Theme Imama – Dhikr Program 2018

Introduction

2017 brought us a mountain of barakah as we focused on this topic and built our sense of reliance on Allah (SWT), and confidence in seeking Him through every aspect of our lives.  This year, we explore one of the main sources of barakah that Allah (SWT) provided us; the 12 Imams (AS).
We often refer to our Imams (AS) during our learning at Dhikr.  We look at synopsis of their lives, their teachings and how we may walk in their pathway.  This year we go a step further and focus the spotlight on them more intensely so that we are drawn closer to them; for how do we get to love our Imams without knowing them well enough?  We strive to connect with their childhood, struggle against challenges, triumphs, spirituality and values.  They are real heroes who are worthy of admiration.  They are role models that help us to find our inner strength in these challenging times.

Aim of Theme:

Introduce Imama and explore the lives, morals and lessons to be learnt from the 12 Imams. Support the learners to implement the values of the Imams into their daily lives and use their approach in facing challenges. Ultimately, the aim is to develop a positive personal relationship and bond with them, so that the Imams take the position of effective role models.
The theme is implemented across all areas of learning where possible:
Islamic Education:            Usul, Fiqh, Akhlaq, Social Development, Qur’an
Arabic:                                Reading, Writing, speaking, comprehension, grammar, Qur’an, Tajweed

Stages in Teaching and Learning:

There are many theories on how to teach a concept.  At Dhikr Program, we encourage the
Reflect Revert Revive learning methodology that is designed specifically for Islamic learning: https://australianmade.org.au/dhikr-program/#tripler

Throughout the year you will still need to follow and implement the 6 comprehensive learning and engagement elements in every class:

How do we Implement the Reflect Revert Revive Learning Methadology?

When we present the concept of Imama to young people, we encourage them to reflect on the concept and think about it broadly and critically.  This would allow you to raise interest in your topic as well as assessing the prior knowledge, understanding and misconceptions that your students have about the concept.  Ideas for reflecting:

• Begin by placing Imama in its context.  Introduce the Usoul: Tawheed, Prophethood, Imama, Qiyamah, Adalah.  This is a great start to know how much the kids understand from the fundamentals of faith.  Do they know what is meant by usoul? How different it is from Furou’.  Use a tree diagram to separate the two and place imama in its correct position.  Then ask the children to give one line sentences explaining each of the fundamentals of faith.  Highlight Imama and explain that it will be the focus for the Dhikr Program.

• Use of question cards where kids pick a random card with questions on it about the imama (similar to the ones listed below), and allow discussion.  Ensure that you implement clear rules for policy that require respect, taking turns, one person speaking at a time, and deep thinking.  You might need to be an active moderator to allow quiet students an opportunity to voice their thoughts.  If you need support with this either in training or resources, please speak to either Saba or Kaotar.

 

• Bring in an object relating to Imama and ask the students to discuss what they think the object represents. E.g. a Sahifah al-Sajadijah, some handcuffs, or some grapes.

• Use of a cartoon/image where a group of people are in discussion about and aspect of Imama and each has a view point.  Have this cartoon be the centre of discussion.

This is an example of cartoon/image used to raise discussion about “Why do we need Imams?” :

 

• There are many other ways to raise interest, for example by using the KWHLAQ chart:

• Doing a live role play where a couple kids are asked to act out a scenario relating to the topic and the remaining class to discuss their thoughts.  Eg a scenario where two kids are talking, one kid asks ‘hey Mohammed.  Dad was saying that tomorrow is the birth of Imam Baqir.  who is Imam Baqir?’ the other answers: ‘ I don’t know? All I know is about Imam Hussain. He is the most important Imam to know.  I don’t think you need to worry about Imam Baqir”.  After the act, kids discuss their thoughts.  Do they agree with Mohammed that Imam Hussain is the most important Imam?  Do we need to know Imam Baqir? What does Baqir mean? Why was he called that name?  What number Imam is he? What is the most important thing that Imam Baqir did?  That scenario could generate many questions about Imam Baqir that would form the basis of this study unit.
• Change “A great classmate” table into an Imam worksheet for each of the 12 Imams. What do the students know about each of the Imams? To make this activity easier you could prepare a list of famous hadiths by Imams, could they pick out who said what? Or which events took place in whose life?

