Weekly Classroom Themes – Secondary

Rights

Bismillah. Something for your consideration:

The Prophet of Allah said, “I witnessed a confederacy in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an. It was more appealing to me than herds of cattle. Even now in the period of Islam, I would respond positively to attending such a meeting if I were invited.” This confederacy was formed to suppress violence and injustice, and to protect the rights of the weak and the poor.

And:

“Soon after emigrating to Madinah and making sure that the pillars of the new Islamic community were well established on strong bases of administrative, political and ideological unity, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, started to establish regular and clearly-defined relations with non-Muslims. All of these efforts were exerted solely to provide peace, security, and prosperity to all mankind at large, and to bring about a spirit of understanding and harmony within his region, in particular.”

[Sealed Nectar (Biography of Prophet Muhammad), by Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri p.237]

Questions:

What can we do to protect the rights of the weak and the poor in our communities and around the world?

Week 31

Tests of Allah

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Allah willed to test three Israelis who were a leper, a blind man and a bald headed man. So, He sent them an angel who came to the leper and said, 'What thing do you like most?' He replied, 'Good colour and good skin, for the people have a strong aversion to me.' The angel touched him and his illness was cured, and he was given a good colour and beautiful skin. The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Camels or cows'. So he (i.e. the leper) was given a pregnant she-camel, and the angel said (to him), 'May Allah bless you in it.'

The angel then went to the bald-headed man and said, 'What thing do you like most?' He said, 'I like good hair and wish to be cured of this disease, for the people feel repulsion for me.' The angel touched him and his illness was cured, and he was given good hair. The angel asked (him), 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Cows or camels.' The angel gave him a pregnant cow and said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'

The angel went to the blind man and asked, 'What thing do you like best?' He said, '(I like) that Allah may restore my eyesight to me so that I may see the people.' The angel touched his eyes and Allah gave him back his eyesight. The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Sheep.' So he gave him a pregnant sheep. Afterwards, all the three pregnant animals gave birth to young ones, and multiplied and brought forth so much that one of the (three) men had a herd of camels filling a valley, and one had a herd of cows filling a valley, and one had a flock of sheep filling a valley.

Then the angel, disguised in the shape and appearance of a leper, went to the leper and said, 'I am a poor man, who has lost all means of livelihood while on a journey. So none will satisfy my need except Allah and then you. In the Name of Him Who has given you such nice colour and beautiful skin, and so much property, I ask you to give me a camel so that I may reach my destination'. The man replied, 'I have many obligations (so I cannot give you).' The angel said, 'I think I know you. Were you not a leper to whom the people had a strong aversion? Weren't you a poor man, and then Allah gave you (all this property).' He replied, 'I got this property through inheritance from my forefathers.' The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before.'

Then the angel, disguised in the shape and appearance of a bald man, went to the bald man and said to him the same as he told the first one, and he too answered the same as the first one did. The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before.'

The angel, disguised in the shape of a blind man, went to the blind man and said, 'I am a poor man and a traveler, whose means of livelihood have been exhausted while on a journey. I have nobody to help me except Allah, and after Him, you yourself. I ask you in the Name of Him Who has given you back your eyesight to give me a sheep, so that with its help, I may complete my journey'. The man said, 'No doubt, I was blind and Allah gave me back my eyesight; so take anything you wish from my property. By Allah, I will not stop you for taking anything (you need) of my property which you may take for Allah's sake.' The angel replied, 'Keep your property with you. You have been tested and Allah is pleased with you and is angry with your two companions.'"

(Related by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Questions:

What are some important lessons that one can learn from the story above?

What are some other ways that individuals can be tested?

Imagine you are an employee with an unfriendly employer who does not respect you and even mistreats you. Then one day your employer moves onto another job and you get promoted within the company. You are now someone’s employer. How should you treat your employees? What have you learned from your past experiences?

