Prophets used Parables to Teach Their Followers. Why?
Workshop on Attractive Methodology- By Dr Sheikh Isa Jahangir
Course Outline:
· Principles of Teaching Islam to Children.
· Attractive Methods of Teaching Islam To children.
· Guidelines on How to Teach Quran, Aqaed and Ahkam to children.
Summary of Session one Notes: on 28/11/2015
Sheikh opened the session in a spectacular style and engaged the participants from the outset, presenting the audience with a set of powerful questions which automatically enabled all to participate fully.
Participants were asked to:
· Write the questions down
· Think about the questions and say which question is important to you.
· Give a Title to the set of Questions that fall under a specific category.
The First series of Questions:
1. What happens if your children believe in one God? Is there any consequence of insisting on the Oneness of God? What happens if children do not have the idea of one God?
2. How much is it important for students to memorize the:
Usul e Deen terms.
Furu e Deen terms/ titles
Names of the Prophets
How much do you help children to memorize it?
3. How much is it important as teachers for you that your students memorize duaas./ the Holy Quran- How much this should be emphasized upon in our Islamic education.?
4. How much your students enjoy coming to the madressa?
5. Have you seen any change in the behavior of your students/ children?
6. Would you introduce a young boy/ girl as a role model who is a famous Quran reciter, for your children, to become like them?
7. Which part of Islamic Sciences should be highlighted?
After few minutes of personal reflection time, the above set of questions were given the title by the majority, in the group, as Principles of Teaching Religion.
Second set of Questions put forward by sheikh were:
1. As teacher, how much familiar am I with Islamic sciences?
2. If I don’t have thorough Islamic education am I allowed to teach in Sunday school?
3. If I am not practicing my faith with dedication am I allowed to teach?
4. If I am not qualified spiritually and morally am I allowed to teach?
5. Do I like my students and children to be like me in future?
6. As a principle would you invite non-Muslims to talk on non-Islamic topics?
The title given to the above questions by the group was
Qualifications of a Teacher?
Third series/set of Questions:
1. If I believe in Allah am I allowed to not pray and fast
2. Why is homosexuality not allowed?
3. What is the Bermuda triangle?
4. To what extent are we allowed to interact with the opposite gender?
5. What is the source of God?
6. If religion is right, why is not supported by the majority of scientists
7. Have you had friendly chats with your students to find out what is happening in their heads?
Title given to above questions: Common Questions of the youth, their mindset.
(These were the questions that had been put forward by the pre hawza youth, in sheikh’s class)
Fourth Series/Set of Questions:
1. What is Secularism? Is it a threat to Muslims religion and education? If yes, then why?
2. What is Individualism? Are our students in this mindset?
3. What are your solutions to challenges of modern society? Specifically sexual desires?
4. How are Western values/ British values dealt with in your madressa/syllabus?
5. How do you think of the Internet and cyberspace and their distraction?
6. When we go to Ashura and Arbaeen demonstrations, what kind of image is sent to non-Muslims?
7. What kind of challenges has modernity brought to religious education?
Title given by the group: The Conditions of Time and Place we live in.
Fifth set/ series of questions:
1. . How can you make a story out of a hadith.
2. How can you have an attractive programme about Quranic verses, hadith or an Ahkam for one hour?
3. How can we make hijab, as an Islamic obligation and concept, presented in an appealing and rational way?
4. What should/can we do to help students to love salaat?
5. How can we apply analogy, questions, games and puzzles in teaching theology and Qur’an and Islamic laws?
6. To what extent should students participate in classroom activities?
7. Role play, theatre, stories…what is the place of these in religious education?
8. What is your opinion on camps and out of classroom activities?
9. To what extent is it good to give advice to students?
Title given by the Group: Teaching and guiding the youth (methodology)
Principles which should be used to approach the main topics:
Memorising some parts of the Holy Quran, taught and packaged well is good.
Ø Evaluate the role of a child hafize Quran – on TV shows, as a role model for our children? – let children be children; is it natural for children to read magalis/khutbah like adults? This needs to be considered realistically.
Ø If we want our children to be like someone else’s child, then we are wanting others to admire our children. This reflects that there is underlying problem within us.
Ø Too much emphasis and encouragement and expectation of memorizing the whole Quran as a child and being reciters of majalis at a young age, then one is risking abnormalising one’s children? We are making them to pretend? Is this honesty?
Most fundamental principles/goals in Islamic education:
1) Training (tarbiyat) to become religious and helpful members for the global community. How would you nurture you flower?
a. To be Religious means development in the three key areas:
· Moral Training:
To be Amin, Kareem and Sadiq: Trustworthiness, Honorableness, and Honesty.
· Rational aspects of religion – being moderate, intelligent, having the capability to apply reason and rationality in day to day events.
(Listen to Agha Shomali’s lecture on education and on this topic on u tube)
· Ritual practices of religion.
b) Train children to be active/helpful guiding people in issues of dunya and religion.
Train them to be members of global community. So they are helpful to all in the world. They are most profound and honorable when they interact with others.
Fundamental policies or principles in the method of education:
· Nurture and Help the children to relate with religion and God in a friendly / lovable manner.
· Help them to strengthen their relation with Allah S.W.T.
Prophet Moosa was addressed by Allah and told –“Oh Moosa- Love me and make me lovable by people”.
Please add the hadith
Through our reasoning we should be directed towards, to the love of Religion and Ahlulbait.
i) Transfer the beauty of religion- Putting Love of Allah, Imams, religion etc; across to the children and other people.
Imam Ridha A.S- “If only people know the beauty of the message of Islam they will be drawn and attracted towards it.
