Q Life. Teacher s Guide. Qibla. Copyright 2010 Q Fatima

SUGGESTED LESSON PLANS FOR THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN DEATH AND BEYOND A FOCUS ON THE MEMORISATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF AYATUL KURSI, AAMENAR RASUL & 7:54 1. These lessons are in addition to the recitation of Qur'an and Duas. 2. Adjust the lesson plans according to the age of the students. 3. Begin every lesson with the recitation of Ayatul Kursi & Suratul Qadr. 4. Set aside 10 minutes of the lesson to talk about the month of Ramadhan & the basic fiqh masails of Sawm. The workbooks to be used are: 1. LET US LEARN ABOUT DEATH & BEYOND 2. MY AYATUL KURSI AND AAMENAR RASUL WORKBOOK Refer to the book Death & Beyond for information to go with the lesson plans. Page 1

Teaching Children about Death and Beyond We are all looking for ways in which to instil a sound value system, and fostering spiritual development* within the minds and hearts of the younger generation. Teaching about death and beyond provides us with an invaluable opportunity to accomplish both of these goals. *Living so we are constantly aware of the presence of Allah and our purpose in life. Islam does not shy away from close encounters with death; instead it frames it with lessons of life with each of the rituals. There are some fundamentals that we need to look at: The reality of death. Ihtidhar (Period just before death) Respect for the dead Praying for the dead Communal responsibility and support to the dead and bereaved Remembrance of the dead Preparations for death Islam encourages a direct confrontation with the reality of death. The human body deserves careful treatment (e.g., performing the ghusl, takfeen, never leaving the body alone until the actual burial, salaa alal mayyit and talqeen). Burial is swift, and mourners are asked to participate in the actual burial. This reality encourages one to question the purpose of life. Lesson Topic Suggested Methodology 1 Sermon of the Prophet Look at one aspect in detail e.g. reciting one (pbuh) aya equivalent to whole Qur an in other months Discuss read, memorise, understand, apply & teach 2 Introduction to Death Introduce the topic with the circle of life. (The Lion King). Innaa lillahi wa innaa ilayhi rajiun. (We are from Him and to Him we will return) Explain terminology e.g. Marhum is one on whom there is Rahma (Mercy). Because death does not give notice it is important to be prepared all the time. Page 2

Lesson Topic Suggested Methodology 3 Introduce Ihtidhar (time just before death) From the recitations we will concentrate on the Kalima, names of Ma sumeen, Ayatul Kursi, Aamenar Rasul As the tutor be the person whom they will help to lay down with the soles towards qibla. Ask them to help you recite the recitations especially the Kalima and names of Ma sumeen. Discuss the necessity to be gentle, respectful at all times, kind, and composed. Read the dua at the time of ihtidhar. Encourage daily recitation. (last 3 ayaat of Suratul Baqara) and 7:54 4 Study of Ayatul Kursi Begin with the merits of recitation. Most important the hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) Indeed the greatest aya of Qur an in Ayatul Kursi Its benefit of improvement in memory and for every hajat. Explain first part of aya 254 oneness of God. 5 Study of Ayatul Kursi Continue with aya 254 explaining the concept of His 24/7 Care of creation and His knowledge. 6 Study of Ayatul Kursi Introduce aya 255 No compulsion in religion because the right way is so clear... Discuss religion and what it is Not just lip service but should manifest itself in actions 7 Study of Ayatul Kursi Aya 256 Talk of opposites darkness and light, knowledge and ignorance, good and bad.... 8 Study of Aamenar Rasul (Last 3 ayaat of Suratul Baqara) 9 Aya 7:54 And what to do just after death 10 Wafat Sayyida Khadija (pbuh) Encourage memorisation and focus on the dua of forgiveness. Discuss forgiveness and tawba Discuss the concept of Allah the Creator. Again as the tutor lay down so the students can carry out all the necessary actions. Suggest keeping the mouth closed with a scarf around the chin etc... Encourage the recitation of Innaa lillahi wa innaa ilayhi raajiun at all times Instil the feeling of wafat by asking students to imagine how Sayyida Fatima Zahra (pbuh) 5 yrs- must have felt when her mother died. Ask students to give condolence to the Prophet (pbuh) and Sayyida Fatima Zahra (pbuh) by means of a letter Page 3