 

• Some of the questions the kids ask may be complex and difficult.  You will not be able to address in a ten minute answer; but it would be worthwhile to write it down either on a wall chart or an ‘I wonder..’ poster.  Below is an example of such a poster.  You might have a post it ‘wonder wall’, where each child is given a couple of post-it papers to write questions on and stick on the wall.  These questions can form the basis of your program.  You will be able to connect your teaching with their needs and interest.

Some of the Questions that children reflect on:

• Do all Muslims believe in Imama?
• Why do Shia believe in Imama?
• Who appoints the Imams?
• What are the characteristics of an Imam?
• Who are the Imams, and what are the main messages in their individual lives?
• Is Imama inherited? Isn’t that unfair? Shouldn’t it be based on skill and not on blood lines like a monarchy?
• Why is it important to know our Imams?
• Isn’t the Qur’an and Sunna enough for us, so why do we need Imams?
• Why only 12 Imams? How come there isn’t an Imam for every generation?
• What is the point of having Imam Mahdi (AAF) in occultation? Can I connect with him today?
• How can I build a personal relationship with all Imams and stay connected with them?
• Why do we only focus on Imam Ali and Imam Hussain (AS) most of the time and know very little about the others?
• Is there one Imam better or more important than another?
• Where can I find reliable information about the Imams and their teachings?
• Can I choose to be like a particular Imam or do I have to look at my society and my skills to see whom I emulate more?
• What does the word Imam mean religiously, culturally and linguistically?
• When was the title imam introduced?
• Does the word Imam used for leader of prayer mean the same thing?
• How can we differentiate between an infallible Imam and a person claiming to be an Imam (such as the Ahmadiyah)?
• Are the Imams there for us to adore from a distance because they are perfect and impossible to emulate fully, or to be adored and seek to be like them as best as we can?
• Why do we need an imam when we have the Prophet?
• What is the concept of shafa’a (intercession)?
• What is the concept of Isma (infallibility)?
• What is ghaybah (occultation)?

The above questions relate to the general concept of Imama.  There will be questions that relate to specific Imams eg is Imam Hussain (AS) braver than Imam Hasan (AS)?  Why didn’t Imam Zainul Abdeen (AS) fight in Karbala?  Why wasn’t he killed by Yazid?  What did Imam Zainul Abdeen do beside dua?  Why was dua so important for him rather than fighting the enemy like his dad?  What kind of difference in society was there between the one in which Imam Zainul Abdeen lived in and Imam Hussain lived in? (these are comparative questions).

Resources for teachers:

• Imamate: The Vicegerency of the Prophet (S) https://www.al-islam.org/imamate-the-viceregency-of-the-prophet-sayyid-akhtar-rizvi
• An easy resource to read by QFatima about the 12 Imams http://qfatima.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/aimmatiy_adult.pdf
• A survey into the Lives of the Infallible Imams https://www.al-islam.org/printpdf/book/export/html/30048
• The Fourteen Luminaries of Islam https://www.al-islam.org/fourteen-luminaries-islam-ahmad-ahmadi-birjandi
• Akhlaq al-A’imma, Morals & Manners of the Holy Imams https://www.al-islam.org/akhlaq-al-aimma-morals-manners-holy-imams-maulana-sayyid-zafar-hasan-amrohi
• There is a series written about each Imam by Baqir Shareef Al-Qurashi eg; The Life of Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir  https://www.al-islam.org/life-imam-muhammad-ibn-ali-al-baqir-baqir-shareef-al-qurashi (you can find the related titles in the box on the left of the resource on-line).
• An Inquiry Concerning Al-Mahdi https://www.al-islam.org/an-inquiry-concerning-al-mahdi-sayyid-muhammad-baqir-as-sadr
• Imams – Clear and Coherent Policy https://www.al-islam.org/printpdf/book/export/html/21528
• The Scale of Wisdom – a collection of narrations from the Holy Prophet (sawa) and the Twelve Imams (a.s.) https://www.al-islam.org/mizan-al-hikmah-scale-wisdom-ayatullah-muhammadi-rayshahri
• Stories about the Imams for children http://www.shiabooksforchildren.com/children/#
• Overviews and one-pagers about the Imams http://www.islamichouseofwisdom.com/the-twelve-imams/2013/2/25/the-eighth-imam-ali-ibn-musa
• The Twelve Imams; A Shi’ite encyclopedia – Answering questions about the Ahlulbayt https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia-ahlul-bayt-dilp-team/twelve-imams-part-1

