Belief & Actions Theme Day – 9th July, 2017

Boys Trip to the Cemetery

A Message from the Year Group Coordinator: Br. Raza Kirmani

This year the gents Belief & Actions department decided to take learning outside of Madressa and visit two of our local kabrastans.

This landmark event for Madressa paved the way for a fantastic bonding opportunity with students.

In the most peaceful of settings where respect and humility come naturally to all, our teachers found they had their students undivided attention as the young enquiring minds patiently awaited the programme to unfold.

The contemplation and interest shown on the day raised some thought provoking questions and led to some interesting discussions of our rituals, the afterlife & the other Abrahamic religious beliefs.

The event served as an important practical lesson on our Beliefs and Actions in Islam and  the boys realised that without our material possessions and indeed physical bodies, there was nothing to judge upon apart from our own actions in this life.

The experience served as an opportunity to fill in the gaps which secular education can leave on our children and allowed them to experience our own reality and teachings of how events unfold after we have left this world.

InshaAllah I hope that the incentive shown from the BA Team and their HoD br Nishatabbas Rehmatulla will pave the way for future similar initiatives within SIM.

A Message from the Gents Head of Department: Br. Nishatabbas Rehmatulla

On Sunday 9th July the madressa boys, went on a journey, a journey of reflection and a journey of development. The boys, split into two age groups, years 5-7 and years 8-10, went to two of the local cemeteries of our community, Carpenders Park and Woodcock Hill.

The primary aim of the trip was to inculcate in them the need to understand and appreciate the diversity at Madressa and at large. The main message of the speeches delivered by Sheikh Ali Hussain Datoo and Sheikh Arif Ali Hirji revolved around the fact that we will all go towards the same destination despite our differences in life and that Islam places values in other aspects, such as our actions, taqwa, etc. The students also learned that diversity is for our benefit and development in life. The students then broke out in smaller discussion groups with their respective teachers and class peers, around some of the graves, including those of children, where interesting and engaging discussions, and questions and answers took place e.g. (some questions from students) What is the body? What is the soul? What is happening to the buried now? Why bury Muslims together? Why use a coffin? Why do we water the graves? Why do we recite sura e Yaseen and not another surah? Why do we decorate the graves?

The day also proved to be a great opportunity for the teachers to get to know their students outside the classroom environment. Some of the comments from students or reflected this:

“The speaker and teachers made me think, I wondered what colour skin is this person and how famous or wealthy were they? No one knows or cares. It’s their soul we’re attending to” 

“When are we coming again” 

“Can we visit the other cemeteries” 

Overall, the trip to the cemeteries touched the hearts and minds of both, the students and teachers, as well as sparking a desire to more enlightening trips by the Madressa, to understand the creator through his creation.

Girls Presentations

A Message from the Year Group Coordinator: Sr. Fatim Panjwani

On July 9th 2017 the Girls of Classes 5-10 had an exciting day showcasing their learning in the subject of Beliefs and Actions in the form of plays, presentations, debates, discussions, interactive quizzes, craft work and much more! Class 10 opened the day with a vibrant debate on ‘The Problem with Evil’. They explored reasons as to why Allah allows evil to occur in the world and posed the question that perhaps it is our understanding of Evil which is flawed.

This was followed by video clips cleverly created by Class 6 students. The girls became news reporters and announced “Breaking News…Prophet declares his Prophethood!” This enabled them to think about how people may have reacted at the time and they encouraged us to question what our reaction would have been. They also recorded interviews as they explored proofs of the existence of God.

The presentations continued as Class 8 & 9 shared their learning on various aspects of Usool e Deen and the 12th Imam, including signs of the Coming of the Imam and how we can best prepare ourselves. They did this through informative Powerpoint Presentations created and presented by the students themselves. There were recitations, staged discussion circles, role plays and even interactive quizzes where members of the audience were in for a treat if they actively participated and answered correctly.

Finally, parents were invited to their children’s classroom where they watched Classes 5,7 and 8 girls’ presentations and role plays and had a chance to view the beautiful exhibits on display, such as leaflets, posters, models and much more.

It was truly inspiring to see the calibre of students we have at our madressa and the quality of work they produced. Mash’Allah.