Please add the hadith
How much beautiful is the image in Marble arch, how much interesting, appealing it is in front of non shias/ non Muslims- is it lovable image of our faith?
ii) In our education the message of Islam should be selected. Highlight the positive dimension of faith and evaluate how much are we trying / helping students:
· To love Allah s.w.t in the material we present them with.
· Putting beautiful image of Quran, religion and selecting Good News to share with them in the core educational message we give out.
· Religion needs to be taught at a gradual pace. Do not rush – make it natural, lovable, gradual. Not emphasizing on memorizing 20 surah in year one. Instead teach 5 but take care to package it beautifully blended with lovable style, in delicate and artistic manner.
· Islam in general should be presented as a package. Presentation, representation of Islamic acts, even Hijab should be presented as single package.
· The message should appeal to the intellect, enable them to relate to it, be attractive and should be presented in a style that they want to follow it? Religion is not difficult. Allah wants ease for us so do not show it as tough and heavy.
Hadith:
· النبی الاعظم (ص):
· یا معاذ بشر ولا تنفر یسر و لاتعسر
· Prophet A.S has stated that when we propagate religion, we need to do it in the easiest manner.
· The Aqaid and Ahkam teaching is to be conveyed, in an easy manner which will enable the child to realise that to be Muslim is actually simple, easy and attractive.
· Islam is like a body: Its head and main body is –Aqaid.
Its heart is- Spirituality and Akhlaq
Its limbs/ arms and legs are – Rituals/Ahkam
If only Ahkam is emphasized it’s like introducing Islam with its hair or nail!
Give children a complete image. Within the Greater puzzle of Islam- method of Wadhu/ Ahkam / specific Islamic practices have a certain position.
Eg: When we narrate to our children stories of Prophets we highlight the part how the punishment came and wiped the nation out. With respect to prophet Hud and Lut- Yes the Quran talks about it , however 700years how prophet Hud spent in teaching people is not narrated in the small story passage in our manuals. We are like news channels we only select the Catchy/ shocking /sensational news. We need to choose age appropriate and select appropriate material. Do not choose what is beyond child’s age.
Quran is introducing the Prophets as Mercy for mankind. Opener of chest –we need to be teaching and establishing these ideas, first in our children.
The Islamic material needs be introduced and packaged to the mind frame / and needs of our audience.
The Holy Quran, introduces Allah (s.w.t) with the most frequent siffah which is mentioned is Allah being One (wahdaniya).
iii) The children’s relation with Islam and their social interactions should be taken into account. What is the point in Believing in One God, – this is the most frequently mentioned sifaat of believing in Tawheed can’t direct us towards unity and to avoid clashes? Oness of Allah needs to have impact/ applicability in our life.
Qualifications of a Teacher:
Moral action according to Kant is what you would like to see as a pattern in society. Whatever you like for yourself you like for others.
a) Students are impressionable by many things and it could be by one of our unintentional actions! If we inspire our students or they choose to be like us- then if we have influenced them then they will probably be the way we are and not like the way I tell them to be!
You can wish them to be better than you are but you should like your students to be like you as well.
Holy Quran : 66 :6 Surah Taḥrīm
a) “Protect yourself and your families from the fire.”
b) Teach what you do know well but anything you don’t know, then be honest to others and to the students about it. Try to teach and learn more. If you are not trained, guided you cannot guide others.
c) Prophet Moosa prayed- “for openness of chest as a teacher.”
1. Sheikh reminded us that when Prophet Musa (a.s) was appointed as a prophet,
The Holy Quran states that Prophet Mussa(a.s) did a dua to Allah (s.w.t) and said:
O my Lord! Open my chest and ease for me my task and untie the knot from my tongue that they may understand my speech. (Ta-Ha:25-28)
“My Lord give me openness of my chest!”
The task we are undertaking in our work as teachers, is the task of the prophets. The main role of the prophets was to teach as it is in the Quran:
The prophets were Mua’Alim, they were teachers of the book and hikmah. They trained and educated people. We, as teachers are modelling, performing and honoring the same role of teaching as the prophets; to our generations, to our schools, to our students.
d) Do Tawassul (intercession) before starting a class.
e) Be soft and lenient in your classes and with children etc
f) Tarbiyah is not just imparting information.
g) If we are not spiritually trained/ qualified in the area, if we are not qualified, better not to speak about it.
h) Non-believers should they be allowed to come to our center-It is right to take benefit from everyone-even from people of batil- but it is sensitive- if it is going to have impact on Tarbiyah- the impact on Akhliqiyat of young children in personality formation should be taken into account. For adults it may be okay as their personality is already formed.
Next week we will cover interactive methodology
The mindset of our Students:
1) Majority of young students have a presupposition that their parents do not understand them. In the class they do not show us
2) In some ways we need to open the atmosphere of the class – by breaking the ice; allow them to ask open questions.
The best way is camps.
3) Be familiar with the worldview of our students and language/ be familiar with real concerns/needs/ sensitivities of the youth.
4) Prophet were only sent to tribe except in the language of the tribe- implies that an open communication tool needs to be there between teacher / parents and youths.
As families-We need to spend family time without Gadgets sitting together/ talking together.
5) It is beneficial to know their needs and concerns to make classroom interactive. Teachers need to learn from their students. Know their best qualities and weaknesses.
Conditions of Time and Space:
Understand the paradigms in which we are living. We do not know modernism and post modernism has its own culture and it imposes invisibly on us which is dominant over us.
Hadith:
الامام الصادق علیه السلام: الْعَامِلُ عَلَى غَيْرِ بَصِيرَةٍ كَالسَّائِرِ عَلَى غَيْرِ الطَّرِيقِ ، لَا يَزِيدُهُ سُرْعَةُ السَّيْرِ إِلَّا بُعْداً