Lesson Topic Suggested Methodology 11 Ghusl of a mayyit Introduce the 3 ghusls and discuss sidr and camphor taking samples for the students to see. Using a doll give each student the opportunity to give ghusl. Emphasise the respect for the dead and gentleness to the body and continuous recitation of istighfar and zhikr. 12 Hunoot Explain the importance of sijda and thus the applying of camphor to the parts of the body which touch the ground during sijda. 13 Takfeen Use the lesson to demonstrate the putting on of the kafan using a doll. Demonstrate the wajib and mustahab pieces (could be different colours for demonstration purposes). Explain the importance of keeping a kafan (hadith of Rasulullah (pbuh)) 14 Jareeda Use the lesson to allow the children to write the names of the Ma sumeen on a twig. Explain the importance of the love of the ahlulbayt connecting it to the wiladat of Imam Hasan (pbuh) 15 Wiladat of Imam Hasan pbuh) Ist grandchild of the Prophet (pbuh) Look at how Sayyida calls him Qurrata Ayni & Thamarata Fuaadiy in Hadith e Kisaa 16 Salaa alal mayyit Ensure the teaching of the simplest form. Line the students up and go through the recitations. 17 Victory of Battle of Badr Emphasise : 1. Although the Muslims were few in number, their faith ensured help from Allah in the form of three thousand angels. 2. Stress the importance of the leadership of the Prophet (S.A.W.) in ensuring victory. 3. Stress the unity among the Muslims and how after the battle they joined hands to recite Dua e Wahda. Recite Dua e Wahda making it a focal point of the lesson. 18 Laylatul Qadr Focus on Suratul Qadr Stress that the spirit and angels descend with every affair to Imam Mahdi (pbuh) Page 4

Lesson Topic Suggested Methodology 19 Majlis of Imam Ali (pbuh)& Amals of Laylatul Qadr Introduce the concept of Tawalla and Tabarra. By reciting a tasbee of "Allahummal'an qatalata Amirul Mu'mineen " we are practising Tabarra; by reciting a tasbee of salawaat we are practising Tawalla. 20 Laylatul Qadr Merits of Laylatul Qadr Importance of planning for the next year achievable goals. 21 Shahadat Imam Ali (pbuh)& Amals of Laylatul Qadr Maybe look at the will of Imam Ali (pbuh) and instil the sadness by narrating the story of the leper who cried out to Imam Hasan (pbuh)& Imam Husayn (pbuh) as they returned after burying Imam. 22 Laylatul Qadr Focus on an aya from each of the 3 suwer Ankabut, Room, & Dukhan & extract from Dua Tawba & Makarimul Akhlaq. Emphasise that the year s timetable is set on Laylatul Qadr and duas are heard. 23 Laylatul Qadr A mal + year s time management project 24 Talqeen & Tadfeen Explain talqeen and encourage recitation once a week at least. Practically explain how the coffin is laid. Discussion on finding Qibla in a graveyard. 25 Jumatul Widaa (Next day) Discuss aspects from Dua Widaa of Imam Ali Zaynul Aabedeen (pbuh) 26 Mourning & Condolence Discuss all aspects: i) From how to greet one who is bereaved to how to help them. ii) What to do for the marhum - Salatul wahshat, hadiya mayyit... iii) 27 Visiting the graveyard Besides the recommended recitations, discuss the sanctity of a graveyard and reflecting on life. Page 5