Resources for children:

• Information booklets about the 14 Infallibles by QFatima http://qfatima.com/m-14/  and an adult information booklet that u might use parts of http://qfatima.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/aimmatiy_adult.pdf
• Qfatima also has a timeline for the Imams (AS) and a brief synopsis for each Imam.  Easy and useful to print for students if they are to write an essay or do a project, as well as extensive resources (if you click on resources) – see for example Imam Ali’s page http://qfatima.com/m-14/imam-ali-pbuh/ and the extended resources for Imam Ali at http://qfatima.com/m-14-learning-resources/imam-ali-pbuh/
• Visual resources for the life of each Imam at QFatima eg Imam Ali http://qfatima.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ALL_CIRCLES_Page_13.jpg

Teaching ideas and projects for content:

J.         Learn the sequence of the 12 Imams through the Twelve Imams Clock: http://tjannah.com/twelve-imams-clock-poster/ or coloured popsicles on a paper plate, or by building a Masumeen tower http://tjannah.com/5-fun-ways-to-learn-the-names-of-the-twelve-imams-pbut/       
 

• Imam Al-Baqir hadith: “Learn honesty before speech”. Do this fun activity in class involving ice cream and salt – the students will love it and forever remember the moral behind this lesson:

That evening I took my tray out at lesson time and the boys were so excited to see ice cream and chocolate syrup for our lesson! I dished a scoop of ice cream in a bowl and handed them each a spoon and asked them who liked ice cream.  They were so excited! I said that sometimes we make bad choices. What about putting salt on ice cream, would that be a good choice? They said no and I took about a teaspoon of salt and sprinkled it all over the top of the ice cream. I made a big deal out of it saying oops!
Then I said sometimes we are embarrassed about the choices we make so we try to cover them up with a lie. At this point I took the Hershey syrup and covered all the salt with the ice cream. I then asked them questions like, can you see the salt anymore? How does it smell now? How do you think it would taste? I took their spoons and gave them each a spoonful of the ice cream and syrup. I made sure to take shallow bites so there would be lots of salt. I asked who wanted to try it and shockingly they all did. I really think they thought you wouldn’t be able to taste the salt. Be prepared to laugh at some funny faces!
I said that’s how lying is. We try to cover up what we did that was bad but it doesn’t really go away. The only way to get rid of the salt is to start over and go back and make our mistake right.
https://overthebigmoon.com/an-object-lesson-for-kids-on-honesty/

• These activities are about anger and self-control and could be linked to either the following hadiths by Imam Al-Sadiq (as) or the story of Imam Ali (as) and the enemy who spit in his face. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, “Anger is the key to all evils” and “Anger is such that it destroys the heart of even the wise man.” Alternatively you could also link the anger activity with the following stories about the life of Imam Al-Sajjad: http://www.shiabooksforchildren.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Imam_Zayn_al-Abidin_AS.pdf (see pages 61-63). Organise fun baking soda activity in class: http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=2832124753&blog=2486297&group=0&frame_type=a  (or alternative and even easier bring a can of coke into class and get students to shake it vigorously (outside of course) and open it – discuss ramifications of becoming angry and exploding etc).
• Imam Al-Sajjad’s Risalat Al huqquq (https://www.al-islam.org/treatise-rights-risalat-al-huquq-imam-zain-ul-abideen/rights-allah-against-oneself#4-right-hearing) the rights of our ears, eyes and tongue, are all linked to our surroundings and what we expose ourselves to. We are like the celery in the coloured water (http://meaningfulmama.com/day-84-virtue-in-celery-character.html):

  

• Some information that you may need to reflect on to create your own activities are below (they come from the Madrasa Resource online):

 

This level of learning requires projects that show case children’s understanding and provide assessment opportunities for Mentor.  They also allow children an opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt thereby expanding and solidifying their understanding further:

• Students create their own painting for their chosen Imam. They need to provide a rationale for their artwork, explaining what they have chosen to depict and why. Reflect: students first examine the paintings by Mariam and discuss which symbol she has chosen for each Imam and why. Start by hiding the names at the top of the paintings and ask students to identify which painting depicts which Imam. Do students remember them from the stories they’ve studied or are there certain Imams which they can’t place? Revert: students research their chosen Imam and focus on a symbol that exemplifies their life from their perspective.