Week 32

Umar's Speech

While acting leader of the Muslims, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to one of his commanders who was preparing for a battle with the Persian empire:

“I am ordering you and the troops who are with you to fear Allah in all circumstances, for fear of Allah is the best weapon against the enemy and the best enemy in war. I am commanding you and those who are with you to be more careful in avoiding sin than in avoiding your enemy, for sins of the army are to be feared more than their enemy. The Muslims are supported by their enemy’s disobedience to Allah; were it not for that, we would not have any strength, for our numbers are not like theirs and our weapons are not like theirs. If we are equally matched in sin, they would have an advantage over us in strength, and if we did not have an advantage over them by our virtue, we would not be able to defeat them by our strength. Remember that you have over you protectors from Allah who know what you are doing, so feel shy before them and do not do any act of disobedience towards Allah. You are striving for the sake of Allah; do not say that our enemy is worse than us and will never prevail over us even if we commit sin. A people may be defeated by others who are worse than them, just as the Children of Israel were defeated by the non-believing Magians when they did deeds that angered Allah, and:

“… They entered the very innermost parts of your homes. And if was a promise [completely] fulfilled.” (17:5)

Ask Allah for help against your evil whims and desires just as you ask Him for help against your enemies. I ask Allah for that, for us and for you. Be kind to the Muslims on their march. Do not exhaust them on their march, lest they reach their enemy weakened from their journey, for they are marching towards an enemy that has not been travelling, that has strong horses and riders. You and those who are with you should rest for one day and night every week …. "

Questions:

What can be learned about Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) character from his speech?

What virtuous qualities defeat numbers and weapons in battles?

Who are the protectors from Allah mentioned above?

Why is it important for us to ask Allah for help against our whims and desires just as we ask for help against our enemies?

Week 33

Fiqh of Zakat

InshaAllah a reminder about zakat, in very brief. I am only sharing what little I have been taught:

Zakat is to purify, and it is a purification of our wealth. It is obligatory upon all who meet the following conditions: (1) Muslim, (2) is free, (3) has the minimum amount (nisaab), (4) has complete ownership of the property/item, and (5) 1 year must pass in ownership. The one exception is agricultural products and the zakat for this is paid upon the harvest.

Zakat is obligatory on four categories of things: (1) livestock that are naturally fed (but livestock which are provided feed are not), such as cattle, sheep, camels, goats, et cetera (2) agricultural produce, to be paid upon harvest, (3) Money, gold, silver; the currency of the time, and (4) business products. Interesting also is what is not eligible, such as one's personal house, car, clothes, housewares et cetera, so long as they are not business products.

There is a minimum of money/gold/silver which one much have to qualify, called nisaab, after which zakat is 2.5% of wealth (taking into account all the above-mentioned conditions). Even a child and an insane person must pay zakat upon their money, in these cases both are eligible to inherit and likewise must pay zakat (by a guardian typically in these cases). In these times, when an Islamic state is not operational, we ourselves must select a date within each Islamic Calendar Year to calculate our zakat (if you choose Ramadan you will have additional rewards of giving charity during that month). One note about business products, this includes everything related to business, that one once did or does intend to use in business.

It is discouraged to delay payment of zakat, however one can pay zakat early if a situation arises where a person is in need and fits the categories mentioned below. Now that we've brefily reminded ourselves about zakat in general, we need to keep in mind who can recieve zakat, the categories are clearly mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah Tawbah (ayah 60):

(1) Extremely poor person, (2) Poor person, (3) Collectors of Zakat, (4) One whose heart you wish to soften to Islam [usually done by Islamic State], (5) to free a slave, (6) to one who is in debt [for a halal reason] or to reconsile a conflict, (7) to the Mujahideen, and (8) to a wayfarer to return home.

There are people who specifically can not recieve Zakat and they include: non-Muslims (with the exception of category 4), a rich person (with the exception of category 8), a strong capable man, family of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), and to one's own dependants.

I have purposely not mentioned any figures regarding the nisaab because values, prices and excahnge rates are always flucuating - speak with your local scholars for the specific amount the nisaab is in your area inshaAllah.