Lesson Topic Suggested Methodology 28 Writing a will Explain basic concept that 2/3 is decided by Islamic Law. Also, the concept of writing down one s thoughts and refreshing them every month... 29 Zakatul Fitr It becomes wajib after the moon is sighted. Talk of the concept of zakat not only being zakat ul fitr; but we must give out in the way of Allah from everything we have e.g. time, energy... Try to explain the joy of giving rather than of taking! Explain that Fitra is a zakaa and can be distributed to various causes as per the fatawa of the Maraje. 30 Eid & Salatul Eid Reflect back on the whole month. Encourage students to continue : Keeping track of the Islamic date. Keeping track of salaa time especially for Fajr and Maghrib as they have been doing in Ramadhan. Continue in their quest for knowledge. Page 6

AYATUL KURSI Suratul Baqara - 2:255-257 The verse of the 'Throne' AHADITH ON AYATUL KURSI Whoever recites Ayatul Kursi after every wajib salaa, will have his salaa accepted, be in the protection of Allah against ailments and sins. Whenever Rasulullah (pbuh) would recite Ayatul Kursi, he would laugh and say: Indeed this is a treasure from the Merciful (Rahman) from beneath the throne (Arsh) He also said: Indeed the greatest verse of the Qur an is Ayatul Kursi If you knew the spiritual benefits of Ayatul Kursi, you would never leave its recitation, regardless of the state you find yourself in. What does 'Ayatul Kursi' mean? Aya means verse and 'Kursi' means 'seat' or 'throne'. Ayatul Kursi, therefore means the verse of the throne. In this case, the word 'throne' represents the total authority and power of Allah. الله ال إ ل ه إ ال ھ و ال ح ي ال ق يوم ال ت أ خ ذ ه س ن ة و ال ن و م ل ه م ا ف ي ال سم او ات و م ا ف ي األ ر ض م ن ذ ا ال ذ ي ي ش ف ع ع ن د ه إ ال ب إ ذ ن ه ي ع ل م م ا ب ي ن أ ي د يھ م و م ا خ ل ف ھ م و ال ي ح يط ون ب ش ي ء م ن ع ل م ه إ ال ب م ا ش اء و س ع ك ر س يه ال سم او ات و األ ر ض و ال ي ئ ود ه ح ف ظ ھ م ا و ھ و ال ع ل ي ال ع ظ يم Aya 255. Allah - there is no God but He, the Ever living, the Self-subsisting. Slumber does not overtake Him nor does He sleep; Whatever is in the cosmos and whatever is in the earth is His; Who is there who can intercede with Him but with His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, And they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases; Page 7

His knowledge extends over the cosmos and the earth, and the preservation of them both does not tire Him; And He is the most High, the Great. ال إ ك ر اه ف ي ال دين ق د ت ب ي ن ال رش د م ن ال غ ي ف م ن ي ك ف ر ب الط اغ وت و ي ؤ م ن ب ا ف ق د اس ت م س ك ب ال ع ر و ة ال و ث ق ى ال ان ف ص ا م ل ھ ا و الله س م يع ع ل يم Aya 256. There is no compulsion in religion as indeed the right way is clearly distinct from error; Therefore, whoever disbelieves in false gods and believes in Allah has indeed held on to the firmest handle which will never break; Indeed Allah is All- Knowing, All-Hearing. الله و ل ي ال ذ ين آم ن وا ي خ ر ج ھ م م ن ال ظل م ات إ ل ى ال نور و ال ذ ين ك ف ر وا أ و ل ي اؤ ھ م الط اغ وت ي خ ر ج ون ھ م م ن ال نور إ ل ى ال ظل م ات أ ول ئ ك أ ص ح اب الن ار ھ م ف يھ ا خ ال د ون Aya 257 Allah is the guardian of those who believe, He brings them out of the darkness into the light. And (As for those) who disbelieve, their guardians are the false gods who take them out of light into the darkness; They are the inmates of the fire, in which they shall abide. Page 8

The main points to ponder upon in Ayatul Kursi? Aya 2:255 There is no God but Allah He never sleeps nor is He ever unmindful. To Him belongs everything that is in the heavens and everything that is in the earth. He has knowledge about everything - past, present & future. Allah is beyond all time and all states. Everything/one is created and sustained by Allah. He does not need resting. Aya 2:256 Nobody can be forced to believe. (However, once one has accepted Islam, then all its laws must be followed) The right way is clearly different from the wrong. One who rejects false gods and believes in Allah has entered into the protection of Allah and will never be let down. Aya 2:257 Belief, understanding and applying tawheed to our lives takes us out of the darkness (ignorance & disbelief in Allah) into the light. Page 9

AAMENAR RASUL Ayaat 285 & 286 of Suratul Baqara AHADITH ON RECITING THE LAST TWO AYAAT OF SURATUL BAQARA Allah finished Suratul Baqara with two verses which He has given me from His Treasure which is under the Throne: so learn them and teach them to your families, for they are a blessing, a recitation and a supplication Whoever recites the first 4 verses of Suratul Baqara, Ayatul Kursi and the last verses of Suratul Baqara will be protected from Shaitan and nothing he despises would come near him or the members of his family, and never are these verses recited over a madman without him regaining his consciousness.' آم ن ال رس ول ب م ا أ ن ز ل إ ل ي ه م ن ر ب ه و ال م ؤ م ن ون ك ل آم ن ب ا و م ال ئ ك ت ه و ك ت ب ه و ر س ل ه ال ن ف رق ب ي ن أ ح د م ن ر س ل ه و ق ال وا س م ع ن ا و أ ط ع ن ا غ ف ر ان ك ر ب ن ا و إ ل ي ك ال م ص ير "The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. (They) all believe in Allah, His angels, His Books and His Messengers. (They say:) We make no difference between any of His Messengers '; and they say : 'We hear, and obey. Our Lord! Your forgiveness (do we ask), and toward You is the destination." When the previous verse was revealed telling the believers that everything they had in their minds Allah knows and keeps account of it, whether they concealed or made manifest them, a group of the Prophet's companions became afraid of their state. (They thought that none of them was free from their innermost temptations. So, they told the Prophet (pbuh) what they thought). Then, the revelation was sent down, and taught them how to believe in Allah and in what manner they would do dua, and what style of obedience and submission to Him they should follow. Therefore, belief in origin and the Divine Messengers should go hand in hand with the practical commitment of all commandments of Allah. Page 10

ال ي ك ل ف الله ن ف س ا إ ال و س ع ھ ا ل ھ ا م ا ك س ب ت و ع ل ي ھ ا م ا اك ت س ب ت ر ب ن ا ال ت ؤ اخ ذ ن ا إ ن ن س ين ا أ و أ خ ط أ ن ا ر ب ن ا و ال ت ح م ل ع ل ي ن ا إ ص ر ا ك م ا ح م ل ت ه ع ل ى ال ذ ين م ن ق ب ل ن ا ر ب ن ا و ال ت ح مل ن ا م ا ال ط اق ة ل ن ا ب ه و اع ف ع ن ا و اغ ف ر ل ن ا و ار ح م ن ا أ ن ت م و ال ن ا ف ان ص ر ن ا ع ل ى ال ق و م ال ك اف ر ين "Allah does not impose upon anyone a duty but to the extent of his capacity; in his favour shall be what he has earned, and against him shall be (the evil) he has done. Our Lord! punish us not if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! lay not upon us a burden such as You did lay upon those before us. Our Lord! burden us not with what we have no strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us; You are our Guardian, so help us against the people who cover up the truth" "Allah does not impose upon anyone a duty but to the extent of his capacity;... " The capacity and capability of a human being are taken into account... "... in his favour shall be what he has earned, and against him shall be (the evil) he has done..." We are responsible for our actions and there is no chance or luck in the matter... Seven duas follow as instructions: 1. "...Our Lord! punish us not if we forget or make a mistake..." 2. "Our Lord! lay not upon us a burden such as You did lay upon those before us..." 3. "...Our Lord! burden us not with what we have no strength to bear..." 4." And pardon us, 5. and forgive us, 6. and have mercy on us..." 7. "...You are our Guardian, so help us against the people who cover up the truth." Page 11

Ayatus Sakhrah (Suratul A raf 7: 54) This should be recited after every salaa for it acts as a protection against shaitan. إ ن ر ب ك م الله ال ذ ي خ ل ق ال سم او ات و األ ر ض ف ي س ت ة أ ي ام ث م اس ت و ى ع ل ى ال ع ر ش ي غ ش ي الل ي ل الن ھ ار ي ط ل ب ه ح ث يث ا و ال شم س و ال ق م ر و ال نج وم م س خر ات ب أ م ر ه أ ال ل ه ال خ ل ق و األ م ر ت ب ار ك الله ر ب ال ع ال م ين Surely your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, and He is firm in power; He throws the veil of night over the day, which it pursues incessantly; and (He created) the sun and the moon and the stars, made subservient by His command; surely His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Page 12

SAMPLE QUESTIONS IHTIDHAAR Fill in the blanks with the correct words. When a person is dying it is Ihtiyat e - to face him/her towards the Qibla. Facing Qibla means the face towards Qibla whilst a person is lying on his/her back. It is mustahab to make a person recite and names of. It is recommended to give some water with - to a dying person. People near by should also recite and on the head side of the dying person. If one finds that the soul of the dying person is coming out with difficulty than it is better to take him/her to the place of. It is makruh to,, or near a dying person. Page 13

AFTER DEATH Choose the word to fill in the blanks Cover Lights Arms Ladies Jewellery Feet Eyes Mouth Mu mineen Mustahab Once the person has died we should remove all the Close the, tie the and the, straighten the by the side of the body and the whole body We should keep the on, not leave the alone near the mayyit and inform as many as possible. It is to hurry in the rituals of burial. PREPARING THE BODY AFTER DEATH BEFORE GHUSL List at least 5 actions one may perform before starting the ghusl of mayyit i).. ii). iii). Page 14

iv).. v) GHUSL Choose the word to fill in the blanks Mudhaf Ehtiyat e wajib Three ghusls Sidr Paak Pure Najis Sidr Three Camphor Completed Camphor List the 3 ghusls in its correct order on the dead. 1) 2) 3) The dead body is najis once it becomes cold and before the.. Whilst the body is warm it is. And also once the ghusls are. The amount of and Should not be so much that water becomes. It is e.. to take permission of the guardian before starting ghusl of mayyit. Page 15

KAFAN Name the three wajib pieces of kafan. Also give the lengths. 1) for.. to 2) for.. to 3) for.. to Name the three mustahab pieces of kafan. 1) 2) 3) For kafan it is mustahab to have: 1) colour 2).material 3) price Page 16

HUNOOT Multiple choice (tick the right answer) 1. Hunoot means : 2. The order of rubbing is: 3. Hunoot can be done: i) To rub the 7 wajib parts of sajda ii) To rub the forehead, chest and nose iii) To rub the whole body i) Toes first, then knees, palms & forehead ii) Forehead first, then any order iii) Forehead first, then wajib to do right side, then left. i) Before ghusl of mayyit ii) In between kafan iii) After salaa alal mayyit 4. One must not do hunoot when a dead person is in: i) Iddat (waiting period for a widow...) ii) Ihram iii) On a journey Page 17

SALAA ALAL MAYYIT Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks (more words provided than necessary) Salaa alal mayyit has.. takbirs and.duas. It has. Rukus and. Sajdahs. In Salaa alal mayyit, Imam is facing the. And the of the mayyit is in the. of the Imam. Those who are.. and have ghusls to perform can also pray this salaa. The first zhikr is.. and the second zhikr is. 5 10 3 4 2 0 0 Right Left Front Back Qibla Feet Read Tahir Najis Salawaat Tawheed Page 18

WHAT I FEEL ABOUT DEATH Write briefly your feelings about death. Some people say they are scared of death. Whereas, others say it is quite a relief to see a very sick person go. They say at least they are in peace and are at rest. Page 19