Weekly Classroom Themes – Secondary

Bad Conduct

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

Dr. Ali Sallabi wrote: Some young people have resorted to bad conduct, namely seeking out the faults and mistakes of the scholars, looking for some odd views they may have, and misinterpreting their words in a way that is different from what they intended. They did that to justify their senseless campaign, the aim of which is to undermine scholars, both classical and contemporary, whose views differ from theirs and who do not approve of their way of thinking, which is not the way of moderation. This action of theirs has caused a great deal of harm to Islam and a great deal of joy to the enemies of Islam"

About this ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: "No one should narrate such weak opinions from any of the imams of the Muslims, whether they be by way of condemning him or by way of following him in this view. That is a kind of undermining of the imams and seeking to follow weak views. By following this method, the ruling official of the Tatars created turmoil among the Sunnis, so that he could lead them to leave ahl al Sunnah wa al Jama'ah altogether."

Furthermore, Umar ibn al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Do not think anything but good about the spoken word by your believing brother when there is a way to interpret it in a good manner."

Questions: What is Dr. Sallabi talking about?

Does this apply to us? Give some examples. Watch yourself today, see if you make this mistake and fix it.

What does believing good about others mean? How do we implement it?

Think of a time when you thought something bad about someone. Now consider the good qualities that they also have – is it possible that you misunderstood? Did you give them any excuses?

Who was ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him)?

Suggested Activity:

Name a time where someone made a mistake or said something inappropriate. Now write down ten possible excuses for them.

Have a classmate think of a possible mistake and then have the class discuss possible misunderstandings that may have occurred and excuses for the individual/individuals that made the mistake.

Week 3

Arbitration

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

During the Leadership of Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) there existed different groups of Muslims who engaged in fighting one another. During that time two groups sought arbitration in order to resolve the conflicts. Dr. Sallabi mentions some interesting points that we, in modern States, can benefit from, and in particular since we are witnessing groups of Muslims fighting one another. As was done during the time of Ali, each side can opt to send a representative to arbitrate in order to arrive at a mutually agreed upon position and path forward. This is a means in seeking conflict resolution.

Some of the verdicts that might be sought include: deciding the extent of authority, using Islamic sources as points of references in finding solutions, taking pledges from each side and issuing of rulings that are agreed upon by each side (and if one party does not agree to the agreed upon verdict, they are considered to be in the wrong).

Dr. Sallabi suggests that this methodology of solving conflicts between Muslim states will block the means for outside groups and States to interfere in the affairs of Muslim states - as was done in the Cold war and is still done currently. This process is based upon the consensus of the Companions, as was done during the Leadership of Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).

Allah knows best.

Questions: What is arbitration? Does it apply to us?

How can you play a role in arbitration?

Do you think arbitration can work between countries?

Research two countries or groups that are fighting, how can they resolve it?

Group Assignment:

• 
  Split the class into three different groups. Create a problem that needs to be solved with arbitration. Group 1 decides not to participate in the arbitration process. Groups 2 and 3 decide to participate in the arbitration process. Groups 2 and 3 then write about the arbitration process and the outcome. Group 1 writes about what they learned by watching the other two groups be involved in the arbitration process and how they could have benefitted from the arbitration process. The group leaders from each group then present relevant information to the rest of the class.
  

Week 4

Leadership

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

Umar ibn al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"The most blessed of people is the one whose subjects are blessed because of him, and the most wretched of people is the one whose subjects are wretched because of him. Beware of indulging in the people's wealth, lest the people working for you also indulge; then your example would be like that of the animal that looks at the green land and starts grazing in order to grow fat, but its death will be caused by its fatness."

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. A servant is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock.” Muslims will be judged based on how they treated their flock.

Questions: What makes a leader? What are the qualities and characteristics of a leader?

Research one famous leader and write (2-3 pages) about that person as a leader.

What are the responsibilities of a leader?

Are you a leader? Where and how can you be a leader?

Week 5

Showing Off

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

The Prophetic traditions explain that to do deeds for the purpose of showing off, or to please people, it is a form of lesser polytheism (shirk). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The thing I fear most for you is lesser polytheism.” They said: “What is lesser polytheism, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Showing off. Allah will say on the day of resurrection, when He will reward the people for their deeds: ‘Go to those whom you used to show off in the world, and see whether you find any reward with them’” (recorded in Ahmed).

Leader of the Believers Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Do not do any good deed to show off, and do not refrain from doing it out of shyness.” In order to help us understand what exactly showing off means, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) defined it in saying: “There are three signs of the show-off: he is lazy when he is alone and active when he is with other people; he does more if he is praised because of it; and he does less if he is criticized because of it.”

The forms of showing off can take numerous types. It may be in actions, including acts of worship such as prayer. It may occur in speech. Or, it may involve appearance and the way one dresses. What separates showing off from worship in these cases is the intention. Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said regarding this: “No words are good unless accompanied by action, and no action is good unless accompanied by intention, and no intention is good unless it is in accordance with the Sunnah.”

And Allah knows best.

Questions: What is showing off? What are some examples?

Pay attention to yourself this week, do you show off?

Write a page about your experiences this week regarding showing off.

How can you improve yourself to stop any actions that lead to showing off?

Do you think that showing off can lead to making false claims or lying?

Week 6