque. They used real bricks, pillars, and tree branches. The little ones enjoyed touching the felt camel on the wall. It was the highlight of their day.”

Globe Girl blogs

Beautiful Hajj pictures!

Check them out here.

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.”

We would love to feature your co-op or school on our blog! If you have a story to share about your homeschooling project or Islamic School event, write to us at jannahsteps@gmail.com

Sister Reminder blogs

Since the commencement of Dhul Hijjah, I have been revisiting the last khutbah a lot that was given by Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) on the Day of Arafah. As I am not with the excited pilgrims in Mecca to perform Hajj, it has more than helped me get into the mood of this blessed month. While I read each line, tears stream down my cheeks. Picture the sight it might have been to our ummah who witnessed it that day. Imagine their thoughts when they heard their beloved Messenger say “O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I don’t know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again.” Sigh, I just get goose bumps every time I think about how this last speech might have affected all those who were present and while emotions run high performing Hajj as it is, they also heard for the first time the mention of their dear Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) possibly not being among them soon. I can hardly visualize how their minds might have digested this thought.

“….Therefore listen to what I am saying to you carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.” Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) commanded those who were present to convey the message to those who were not. He passed away in the following year on 12 Rabi’Awal AH.  And hundreds of years after this speech was given and recorded, we sit here today reading this speech with our hearts heavy and minds geared towards his message!

His khutbah was a reminder for all of us, a reminder of what the main highlights of Islam were that we needed to focus on. How beautifully he recapitulated the points for us. It might not have been an easy task to give a fairly short speech summarizing the last 23 years of Islam that were revealed to the people in Arabia.

Let’s make our goals for the new year, and let’s try and be mindful of these points that our dear Rasul (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) stressed upon.

“Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.”

Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) ended with this dua…

“All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.”

Let’s fulfill his last wish….let’s try and focus on these main points and build ourselves to be better Muslims for our ummah and in the hope that we have understood these words BETTER than the ones who listened to him directly.

I end with a verse that Allah revealed to him as soon as this khutbah was given…

Sr Alif blogs

ACTIVITY #9: GETTING READY IN MUZDALIFAH

On the night of 9th Dhul Hijjah (Day of Arafah), right after sunset the pilgrims leave to travel to a nearby open plain called Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafah and Mina. There they spend the night praying, and collecting small stone pebbles to be used the following day at the Jamaraat. The 3 pillars of Jamaraat represent Shaitan. The act of stoning the three pillars with the collected stones  is a reenactment of the story of Ibrahim (Alayhis Salaam).  He was on his way to obey Allah’s command to sacrifice his son Ismail (Alayhis Salaam) when Shaitan tried to stop him from obeying Allah’s commands. Ibrahim (Alayhis Salaam) resisted his temptation by pelting him with 7 stones each of the three times he showed up.

.Jamaraat Stones Worksheet DOWNLOAD HERE. Do the worksheet with your children after they have understood this concept. If your children are too young to grasp the concept of sacrifice, then teach them about Shaitan and how pelting the 3 pillars or Jamaraat represent Shaitan, and discuss how this may imply “pelting away” the bad thoughts or things Shaitan encourages us to do.

As Rasulallah (Sallahu Alayhi Wasalam) warned us in his final speech on the Day of Arafah, “Beware of Satan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.”

ACTIVITY #10: PREPARING FOR UDHIYAH / QURBANI

Eid is here….let’s prepare for the Udhiyah! Learn the ettiquette of Islamic Zabiha!

Design and make a poster of your own to display in your local Halal meat store before Eid ul Adha!! Help educate your community about the importance of following Islamic law on this special day! If you would rather not work from scratch, download our template instead: Template for Udhiyah- Qurbani DOWNLOAD HERE or print this: Empty Page Template with Animals DOWNLOAD HERE.

The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “There is a reward for doing good to all living creatures.” So let us make this day an occasion to earn Allah’s reward and to avoid the punishment of those who mistreat animals.

PS: The Etiquettes of Udhiyah poster was designed for Jannahsteps by Jazba, a group of ardent Muslimahs who strongly believe that Islam is the ‘backbone’ of  liberal women, providing  them the biggest support in terms of respect and rights. Jazba shares the responsibility of promoting peace and justice across the  world.  (Mashallah! May Allah help you succeed in everything you venture out to do for His sake. Ameen)

Hajj Countdown Links for the rest of the activities:

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-4-of-10/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-6-of-10/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-8-of-10/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-10-of-10/ 

8th day of Dhul-Hijjah has arrived….5-7 million Hajjis are making their way to Mina from Mecca!

Sr Alif blogs

ACTIVITY #7: 8th DAY OF DHUL HIJJA- WE’RE HEADING TO MINA!

8th day of Dhul-Hijjah has arrived! 5-7 million Hajjis are making their way to Mina from Mecca!

Mina is a small village east of the city. There they spend one day and one night in enormous tent cities praying hard, reading the Quran and resting for the next day.

Have your child do the worksheet. Mina Tent Worksheet- DOWNLOAD HERE. Cut and paste pictures of what Hajjis might need inside the tent of Mina. Discuss the things people might take with them when they go camping. Discuss the difficulties old people might endure living in such conditions. Why do you think old and weak people are motivated to get through the Hajj rituals? Also ponder on the thought that thousands of people have waited their entire lives saving for Hajj, many old people have done the same, and now Allah has given them a chance to make Hajj.

ACTIVITY #8: DAY OF ARAFAH

On the second day of the Hajj (9th Dhul Hijjah), the pilgrims leave Mina just after dawn to travel to the Plain of Arafah. On what is known as the “Day of Arafah” the pilgrims spend the entire day making duas. Muslims around the world who are not at the pilgrimage join them in spirit by fasting for the day. Our beloved Messenger (Sallahu Alayhi Wasalam) delivered his last speech on the Mount of Arafah on this day.

Help your children understand the importance of this day and think of what they may ask Allah on this special day. Arafah Dua Worksheet DOWNLOAD HERE

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-4-of-10/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-6-of-10/

http://blog.jannahsteps.com/2009/11/hajj-countdown-10-hajj-activities-for-kids-10-of-10/