Questions:

How does zakat help everyone?

Do you think that the world would have the amount of poverty we see today if everyone paid their zakat?

What are some negative consequences in places/communities where most of the people do not pay zakat?

What is nisaab? Research the specific amount that nisaab is in your area.

Week 34

Tazkiyah

Bismillah. A reminder today on purification inshaAllah:

Tazkiyah linguistically means (1) to grow and increase, (2) to be an object of praise, or (3) to cleanse. In the Prophetic tradition we have been taught that an aspect of tazkiyah is to know Allah is with you wherever you are. This process of purifying the soul sometimes needs to be done with force, such as pushing oneself to gain and seek knowledge, acting upon the good and avoiding the forbidden.

The importance of purification of the soul can be found in the Book of Allah as He Most High makes eleven oaths in Surah ash-Shems before telling us that he who has purified himself has succeeded. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to purify and to cleanse as he recites Allah’s verses. And, the only means to self-purification is through the Qur’an and Sunnah, with a foundation of Tawheed. Allah is the One who purifies and thus we need to desperately seek guidance and purification in our du’a.

Questions:

Why should we strive each and every day to purify our souls?

How can we go about purifying our souls?

Week 35

Balance & Ihsan

Bismillah. It was hard to find a term to describe the reminder I'd like to share: "moderation/moderate" have been associated with "liberal" Islam, which wants to change our religion to suit the "modern" context. I considered a few others. The best word I could find is "balance" and better we could use the term ihsan (sometimes translated as excellence).

On occasion I find myself unbalanced. By this I mean that my focus, my time, my thinking and so forth have become overly focused upon one issue. Some examples: We need to make dawah to non-Muslims, and let us not forget that many children born as Muslims do not understand Islam either. We need to stand against injustice, and let us not forget that all our actions are also acts of dawah so let them be done with excellence. We dislike disbelief, and let us not forget the kindness we owe to our neighbors. We follow the straight-path and remind against bidah, and we give our brothers the benefit of the doubt while loving our brothers with ties stronger than blood.

I anticipate that this reminder might be viewed as "watering down" some of the passionate and driven efforts our brothers and sisters are making for various causes and challenges facing the Ummah. This is not the case and inshaAllah I'll offer a clarification: We are not an Ummah of doctors, nor are we an Ummah of scholars. Rather, our Ummah is a diverse group of people, with varying skills and talents. These skills and talents are all required and needed, and thus important. How quick we might be to say that a construction job is not as good as a teacher, but where would the teacher teach without the assistance of the construction worker?

Thus, by necessity we are an Ummah of diverse skills and talents. And, we embrace that diversity because it is for our betterment. This relates to my topic of Ihsan / balance in that I am not talking about balance of all worldly affairs. Instead, this reminder is referring to balance of the heart and balance of deed. For example, the Muslim is driven by the two wings of hope and fear. Without one wing, the bird would not fly. And what propels the bird forward is Love of Allah (this comes from Ibn Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him). Thus the balance between hope and fear moves the Muslim toward ihsan in heart and deed.

Questions:

In your own words, define Ihsan.

Why is it important to stay balanced?

How can we stay balanced?

Do you think that a community could function properly if everyone within that community was a doctor or a scholar?

Why do we need to live with a balance between hope and fear?

Week 36

Going Green

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

Alhamdulilah in recent months and years we have witnessed the Muslim community become more aware of environmental issues. At the outset, I should mention that it is not my goal here to describe the reasons why Muslims ought to be environmentally-conscious, as this has been dealt with in-depth elsewhere. I'll simply summarize a few points as a reminder: The Earth is a creation of Allah and we ought to respect it, damaging the environment can have detrimental health effects, we ought to conserve valuable resources and we should not be wasteful.

That being said, I need to mention some of the reasons why we should be thinking about the environment. Environmental Sustainability is Goal #7 on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MGDs for short). Despite efforts over the last few decades: forests continue to be cut down at alarming rates, climate change requires immediate action, record number of species face extinction, much of the world does not have safe drinking water and sadly the 2010 targets were missed. Most of us reading this, who have a computer and internet access, are included in the 20% of the world's population consuming 80% of its resources (Yes, that is not a typo: eighty percent). Is the way we live contributing to injustice?

