Check out these wonderful simplified arizas for little children. Different ones may suit your children at different ages. Here they are in ascending age order:
Ariza By Towards Jannah.
Instructions: Cut out the images and get your little ones to stick them next to the Dua statements. Make it more meaningful for them by sticking pics of them, family or familiar places they know e.g usual supermarket. The last one is kept empty for the child’s more personal dua.
Ariza By Islam From The Start
Ariza By Muslim Kids
Ariza by Zahra Trust
Ariza by Servants of Lady Fatimah
Ariza (Author unknown)
Ariza for adults
Online Ariza
- Have a grand send-off for the ariza:
As arizas are recommended to be placed in water (river, well, etc), this could also be a perfect way to teach that to the children. I’m not too sure what happens to floating lanterns but I’m guessing they eventually go under water? It could also be an amazing 15th Shabaan ritual, as mentioned by another mum!
Check out this site on how to make them at home:http://howtomakepaperlanterns.weebly.com/
Here is what one mum said: “We had a grand send off for FZs areeza to Imame Zamana at our local woodland lake. Inspired by the wonderful, lush, blooming natural beauty all around us, we discussed Imam Ali’s Hadith about what it will be like when our Imam returns:
‘When our Qaim makes his advent, the skies will send down their rain; the Earth will bring forth its produce; enmity will be removed from the hearts of the servants; wild animals and beasts will live (in peace) with one another and will not stampede each other; (and life will be such that) if a woman wanted to walk from Iraq to Shaam (Syria), then every step she took will be on luscious, green grass and she will be able to display her adornments (jewelry etc) (and not a single person will try and steal them from her)- no animal will attack her, nor will she have any fear about them (the wild beasts).’ Imam Ali (a.s.)
We even imagined beautiful flowers and greenery springing forth at Imam’s every step, and the Earth going back to its natural state, healing itself from everything human beings have done to harm it (deforestation, extinction of species, pollution, overfishing etc.)”
- One Madressa did something similar with biodegradable balloons. The idea was given by Marhuma Nishat Dossa:”Make a wish and blow it away. Each student in each infants class were given a biodegradable helium filled balloon to release into the open air. The concept used was that We write an areeza to Imam, what we should say to him, to ask him to help us have our wishes granted. At the time the balloons were released the children were all asked to make a wish to Imam and let go of their balloons.”
- Why only write to the Imam once a year? Check out what one mum has been up to:
“We’ve been writing Arizahs recently. Very short, usually stickers and drawings to let the kids express something to our Imam. In this one, z wanted to send Dora to Imam because Dora has a map which Imam can use to get to us quickly. The Arizahs are on a scented writing pad, and we write them after we recite Quran on Fridays, so we don’t forget. We hang onto these Arizahs, its nice to look back at the previous pages. We’ve used scented writing pads to make it special and since ‘the sense smell’ enhance formation of long-term memories.”
What a great way to help develop connections with the Imam every week 🙂
- Here is a book Buzz Ideazz has created for this very purpose. Interspersed throughout is information about the Imam, with plenty of space for letters, thoughts and duas!
- Love what one mum made for their house:
