Teach your children that the tears for Imam Husayn (as) have shafa – indeed, tears have been found to have different chemical content, depending on why they are being shed. Encourage them to wipe it on their faces and body, rather than wiping it away with a tissue.
From a majlis by a Zakira
Muharram Gem 2:
We need to put a love of the family of the Ahlul Bayt (as) into our children from a young age. If we do this, then it will help them when they’re older. Many teenagers have strayed, but through the love of Imam Husayn (as) have then come to the majalis of Muharram and returned to the right path – they started praying again, started fasting again, started wearing hijaab again, and so on…
Summarised from a seminar by Sheikh Abbas Jaffer
In the same vein: We need to put the love of Islam into our children BEFORE the law. When they are older, if they rebel against the law, it will be the love that will bring them back.
From a majlis by a Zakira
Muharram Gem 3:
Don’t underestimate the value of maatam and the symbol of what it stands for. Teach your children it’s importance and to take part, even if they don’t understand it yet.
In Russia, when it was difficult to openly practise Islam and commemorate, Muslims developed a softer, more secret way to do maatam rather than give it up altogether. They would slip their hand in between buttons and place it on the chest and whisper, and they taught their children to do the same.
Now, they are allowed to practise more freely and so do maatam normally again, but continue to do this secret maatam every now and then as a reminder…
Summarised from a lecture by Sheikh Abbas Jaffer
Muharram Gem 4:
We listen to lectures year in, year out – but the change in us in minimal. How can we change this so that the knowledge turns into action?
One suggestion is that we reflect on it and pull out a point of action even after the majlis. On the way home, why not start a family tradition on what each family member learned and one small thing they are going to try and change based on that? Inshallah with little steps like that, big changes can happen 🙂
Inspired by a lecture by Sheikh Abbas Jaffer
Muharram Gem 5:
The first ten minutes are what is most pertinent to us, and it relates to the different ways that people around the world do Azadari. The poppy example is a good one to explain the symbols we use to commemorate Ashura to our children:
Muharram Gem 6:
Muharram rituals can save our children:
Muharram Gem 7:
“Values we learn from the holy month of Moharram can be embraced in our daily lives, all year long. We are doing a disservice to our children, and ourselves, if we only remember these values one month out of the year. All it takes is a little bit of time to make Imam Hussain and Karbala a part of our families and our lives.
Technology is a part of our lives now that we cannot ignore. But you have the option to unplug and log out. We must create a space and time for our families to reconnect and think about the bigger picture. This is where the story of Imam Hussain and Karbala can save us.”
“So, while I find myself feeling overwhelmed and disconnected during the majalis, I have found the solution to all those issues through the acts of Imam al-Husayn (as). Mothers must, whether at a very minute or grandiose level, sacrifice like our Imam did. Sacrificing our peace of mind, our physical energy, and at times, even sleep for the child’s benefit. While this sacrifice is not limited to any month or day of the year, it is felt especially strong and perhaps, even burdensome, in Muharram. Our sacrifices are not for vain, it is for our young seedlings to take root and grow. With time’s allowance, their souls will bear the fruits of our hard work. The difference is that despite us not being in the time of Karbala, we are in a time even more necessary for sacrifice: the occultation of Imam Mahdi (aj), the Husayn of our time.”
As we prepare to enter the months of Muharram and Safar, here are some INVALUABLE points for parents and teachers to keep in mind. Please read and share!
Take the first point for example – SO crucial:
“Images of Violence:
It never ceases to amaze me the extent of graphic details Islamic school curriculums, teachers, and speakers provide children when discussing Karbala. Yes, it was a battle and yes it was a tragedy beyond words. However, such violent and graphic details are socially and developmentally inappropriate. Many children struggle to understand topics such as death, loss, and grief. When Islamic school teachers decide to focus on the explicit details of how Ali al-Asghar or Imam Abbas (as) were killed, it can be difficult for children to overcome. You can definitely get the message across that Yazeed and Bani Ummayah were the lowest of the low and enemies of God without describing to a child in graphic details the murder of another child.”
Someone sent in their majlis idea! I love the idea of a heart pillow with Ya Husayn written on it 🙂
“There is a group of girls conducting activity for kids 0-5. Recently we did this from a very different angle and would like to share it with you.
Our topic was love and we started by singing ‘I love you, you love me’ song because young kids love their mums the most :). From there we explained that mum loves Imam Husayn (as) and that’s why we go to majlises and Imam loves us so much. He is so special that when he was born he started giving gifts and here we told them the story of FITRUS getting his wings.
