WOMEN OF FAITH & GUIDANCE

Transcription

1 WOMEN OF FAITH & GUIDANCE MUHAMMADI MADRESSAH CHILDREN AGED Term 2Book 1 PUPIL S NAME

2 IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS Often the worst stereotypes about what Islam says about women comes from Muslims themselves who have not fully analysed the Islamic texts. One example is that Muslims themselves believe that in Islam a woman is regarded as less intelligent than a man. But it is an amazing fact that Islam has no negativity against women at all. In fact the Nabi Muhammad removed negativity from it s core roots From religious text that made accusations against Eve (Hawwa) and Hajra (Hager)! peculiar stereotypes. Some of the ways to do this is as follows: 1. Female teacher to reflect a positive energy of goodness. If a female teacher works in a conniving way then it enforces that women are like that! So show love, forgiveness and high spiritual manners. This will help you as well as remove the negative stereotype. He did this at the time when the concept of womanhood was totally negative. Before his coming it was godly to be anti woman! Yet Nabi Muhammad removed the root of negativity by teaching that neither was Eve the first to listen to Satan nor was Hagar a concubine. He refused to call women as tools of the devil and refused to accept that a maid servant can become a concubine just because she did not belong to the so called chosen children of Israel. The revolution which Nabi Muhammad brought for women is of historic significance and the theme on women in this book is for children to develop the concepts that women are spiritually strong, they can act as guides for all humanity and that their sacrifices, love and strength is valued within Islamic rituals. The theme is taken from the holy Quran that has challenged negative images of women by recounting positive achievements of women. An example is that while accepting the corruption of Nabi Nuh s wife the Quran recounts the positive achievement of Asiya and of Mariam and refers to them as women of faith! 2. Parents to not make daughters look like prisoners of the family or as maid servants. This is done by explanations to the family of any restrictions placed on girls to go out and being fairer between sons and daughters. The idea is to empower girls so that they make the right decisions for themselves. If good explanations are given with love and understanding than the vast majority of girls will see sense of why they are vulnerable as females at an age when they are very impressionable. This means involving girls in social activities, making decisions and guiding them through their mistakes. This type of empowerment through social involvement is within Islam and also within the interest of the Muslim family. Of course the media s enforcement of negative stereotype using the Talibans and the Saudis version of Islam will continue. But we Muslim need to break the stereotype by our spiritual behaviour which means learning from the Nabi on how he removed negativity from women at a time when the whole of religious teachings were turned against them. Muslim parents and teachers, therefore, need to leap forward in to what Islam is and not be tied to their own Abid Bata Book is copyrighted. Full rights reserved. 1

3 CONTENT Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Mother Hawwa Sahra and Hajra Patience of Asiya Mariam the Pure The Four Stars of the Nabi Muhammad Project or Revision Test TEACHERS REMEMBER: Teach with a smile Children too make mistakes, like you do! Give praise where it is due Do not hit children or be vindictive or over critical Do not over praise children Solve conflict and learn from them Do not involve children in problems between you and the parents Do not undermine other staff by your words of deeds This book too has mistakes. Do not use them to undermine the book but inform us so that we can improve the book. PARENTS REMEMBER: Only a small percentage of the spiritual learning is possible in madressah. The bulk of learning takes place in the way parents behave in front of children. Indeed where madressah makes a mistake then inform us. We will try to improve on our part of the bargain. 2

4 LESSON 1 MOTHER HAWWA 1.1 COMFORT FOR ADAM Hawwa is the first of all women to be chosen to be a guide to us. She is also called Eve! She was Adam s wife and her marriage took place in heaven. She is the one who was with Nabi Adam when there was on one else there. She was sent to the earth with Adam to learn from the experiences of life. She knew that her task in life was very important because she was going to be the first mother in the world. When she came on the earth there were no houses, no tap water and no electricity. God inspired her and her husband to watch the animals and learn about how to live on earth. The angels came to earth as humans in order to give company to Adam and Hawwa! 1.2 HAWWA S LOVE FOR ADAM Hawwa truly loved Adam. She knew that Allah liked her to love her husband with all her heart. She would look after him and care for him. She was always with Adam and they never fought against each other. This is a good lesson to remember that in every good marriage the husband and wife love each other! Soon Adam and Hawwa had children. They had two sons: Abil and Cabil. When Hawwa was giving birth she was in great pain. The angels came to her to give her words of comfort and Allah promised her heaven for patiently bearing the pain. When Abil and Cabil grew up they asked to be married. God send women from heaven to marry them. Many year later Hawwa heard that Abil had died. She was very sad and she grieved all her life. But the worst thing for her was that that her second son Cabil had killed Abil out of jealously! Cabil had become jealous of Abil and he did not control his jealousy. When jealousy is not controlled it turns to hate. JEALOUSY CAN TURN YOU AGAINST YOUR OWN BROTHER! 3

5 1.3 THE JEALOUSY OF CABIL Cabil had listened to Satan and allowed his jealousy to take him over! He did not fight the jealousy in his heart. His jealousy burnt him inside until his heart began to grow to hate Abil. This teaches us that jealousy turns to hate. When Hawwa found out of the wild jealousy of Cabil she wept much. She knew that Satan would cause wild jealousy and hate to spread like a disease so that her future sons and daughters will fight all over the earth. This made her weep a lot. Hawwa then prayed to Allah with these words: O Lord guide my children on thy path and let the strong among them look after the weak. Let them worship the wealth, positions and pleasures. Let them worship none but you and guide them against the arrows of Satan which attacks their souls with hate, suspicious and jealousies. 1.3 THE HOLY PLACE Adam and Hawwa had come on the earth at different places. For many years they searched for each other and finally they met at a place which had been chosen to become holy. To thank Allah they together built a house made of mud. This was the first mosque in the world and it is exactly where the Kaaba is today. It is said that if a husband and wife are separated then they should turn to the Kaaba and remember how Adam and Hawwa were united. They should pray to Allah to unit them also. 1.4 THE WONDERFUL WORLD When Adam and Hawwa traveled to other parts of the world they saw how beautiful the world was. They saw different kinds of animals, plants and they saw the vast oceans. They were happy that Allah had created such a wonderful earth for their children. But they also felt sad because they knew satan was also here to cause mischief and make the people forget their souls. When Hawwa died Adam cried much. But then angel Jibrael came to him and said: Hawwa dwells in heaven. She was a successful woman and God has blessed her by making her the mother of all people on the earth. These words comforted Adam. 4

6 1.5 ACCUSATION AGAINST HAWWA You may remember that when Satan got jealous of Adam and Hawwa he tried to mislead them. He came to them and told them lies about God. Satan was a good liar and he made Adam and Hawwa disobey God. But God forgave them both and before sending them to the earth God told them to always be careful of Satan. But there are some people who say that it was all Hawwa s fault. They say that it was her who listened to Satan and that all women are the same. They falsely say that Hawwa was made from a rib of a man even though the Quran says that both Adam and Hawwa were made from clay. These people say that Hawwa and all the women have to go through the pain of childbirth as a punishment of misleading Adam. They say that childbirth is a punishment from God to all women for listening to Satan. But the Nabi Muhammad said that this is not true because Allah blessed Hawwa for bearing her children. Nabi Muhammad removed the accusation against Hawwa and against all the women of the world. A. COMPLETE THIS TASKS TO DO Hawwa and Adam were to learn from the E of life. Hawwa was the first W to have loved a husband and the first to be a M. People say that her pain during childbirth was her P but Nabi M said that this is not true. B. SAY YES OR NO! 1. Hawwa was to be blamed for Adam eating the forbidden fruit! 2. Hawwa was made out of Adam s rib to be his slave! 3. Hawwa suffered childbirth as a punishment! 4. Hawwa loved her husband and was a comfort to him! 5. Hawwa prayed for the protection of all children of the world from the arrows of satan! 6. Are we on the earth as punishment? 7. Did Allah forgive Adam and Hawwa before they came to earth? 8. Adam and Hawwa met where the Kaaba is? 9. Nabi Muhammad removed accusation against Hawwa? 5

7 C. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER 1. Whom did Abil and Cabil marry? 2. Whom do we have to be careful of while we are on the earth? 3. What did Hawwa discover that made her weep much? 4. What was the prayer of Hawwa for her children? 5. What words comforted Adam when Hawwa died? 6. What were some of the accusations made against Hawwa? 7. Which Nabi removed these accusations? 8. Why were Adam and Hawwa happy when they saw this world and why were they sad? 6

8 D. THOUGHTS 7. Write down these three key words that make a marriage good: Help, Guide and Comfort. H G C Now explain why these three things are important in a marriage. i. Helping is important because ii. Guiding is important because iii. Comforting is important because 8. What 3 arrows does satan use in order to destroy us? H S J 9. When we go to the Kaaba we say: La Baeke Allahuma La Baeeke a. Learn these words by heart b. Write down what they mean c. Why is the Kaaba an important place for husbands and wives to pray together? IN A GROUP DISCUSS THE LESSONS WE LEARN FROM HAWWA. THEN MAKE A PLAY TO EMPHASISE ON ONE LESSON WE LEARN. REMEMBER NOT TO WORK WITH JEALOUSY AGAINST EACH OTHER BUT WITH THE SPIRIT OF HELPING EACH OTHER TO DO THE BEST IN THE PLAY YOU DO. 7

9 LESSON 2 SARAH AND HAJRA 2.1 NABI IBRAHIM Nabi Ibrahim was born thousands of years after Nabi Adam and Hawwa. Nabi Ibrahim lived in a place called Mesopotamia which is today called Iraq. In Mesopotamia ruled a king who was an evil tyrant. He hated anybody who did not obey him and he was so cruel that people even got frightened when his name was mentioned. The people were forced to worship the Sun and the moon by the king. The king also built big idols of himself and his ancestors to be worshipped by the people. The people had been made so frightened and ignorant by the king that they did not believed in anything the king said. So when Ibrahim broke their idols they came to kill him, but by a miracle Ibrahim escaped. Ibrahim had a wife called Sarah. She loved Ibrahim dearly and when she was ill she was looked after by her African maid. The maid was like a sister to Sarah and she learnt about Islam from Nabi Ibrahim. Ibrahim liked her and soon married her and so he had two wives called Sarah and Hajra. It is important to remember that the two wives were the great source of comfort to Nabi Ibrahim at a time when the people rejected Ibrahim and refused to listen to him. 2.2 THE JOURNEY OF HAJRA As Hajra had been a maid the people called her by rude names. But she never abused them nor did she complaint. But then when Hajra had a baby the people began to hate her more. They called her by names like Foreigner, Gentile and Slave-woman. Then God commanded Ibrahim to take Harja to a place called Bakka and make a home for her. God promised to raise the name of Hajra above all of the people who abused her. 8

10 Ibrahim told Harja what God s command was. Hajra had such strong faith that she accepted the command. Ibrahim took her and the baby to a place in the desert which was called Bakka. It was a hilly place and it was really hot. There was no water anywhere. When Ibrahim began to leave a holy looking man came to Hajra. He was Satan! He said to Hajra: Do not believe in your husband when he has deceived you. He wants to forsake you and go to his first wife Sarah. He will not come back and you will die with your baby in the desert. But Hajra had strong faith in Nabi Ibrahim. She threw stones at Satan who became fire and disappeared. Then Hajra looked around her and saw that Ibrahim had gone and that there was nobody in the wilderness of Bakka. She got frightened but she kept faith in God. She knew that faith was a great gift for those who obey the commands of God. For many days Hajra stayed in the hills of Bakka. She was lonely but when she got frightened she turned to God in prayer. She would then feel peace. It is said that when you are lonely then God is your source of comfort. In time of lonely difficulties in life you should turn to God and sooner or later you will get peace. HAJRA FOUND COMFORT BY PRAYING DURING TIMES OF LONELINESS AND UNCERTAINTY 2.3 THE FOOTSTEPS But in a few days the water was finished. Hajra took her little baby in her arms and ran from hill to hill looking for water. First she ran to the hill of Safa and then to the hill of Marwa. She kept calling out to God for help. Every footstep that she took between the hills of Safa and Marwa became holy. God commanded that that Hajra s footstep be remembered forever by the followers of Nabi Muhammad because Hajra was a loving mother, a good wife and a person who had great patience. When Hajra got tired she put her baby on the ground. But the baby began to kick the ground and at his feet a gush of water came out. Hajra was overjoyed to see the miracle. She knew this was a sign that God was with her. All her sadness disappeared and she 9

11 began to smile! God liked her joy and said: This water is holy and it is a blessing for all those who drink it. Hajra called the water Zam Zam. 2.4 THE FINAL NABI COMES Many thousands of years later the place called Bakka had become a town. People called it Makkah instead of Bakka and the Nabi Muhammad was born there. The Nabi Muhammad told the Muslims about the story of Hajra and he said that Muslims should walk in the footsteps of Hajra between Safa and Marwa, and that they should drink from Zam Zam. So Hajra is remembered by Muslims when they go for Hajj. They remember that even though Hajra was a poor maid yet God had chosen her footsteps. They also remember the child of Hajra called Ismael. By remembering Ismael they think of helping all children who are today left alone in refugee camps without much food or clean water. A. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TASKS TO DO 1. What was the name of Ibrahim's first wife? 2. What was the name of the place where Hajra was left? 3. Who did she throw stones at? 4. How many times did she walk between the two hills? 5. What are the hills called? and 6. What was the name of the well that came as a miracle? 7. Whose followers follow the footsteps of Hajra? B. Say Yes or No 1. Hajra had full trust in Ibrahim because he was rich? 2. Hajra knew that a Nabi is guided by Allah? 3. Hajra was a very patient woman? 4. Hajra felt sorry for herself? 5. Hajra was hated because she was rich? 6. Hajra was an example of a good mother? 7. Hajra was chosen by Allah because she had great faith? 8. Hajra s footsteps are followed by those who go to Hajj? 9. Hajra love for her baby will always be a good example for us? 10. Hajra turned to God in prayer when she was frightened? 10

12 C. HERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT HAJRA. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE ANSWERING 1. One of the good things about Hajra was that she was a good mother. What else was good about her? Choose from the list Good wife Loving Hateful Hard worker Patient Quarrelsome Untrusting Faithful 2. What three things do people do with they go to Hajj which makes them remember Hajra? Who came to advice her to betray her husband? 4. What did she do when people called her by abusive names? 5. What was God s promise about Hajra? 6. If today Hajra was faced with people who told her to betray her husband then what do you think she would do? 7. Hajra did not have wealth but she had more greater things than wealth. What were these things? 8. Which Nabi came to raise the name of Hajra above all those who abused her? 11

13 D. HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO DRAW THE JOURNEY THE MUSLIMS MADE IN HAJJ. THEN IN IT COLOUR THE PARTS THAT ARE DONE TO REMEMBER HAJRA. Arafa Muzdalifa Mina Safa 12

14 LESSON 3 THE PATIENCE OF ASIYA 3.1 MARRIED TO A TYRANT A TYRANT is a king who rules without fearing God. He does not care about right or wrong. He only cared about himself. One such tyrant was Feron who ruled over Egypt. He lived many years after Nabi Ibrahim. But Feron was not a stupid man. He had a large army working for him. He also chose himself a wife whose name was Asiya. She was intelligent and beautiful. Feron liked her and respected her. But Feron did not know that Asiya worshipped only God. Feron would have killed her if he found out that Asiya would never worship the idols of Egypt! 3.2 MUCH PATIENCE Asiya had to deal with Feron with much patience. Despite all the riches she had in the palace she was not happy living there. She would look at the riches and think: What is more important, this wealth or the truth! She knew that Feron had gone mad with all the wealth and power he had and so he was not able to respect the truth. Often she would watch Feron admire his many palaces and temples. Feron would walk proudly in the palace. He would say: Nobody is like me! I am the greatest! Feron would go to the idols of Ancient Egypt and say: If anybody does not worship the idols of Egypt than they are traitors to Egypt. I will kill them! One of the idols the Feron most liked was called the Sphinxs. It was in a shape of a lion and it symbolised the greatness Ancient Egypt. 13

15 To live with Feron was like a nightmare. Feron was a man who snapped easily. His anger was great and he would do anything when he was angry. Because he was a worldly man he was always measuring himself according to how much wealth he had. He was frightened to losing all that he had got and one day when one of his holy man told him that a Nabi had been born he ordered his army to kill all the baby boys they could find. He thought that by doing this he would kill the Nabi and then nobody would ever stand dare think of destroying him. Feron was also too proud to listen to anybody. He thought that only he was special. He had no respect for anybody. He made himself the judge and then he would give wild judgments that always ended up punishing people. He punished the poor the most and he never punished himself for doing wrong. Allah had cursed him because he was an unfair, unkind and arrogant king. Asiya had to be very careful of Feron She had to be very patient and God liked her for her patience. Asiya would say: Patience is when you do not lose hope and you accept whatever Allah has willed. 3.3 THE FLOATING TREASURE Feron always wanted a son from Asiya. He prayed to his idols for a son and he thought that one day he will get a son. One day as he and his wife Asiya were sitting near a river bank they saw a basket floating in the river. It seemed like the basket was full of light. Immediately Feron ordered his slaves to jump in to the river and get the basket. But when they brought the basket they saw that it had a tiny baby in it. Feron picked up the baby but the baby slapped him. Feron got angry and told his solders to kill the baby. But Asiya stopped him. She took the child in her arms and said to Feron: He is only a child. Do not blame him! He will be my source of peace because I have no children! Feron did 14

16 not say anything and allowed the child to grow up in his palace. This child was Nabi Musa. Nabi Musa grew up in Feron s palace under the care of Asiya. Everybody saw how lovely, playful and intelligent the child was. When he played the whole of the palace came to watch him. They loved his sweet words and they liked what he said. 3.4 ASIYA AND MUSA When Nabi Musa grew up he told Asiya that he was chosen as a Nabi. Asiya was much pleased because she hoped that finally someone would be able to stand up against Feron. Then the time came when Musa stood in front of Feron and told him to stop all this bad actions and to bow to God. Feron did not like it and tried to kill Nabi Musa. Musa called Feron the King of Injustice. Feron went wild with anger. Asiya helped Musa until Musa and his followers got away from Egypt. But Musa always remembered Asiya and he would often raise his hands to God and said: O Lord bless Asiya for her patience and for protecting me. She lived in a palace where she lived with the king of injustice but she remained the queen of justice.. Even though she was the queen was the richest woman on earth she showed no pride. She stood for the truth and bowed to justice. She was full of patience and love for the people. Many years later the Nabi Muhammad came and told the people the story of Aisya and Nabi Musa. He told the people to learn about patience from Asiya s life. A. COMPLETE THE BLANKS TASKS TO DO Asiya was I and beautiful and F had chosen to marry her. Aisya worshipped only but Feron worshipped himself and his idols! Feron was an angry and E man. Feron had become proud because of all his W and P. God cursed Feron because he was. 15

17 B. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER 1. In which country did the story occur? 2. What did Feron say as he admired his palaces? 3. Which idol did he most admire? 4. What was he most afraid of? 5.What did he do when he was told that a Nabi had been born? 6. What did Musa call Feron? C. THOUGHTS 1. Asiya had to have great patience not to anger Feron so that she could protect Musa. What kind of things do you think she had to bear in silence? 2. Why do you think Feron forced Asiya to marry him? 3. What do you think was God s plan in sending the basket of the baby in front of Feron? Now compare your answers with your friends answers and see what you learn from their answers. 16

18 D. Asiya was married to an evil husband. She suffered much but she knew that she had to look after Nabi Musa in the palace of the Feron. 1. Today there are many women who also suffer because of their bad husbands. What kind of things do you think bad husbands do to their wives and their children? 2. Why do you think a mother bears things with patience when her husband is bad? 3. Do you think a husband can change from bad to good? 4. Do you think that sometimes a wife can be bad but the husband is good and has to live in patience with the wife so that the children have a mother? 5. There are times when patience means that you have to bear things in silence and when times change then patience means that you have to stand up against your problems. What is in the story above that show us that patience has time for silence and times to stand up and fight against your problems? 6. In life a lot of the problems for women is not because of men but because of other women. Do you agree with this? Explain you answer. 17

19 LESSON 4 THE MOTHER OF ESSA 4.1 CHOSEN AMONG WOMEN Mariam is the mother of Nabi Essa (Jesus). When we say her name we should say: Peace be upon her! This is because the Qur an says that Marian was pure without sin, and that she was chosen from all the women of the world to give birth to a miracle child. Mariam spent all her life in a mosque and the people knew her as the Pure. She never lied, fought with anybody or every thought bad of other. She was such a person that her prayers were always answered and so the people would come to her to ask her to pray for them. When she was still young she was given the good news of having a miracle baby by an angel. This is one way how Mariam was chosen above all the women of the world. Her baby was called Essa and he was a miracle baby because he was not born with the help of any man. She was therefore the holy woman in the world who had a baby without the help of a man. When other women become pregnant it takes nine months for the baby to grow inside them and be born. But Mariam was pregnant for only three days and on the third day the miracle baby was born. 4.2 PEOPLE GO AGAINST MARIAM Mariam got the news of having a miracle baby from angel Jibrael. He asked her to leave the mosque and go to a chosen garden. In a garden there were large trees whose branches were full of fruit. Mariam stayed in the garden and gave birth to the baby. Then she brought the baby to the mosque. The people began to turn against her. 18