      

• Famous Arabic saying: لسانك حصانك ان صنته صانك وان هنته هانك . Reflect; what is kind language and what words do you like to hear? List the words and phrases that make you happy to hear them and try to use those more (for younger children). Or; how can we offer criticism or oppose something without being disrespectful and hurtful? Explore strategies to write the nicest responses to hurtful or ignorant comments. Discuss what is the best way to deal with negative comments when they are directed at us and what did the Prophet (sawa) and the Ahlulbayt (as) do? Revert; use this activity http://meaningfulmama.com/day-62-kindness-with-toothpaste-week-9.html to demonstrate the importance of using kind words. Like toothpaste, once we utter words they are out into the world and cannot be taken back (so the toothpaste in the activity once it’s squirted out of the tube, it’s impossible to return) Revive; make amends with people you have spoken harshly to or have hurt. Write a personal letter explaining your actions and apologising. Think of the language you’re using and how it translates to the receiving person. Delve into making sincere apologies (not conditional; I’m sorry IF you were hurt. I did not mean it, you must have misunderstood).

       

• No more than we can bear balloon challenge is linked to the life and trials of Imam Al-Sajjad (as) and the ayah in the Quran: لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ  – Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity (2:286). To introduce this concept at the Reflect stage, you could do an Imam worksheet (see under Reflect activities, point F) about Imam Al-Sajjad (as) to see how much students know about this Imam. You could also discuss challenges with students and see if they’ve ever been stretched in their lives, where they thought they could not rise to the occasion. This could bring up discussions about challenging situations in life, eg bullying, pressure at school or at home, anxiety over school performance etc. How do students deal with these challenges and who do they turn to? What gets them through it? Alternatively, for young students you could focus on dua and what it is and how do we do dua to Allah (swt). You can use Saba’s Shahada Dua workbook from Google Drive for younger learners, or explore parts of the duas from Sahifa Sajjadia for older learners. Revert; activity shows that through the power of dua and reliance on Allah (swt) we can bear the tests that Allah has put before us. https://teachingthem.com/2011/09/06/no-more-than-we-can-bear-challenge/. A Revive activity could be students writing their own personal dua, following the proper dua etiquette. The students’ duas can all be collated in an Ihsan Dua book (similar to Tugba and Mohammed’s dua book for Taqwa level). This could be your level’s version of the Sahifah.

• Help learners develop a 12 day chart by creating a table for 12 consecutive days and against each day write the name of one Imam and a quality that they promise to practice on that day.  Eg day 1 is dedicated for Imam Ali (AS) and the quality is eloquence.  Learners would list under eloquence things they would do to practice that eloquence eg write a poem about an important topic they are interested in (the environment, saving polar bears, loving parents, being Muslim, etc).  at the end of the day the learner would reflect on his implementation of eloquence on that day.

Day	Imam	Characteristic	Ways to follow the Imam	My reflection
1	Imam Ali (AS)	Eloquence (beautiful writing/speaking)	I will write a poem about being honest and read it to my class	Writing poems is hard because you need to make it sound good and rhyming, but I enjoy it. (for younger children, you may use emojis to express how the child feels about the task – happy, ok, or not happy)
2	Imam Hasan (AS)
3…	Imam Hussain (AS)…

The task of developing the chart and implementing it may take several weeks.  This activity is effective in allowing you to assess more deeply, the understanding of each Imam character and the willingness of the learner to associate and be guided by the Imams.  It also encourages the child to reflect on the idea that that Imams are there for us to emulate, and their own effort in doing so.  It helps the learner to understand that change happens gradually and that effort is required to achieve that.  This exercise also allows home learning to happen under the guidance of the parents.  Involving the parents is crucial in ensuring that the learning continues after the program has ended.  Creating these collaborative learning opportunities is key to the success of the program.
Another variation of the chart is to have it for one Imam only and write multiple characteristics for that Imam eg Imam Sajjad: Patience, make long sujood, brave, not worried by bullies, makes dua to Allah, fair etc