Within the environmentalist and sustainable living movement there are many manifestations of lifestyle changes. On the one hand we have those who desire to disconnect completely and go "off the grid" (meaning they get all their own energy from solar and wind and water from wells or rain collection and completely disconnect previous supply). This is certainly a lifestyle more akin to living in a sustainable way, but it is not for everyone. There is another extreme: those who alter their lifestyle so insignificantly that their "green" shift is really not that much of a shift at all, it may just be trendy.

With those two poles laid out, and being an Ummah of the middle and moderate path, I am going to suggest some ideas that all of us can inshaAllah try to implement. I'd like to also add that these suggestions come from academic studies (mostly out of the UK) in striving to collect the most effective strategies in modifying the behavior of people so as to lessen negative impacts on the environment. For example: as we write about different environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes, how do we know which will be the most effective and have the greatest positive impact? That is what these studies aimed to do, and I will categorize their findings into overarching themes. Again, I am not suggesting that we need to do all of them. I suggest starting with one or two. And inshaAllah over time you may slowly continue to make changes to lead a lifestyle that has a lesser negative impact on the Earth.

Housing

Within our homes there are many great and easy ways to reduce our energy consumption levels as well as our negative impacts on the environment. One of the simple things to do is to make sure that we dispose of toxic materials safely. Check with your local municipality for more details; almost all will have a free collection depot.

Some governments provide tax cuts for "retrofitting" your home to make it more energy-efficient, thus it might be cheaper than you think, some options for this include: double-glazing windows, improved insulation and the purchasing of more energy-efficient appliances (and your hydro bill will go down too).

And, for those really seeking a change: have a look into installing a solar panel or wind turbine - they are getting cheaper and more effective. You can set up a small one to charge up your iPad, iPod and cell phone. Or, pick a small solar powered flashlight / radio combination instead of the battery run ones. Why not?

Food & Water

There are some simple one-time installation changes you can do to reduce your consumption of water, such as: a toilet water-saving device and low flow taps and showers. And (or) just shorten your shower time every day. I know not everyone will enjoy this one: try to reduce the amount of meat you eat. The amount of grains and resources used to raise cattle, never mind the rain forests being burnt down in the Amazon to put them all on, are a serious drain of resources. I am not advocating that we all ought to be vegetarians, don't get me wrong. However, eating meat 4-5 times a week is not really a necessity with these points in mind. If you can, purchase locally-grown foods - this will reduce the amount of hydrocarbons that were required to transport it to your table. Also, try to avoid highly processed foods. Lastly, setting up a household or community compost reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and can be re-used in a home or community garden.

Travel

I am sure you've seen those new hybrid cars; using smaller and more fuel efficient cars are effective changes to make (and can save money too). Of course, public transport and car pooling are even better, however not everyone can make this shift. Something we can all do is walk those short distances rather than driving, and it’s good for health as well. Have you ever done an ecological footprint test? If not, try one here. One of the major contributors to a massive "footprint" on the Earth is air travel, try to reduce if possible.

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Last, but not least, we really need to teach our children these lessons. The future consumer and lifestyle choices will largely be made by our children so let us inshaAllah start from today by changing ourselves and those around us. We need to be more conscious of the blessings of the environment all around us and how we ought to take care of it.

Allah knows best. Forgive me for my short-comings and faults and I welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions. You may comment here or contact me directly, I am happy to share further reading materials.

Questions:

What lifestyle changes can you make in order to make the world a greener place?

Research the difference that you would make on the environment if you switched to reusing a cloth bag instead of getting plastic bags every time you went shopping.

What are some things in your everyday life that you will start to reduce/reuse/recycle?

What was the result of your ecological footprint test?

Assignment:

Start a GREEN project in your classroom/school/community.