20 They said: Where did the baby come from when she is not married! We cannot accept her to live in the mosque anymore! But the baby spoke saying: I am Essa and I am the bearer of good news from God! I have been sent as a mercy to you all. The people all knelt down. Some of them knew that a Nabi had been born. They were jealous of Mariam and they tried to deny that the baby had been born of a miracle. Mariam patiently bore their accusations and suspicions. But some good men defended her and allowed here to live in the mosque. 4.3 ESSSA GROWS UP When Esssa grew up he told everybody who he was. He gave them the good news of the coming of the final Nabi who will make the rich feed the poor and who will defeat great kings. Some jealous men went to the king and said: Essa claims that you will soon be defeated by the final Nabi. You need to stop him giving hope to the people. If you do not stop him then he will turn the people against you. The king listened to these jealous men. He sent his soldiers to kill Essa. But Essa was saved and raised to heaven. The king s men could not harm Essa. 4.4 THE GOOD NEWS But when some of the people heard that Essa had been raised to heaven they began to think that he must be God! Mariam went to them and said: But Essa took birth from me. God does not take birth. Essa was not God but he was sent as mercy to all of you. But the people said: If he was not God then he must be the son of God! But Mariam went to them and said: He was my son! He was born of me by a miracle just as Adam and Hawwa were created by a miracle! 19

21 Then Mariam went to the people in the market and said: Never say things about God which you are not sure of because God does not like those who make up stories about him! 4.5 THE COMFORTER COMES Nabi Essa had said that the final Nabi will come who will comfort those who are unhappy and make them happy. This time came about 600 years after Essa was taken to heaven. The final Nabi Muhammad was born in Bekka which was the place where Hajra was taken to by Nabi Ibrahim. When Nabi Muhammad came he told the people about the women of faith like Hawwa, Hajra, Asiya and Mariam. He removed the accusation made against them. He told the Muslims to respect them and to learn from them about love, patience and many other lessons. The Nabi Muhammad did everything Essa had said. He made the rich feed the poor and he made the kings stop oppressing the people. He made the rich and poor have the same laws and he made the men and women respect each other. A. SAY YES OR NO! TASKS TO DO Mariam was pure She was the chosen among women Essa is also called Jesus Some people say that Jesus was God Mariam said that God cannot be born, nor die! Mariam shouted at those who made accusation against her Some men were jealous of Mariam and of Essa Essa came to fight against the kings Essa came to give us the good news of the final Nabi Mariam lived in a mosque Mariam was chosen among all the women of the world 20

22 B. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER 1.Who came to Mariam with the news of a child? 2. How many days was Mariam pregnant? 3. What did the baby say to the people? 4. What made some men run to the king? 5. What did the king order his soldiers to do? 6. How was Essa saved? WRITE 1. Write down the three miracles that made Essa the miracle baby. 2. Write down what Mariam said when the people said that Essa was the Son of God! 21

23 D. THOUGHTS 1. What do you think would have happened if the king had not sent his soldiers to kill the Nabi Essa? 2. What do you think would have happened if Mariam had not stopped the people from saying that Essa was God or the son of God? 3. Why do you think Essa was raised to heaven? 4. Why do you think Nabi Muhammad was called The Comforter by Nabi Essa? 5. The Christians say that Essa was the Son of God. The Muslims say he was a Nabi. Do you think the Christians and the Muslims should ever fight or should they respect each other because both love the Nabi Essa? 6. During Christmas the Christians celebrate the birthday of Nabi Essa. How do you think the Muslims should behave with Christians on that day? 22

24 LESSON 5 THE HELPERS OF NABI MUHAMMAD 5.1 THE FOUR SHINNING STARS Many years after Essa, the final Nabi was born in Bakka. This was the place where Hawwa and Adam had met and built the first mosque. This was also the place where Hajra lived with her baby. And this was the place where Nabi Ibrahim built the Kaaba. The times when the Nabi Muhammad was born were full of confusion. The rich looked down on the poor and the men looked down on the women. The holy men were worldly because they loved pleasure, prestige and power more than truth. And if anybody tried to change anything then the people laughed at him and stoned him. The times were going to be hard for Nabi Muhammad but Allah chose four women to help him. These four women helped him at different times of his mission. These four women were like stars because they came one after the other like the stars in the sky. The first star came when Nabi Muhammad was still a child and the last came when the Nabi Muhammad had passed away. 5.2 FATIMAH DAUGTHER OF ASAD Love of a mother is a very special thing because love makes children strong and happy. Those children who are abandoned by a mother suffer a lot of sadness in their lives. Fatimah bintah Asad knew this and when the mother and father of Nabi Muhammad passed away she gave him a lot of love. Of MOTHER Fatimah bintah Asad was the aunt of the Nabi and such was her love for him that often she would feed him while her own children went hungry. The love that Fatima bintah Asad gave to the Nabi Muhammad was pure like the mother s love. When he was taken to far away trips by her husband, Abu Talib, she would tell her husband to keep him close to him in case 23

25 enemies came to attack the Nabi. Once when they were late from a trip she waited up all night crying for the Nabi to return. When the Nabi was grown up he liked to be close to her. She was the one who stood close to the Nabi when he got married and she was among the first to believe in him. When she passed away the Nabi wept like a child. He even took his cloak and laid it in the grave where she was buried. His cloak was a sign of his blessings for her. 5.2 BELOVED KHADIJA The second woman who helped the Nabi was his wife Khadija. She was a woman who was a good example to other women. The women at that time were in a very bad situation because everybody made the women feel bad for being women. The main fault of This was of holy men who made up stories against women. The women, therefore, believed that they had evil inside them. For that reason some women turned to witchcraft and some women ate their husband s dead enemies in order to prove that women were indeed bad like satan. Khadija strived hard with the Nabi to teach women that they were not bad. She was herself a good example to other women to be good in their hearts. One good thing Khadija did was to gather the orphans in Makkah and become a mother to them. She fed them, told them how to lead a good life and she showed them much love. Soon she was called the Mother of Orphans. When other women saw this they learnt that women can do good if they wanted to and that they were not born evil. Khadija also gave her wealth to the Nabi to help the slaves. From her wealth many slaves were freed. She also stood with the Nabi when the people laughed and threw stones at him. Even when all the food was stopped to get to the Nabi she stood with the Nabi and starved with him. She never doubted the Nabi and her faith was such that angel Jibrael came and said: The lord has sent me to say salaams to Khadija! MOTHER OF ORPHANS Sadly Khadija died when food was stopped from the Nabi. She became ill with starvation and soon passed away. It is said that the Nabi never felt fully happy ever again after she passed away. 24

26 5.3 FATIMAH ZAHRA Fatimah Zahra was the daughter of Khadija and the Nabi. When Khadija passed away Fatimah was a young child. The Nabi looked after her and she grew up in his loving arms. At the young age she learnt to be an adult as she saw so many difficulties. She saw starvation, she saw death and worst of all, she saw how everything the Nabi said was twisted by the bad people. She saw him hurt with stones and she saw how people came to murder him. The times for her were never easy as the world was always against her. Often the people would point to her and say: He calls himself a Nabi and yet he has no sons. He only has daughters! Fatimah Zahra also saw how some fathers would beat their daughters and starve them. Some fathers would even sell off their daughters. All this must have really frightened her. When she heard that some fathers even murder their daughters for the idols she was heart broken. But all this made her believe strongly in the Nabi who had come to change the people. Fatimah Zahra was like her mother Khadija. She did not allow hardship change her softness. She was full of patience and love for all. The Nabi called her CHOSEN AMONG THE BEST OF THE BEST. 5.4 SYEDA ZAINAB Then when Fatimah Zahra got married she had four children. Among them was his daughter called Zainab. Zainab was the forth shinning star of the Nabi. Her story is amazing because she grew up when the Nabi had passed away and the Muslims had began to fight each other. The Muslim population was being misled by their leaders who were pretending to be good. These bad leaders made the Muslims turn against each other and against the things the Nabi had taught. Zainab had to face these bad people. Then a day came when she was taken in chains to the evil king called Yazid. These bad people thought that Zainab was beaten and would not be able to say anything. But she spoke out and told everybody about how the bad leaders had confused everybody. Soon the people turned against the king and the bad leaders who supported the king. The Muslims learnt that one reason God is not pleased with them is because they allow bad leaders to rule over them. This is a very important lessons for all Muslims of the world. 25

27 TASKS TO DO A. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES 1. If any body tried to change things then the people L at him and S him. 2. The four women who were like stars of the Nabi were F daughter of, K, F Z and Syeda Z. 3. The mother s love was given to the Nabi by F 4. The wife of the Nabi was called M of O 5. His daughter was called C among the B of the B 6. His granddaughter taught the Muslims that God will never be pleased if they allow bad L to rule them. B. SAY YES OR NO 1. Every child needs true love of his or her parents? 2. Only the mother should love the children? 3. A woman has more bad in her than a man? 4. The first people to believe in Nabi Muhammad were women? 5. Some women ate dead men just to prove they were evil? 6. Some women became witches just to prove they were evil? 7. The Nabi said that all men and women were born good? 8. It is difficult to remain good when you see bad around yourself? C. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS 1. What are the names of the four women who are stars of the Nabi Muhammad? 2. What proof is there that his aunt loved him more than her own children? 3. What is one reason why God is not pleased with Muslims? 4. What did Fatimah Zahra not allow hardship to do to her? 26

28 D. GET IN TO GROUPS WITH YOUR FRIEND AND PROVE THESE POINTS. THEN WRITE YOUR PROOFS DOWN. 1. Holy men can fool people to believe that they are right even when they are wrong. 2. Women can be strong even when the times are hard 3. Muslims will do evil things to other Muslims when they are misled by bad leaders 4. You have to be strong not to do the bad things that others are doing E. DRAW THE FAMILY TREE OF THE FOUR WOMEN WHO WERE STARS OF THE NABI. F. DO MORE RESEARCH IN TO THE LIFE OF ONE OF THE STARS AND WRITE A PASSAGE OF WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM HER. 27

29 TASKS & PROJECTS 1. In the above lessons you have learnt about some of the ULUL AZAM Nabis. Ulul Azam Nabis are also called RASUL. These are the Rasuls that brought books for our guidance. Here is a table of the books and the Rasuls who brought them. Learn the table by heart. After learning them read some stories of Nabis and make a family tree from Adam till Nabi Muhammad. ULUL AZAM NABI Nuh Abrahim Daud Musa Isa Muhammad BOOKS Saeefa E Nuh Saeefa E Ibrahim Zabur Tohrat Injil Quran 2.Here is a table for the Women of Guidance. Go through it to see if you know what each of the women is famous for. Women of Guidance HAWWA HAJRA ASIYA MARIUM FATIMAH BINTA ASAD KHADIJA FATIMAH ZAHRA SYEDA ZAINAB Lesson Learnt Good wishes for all people of the world even if they fight each other Do not let anybody turn you against your husband even in times of difficulties Patience is to achieve a greater good even if you have to sacrifice your comforts Stand up against those who tell lies about God even if they are your own people Family responsibility and true love for children Stand up against injustice even if it makes life hard Do not become hard when you face difficult circumstances Do not let bad leaders ruin your faith 28

30 3. HERE ARE SOME WORDS THAT HELP US TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES. USE SOME OF THESE WORDS TO WRITE DOWN EXPERIENCES ABOUT THE WOMEN OF FAITH THAT YOU HAVE LEARNT. 1. If you do not control your jealousy then it will lead to hate. 2. It is hard for a mother to see her children hating each other 3. When a poor woman marries in to a rich family then the husbands relatives refer to her with mocking words like maid servant or slave. 4. If you know you are right then you need to be confident in the way you lead your life even if you face accusations 5. We are what we do good or bad. If women do bad then they are bad and if they do good then they are good. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT Write down other lessons you have learnt from the stories above that will help you in your own life. NOW GO THROUGH THE PREVIOUS QUESTIONS IN THE BOOK AND PREPARE TO GIVE A TEST FROM THE TEACHER 29

31 REPORT MUHAMMADI MADRESSAH Name of Child LESSON Number 1 Work book Standard Understanding of work Attitude in class Attendance & punctuality Test mark Project Signatures and dates 30

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