• For older learners (highs school age), looking at the society in which the Imams lived helps them reflect on today’s challenges and how to deal with them.  Eg Imam Sajad (https://www.al-islam.org/printpdf/book/export/html/42339 ) lived in a challenging time during the umayad rule where there was:

• Ban on narrating and writing hadiths;
• Spread of false stories and politically motivated poems;
• Inattentiveness to the Qur’an and abandoning it;
• The belief in superiority of hadiths over the Qur’an;
• The belief in authority of Companions and giving them the right of legislation and changing Islam laws;
• Promoting certain people as chief judges or chief jurists in order to supress independent scholars;
• Giving the absolute right of obedience to the rulers, even the oppressive ones;
• Spread of corruptions in community such as drinking alcohol, singing, music, and dancing, particularly in Madina, the heart of the faithfuls.
Reflect Students reflect on similarities between the Imams time and our time.  The brain storm reasons for the Imam’s decision to rise against ummayads and the tools he used to face the corruption.  Revert Focus on the decision by the Imam to revive the faith in the hearts of Muslims through duas, and the recognition of the wrong that people were committing.   The duas were powerful weapons to remember Allah and their duty to do what is halal and refrain from what is haram.  Link this to Treaties of Rights by Imam Sajjad.  Why did he write it? How would it help in combating the oppression and corruption?  Revive Learners have the task to develop a Treaties of Rights for today.  They will need to identify the challenges faced today, select one challenge for each group pf two or three learners (collaborative group work) and ask students to identify why this happening today, and what needs to be fixed.  Each group may need to research online first to get an understanding of the issue.  Eg Global warming: students research the problem, list the main four or five causes of global warming; research what environmental organisations have suggested should be done and list top five solutions; look at the Islamic duty we have towards the environment and list the hadeeth or aya that they rely on; develop their own solution to the problem that they are able to implement in their daily lives eg write a letter to the Prime Minister suggesting government action; reducing plastic use; developing an environmental way to commemorate Muharram without use of disposable plastic etc.
This form of project requires significant support from the Mentors.  It requires clear written instructions and a whole class demonstration so that learners understand what is expected from them.  You might also think of using of an assessment rubric to help the learner understand what is expected from them.
Here is an example of a Rubric that was used by Saba in the theme of sustainability where students were required to write an assignment about Water in the Qur’an.  You may use this as a guide for the type of information you are required to give learners to make the task clear.  This rubric is in addition to all the previous preparatory work we did on the topic:

Criteria	explanation	mark
Conduct a search of the use of water in the Quran.	You will find this website useful: http://corpus.quran.com/. Type in the word water in Arabic or English in the top left hand search box, and see what the search comes up with.	5%
Analyse the different ayat that refer to water and discuss them	What context is the water used in the Quran? What uses does the water have in the Quran?  What status is given to water in the Quran? Are there any stories that refer to water? Is water sometimes used as a metaphor in the Quran?	20%
Select one particular use of water in the Quran and delve into it more by exploring it deeper.	For example, you might choose the ayat that speak about water being used for creation (khalq), and why is this significant and what does it say about us humans and our relationship with water?  You might add to it some scientific evidence that reflects the quranic view.  alternatively,  you might like to look at the aspect of water being a purifying agent and how is that relevant to us?  How does this make water a significant aspect of our worship? What do we need to do to reflect our spiritual connection with the water? Are there special du’as that connect us with water in a spiritual way? What did our imams do when they looked at water before starting their wudhu?  How do you personally try to appreciate this amazing gift? Or you might select a use of water that is completely different from the Quran	30%
Focus on how do the ayat in the Quran encourage us to treat water as a resource	You are welcome to use hadeeths in support of your arguments or interpretations; and also scientific information or your own experience	40%
Have your paper typed, and check your spelling and grammar. Include any references that you used.		5%