Then we explained we cry, do azadari and share food for Imam and the things that Imam would also love us to do, like pray – we all went to Sajdah and did Shukar. Imam would also like us reading Quran so we did 2 ayahs with actions. Finally Imam loves Azadari.
We love our Mum and Imam loves his mum too. Therefore we said ‘Abd Walkah Ya Zahra…’ to end with.
We gave away heart pillows with Ya Husayn written for kids to hug live and connect with Imam.
At the end we did a planting activity ad told the kids as we watch and see the plant grow our love for Imam will also grow!”
Another great interactive majlis sent in! Here are the details:
“Alhamdulillah I was blessed to conduct this Interactive workshop/majlis for my son and few of his friends age 5-6 years at home.
Topic:- Dua and being amongst the supporters of Imam Mahdi:–
Our mummies love us sooo much, and she wants to know each and everything that we do eg in school. Did you know Allah loves us 70 times more than our mums. He also wants us to talk to Him about everything.
Activity:
Draw hand and explained how to make Dua. Pray for family/ people far from us/ imam Mahdi/Those sick and ill/ and lastly pray for yourself. Allah says He will accept our Duas if done via Imam Mahdi so we should pray through him.
Activity:
All kids wrote arizah with their mummies help using the “letters to my Imam” book of buzzideazz, using their hand model that they had drawn.
We were blessed that one of the kid, was going for iran ziarat the following day. We handed over the arizahs to this little girl to put it in the well behind masjide jamkaran in iran. This well is a place where people put their arizahs to Imam Mahdi, Imam visits this masjid every Tuesday.
Santa fulfils wishes only once in December. Imam Mahdi will fulfil our wishes anytime when we raise our hands in Dua and anytime we write to him Ariza.
But when Dua is not accepted, know that it’s because it’s not good for us. Eg:- if we pray for chocolate factory, Allah may not accept as it will spoil our teeth.
So whenever you want to talk to imam Mahdi write to him using this book which they all were given to take home.
Dua plus action is required:-
Sitting in one place and praying to be amongst the supporters of imam mahdi isn’t sufficient. We need to do action too.
Cited example of Bibi Hajras Dua for water and her running from safa to marwa in search of water. Because of which we have zamzam water flowing till today.
Activity:
Showed them a house model with 8 windows. Asked the kids to think about what deeds they would do that would make imam Mahdi come to our house and we stuck those deeds using cardboard on the windows.
Cardboard pieces had these deeds written:-
Pray on time
No lying
No haram food
No haram things in the house like music
Respect and care
Stay clean
Recite Quran
Check your deeds before sleeping.
Building on point no 8, i gave them all a laminated weekly chart that they could use to self assess themselves before bedtime. This chart has space for 5 good deeds to do and 5 bad deeds to avoid. ( left these empty for the mummies to personalise what deeds they would like their kids to build on and can change when needed)
Then kids can assess if their imam is happy or sad with them by putting a smiley face or a sad face.
Based on above actions, we will know if we really await imam mahdi or do we dread his coming as a “Thief wouldn’t await the coming of the police ”
Will we be the thieves or will we be with the police in catching/fighting the thieves?
How can we help imam when he comes when we are just 5-6 years old?
We need to prepare ourselves just like bibi Sakinas example.
In kerbala, we had bibi Sakina who was 4 years old. Inspite of all the tortures and especially in the jail in shaam, she never missed her Namaz, woke up in the cold mornings for subh namaz, until one morning when she didn’t wake up when she had already passed away.
A 5 yr old girl then recited for us a poem about bibi sakinas tortures.
Then we had two boys recite Dua hujjat and then we had matam and ziarat.
References :-
A bond with Imam e Mahdi volume 14, printed and presented by Al Mahdi (as) Centre -ladies wing, Dar es salaam.
With millions walking from Najaf to Kerbala, one Madressa re-created the walk for the children…here are the planning details (with some pictures of the final outcome) for those of you who would like to recrate this in your own centres:
*Here is another example of the N2K Simulation also*
“This day we will commemorate Arbaeen and the importance of the ziyarah of Imam Husayn (as). We will simulate the walk from Najaf to Karbala and the format will be similar to the one we used for our practical Hajj event. There will be stations and young students, chaperoned by girls/boys from the senior classes will visit the stations, till they arrive in Karbala (assembly room). Here we will have a presentation for all the students about the importance of Ziyarah of this great Imam, the special etiquette of the visit, and how honorable that part of the earth is – All through ahadith and ziyarat Waritha.
Children will go to the stations in batches. There will be signs along the way (pole numbers) indicating how far along the journey students are. The anticipation will increase at every station. To those who are waiting to walk or have walked already, we will show personal testimonies from youtube on the projector so students can get an idea of what the experience has been like for those who have done the actual walk. We hope that in batches we will be able to compete the walk in a more or less cascaded fashion.
The main focus of this event will be on the preparation, anticipation and etiquette of ziyarat. The preparation part will be discussed in assembly before the walk commences so that students know that this journey is to be made in a somber mood.
Walk is to be followed by a play based on a real life experience by a group of zaereen. Theme of the play revolves around the value and status if the zawwar of Imam Husayn(as). The play is to be short but impactful. Needs 6 actors and a narrator.
End with Salaah.
Schedule:
1. Introductory talk 2. Walk to ‘Karbala’ 3. Presentation on the importance of the ziyarah of Imam Husayn(as) 4. Play 5. Salaah
Introductory Talk Focus on the preparation and etiquette of this special visitation before commencing Explain the route: Najaf to Karbala over a distance of 80km Highlight some choose to walk from their own towns within Iraq such as Basra despite longer distance. Hadith on the importance and reward of ziyarah
Walk to ‘Karbala’ Divide the students into groups consisting of a mixture of age groups (3 students form each class) with one of the senior students acting as the group leader. Group leaders will be responsible for group members guiding the group through the stations to ‘Karbala’. All groups start and end at the same points but do not visit all stations together.
Throughout the walk one can have latmiyah playing in different languages to enhance the atmosphere and feeling. Maybe better to have these playing on mobiles/ipods/ipads placed at different points along the walk rather than one loud sound.
Examples of latmiyah:
English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DMZXVJIY1E
12 minutes allocated to each station.
Display road signs and poles numbers along the way to show the students how far along they are… milestones of 20, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80km for example.
Stations:
1. Food • Dates (enough for all kids) • Tea- room temperature sweet Iraqi tea on display in small istekans for show and if students want to taste they can be served in small disposable cups from large thermos • Rice, curry and khubus- Rice in a platter for show with some curry on the side? Khubus/ Arabic flat bread cut into pieces to serve Give out rice & curry in foil containers to take away & eat for lunch?
2. Massage • Students can select their massage partners (girl with girl and boy with boy). Teacher can demonstrate how the feet are massaged using pressure points. After one round they can switch over and masseur can receive the massage next. • Props include: creams, oils, massage rollers
3. Rest/Sleep • Using large cushions, pillows and bed sheets create cushioned areas within the mawkib for resting with blankets as covers. The students can use to this time for contemplation and reflection. Teachers can discuss the purpose of the walk with the students, reflecting on the journey passed and the internal excitement for the remainder.
4. Medical • Students can pair up to assist one another • Props include: plasters, alcohol wipes, swabs, needle less syringes, stethoscope, gloves, masks, torch, optical equipment for eye examinations etc • Conduct general health check on students • Flu, aches, pains, cuts, bruises, broken noses • Remind students that Doctors and other healthcare professionals also volunteer their time and efforts out of love of Imam Husayn(as) expecting nothing in return.
5. Snack • By counting snack/lunch/break, as a station within the event itself will ensure that time is saved and walk not disrupted. Teachers may need to monitor the flow of students here and increase time allocation as required.
6. Video • At this station, students will watch videos that depict the actual walk to Karbala. Videos that show men, women, children of all ages and health conditions; elderly in wheelchairs, with walking sticks, ladies carrying babies (point out difficult to walk long distance carrying a baby in arms), people on crutches, walking barefoot.. etc. Individuals of all nationalities and walks of life. How this reflects situation in Karbala, where Imam Husayn(as) had men, women and children of all ages.
7. Additional services provided to the zawwar include: shoe repairs, bag repairs, wheelchair/pushchair repairs and phone chargers! These can be incorporated into above stations or expanded upon.
At each step can emphasise that the services provided to the zawwar of Imam Husayn(as) are purely out of his love.
Highlight at each point that all the people on this journey have a giving attitude a complete reverse of human psychology under circumstances where there is some element of competition for resources. This clip demonstrates that perfectly:
When the zawwar return with so much of awe and the excitement and are asked what impressed them the most. They remember the true love of Imam Husayn (as), the sincere respect of the pilgrims that love translates into and the unparalleled enthusiasm and desire these Iraqis have in their hearts to serve the pilgrims. After all no one opens the doors of their houses to welcome strangers who come from distant lands and don’t speak the same language. To this the most appropriate poster I took a picture of was that of the flags of many nations bordering the words: “Al Husayn Yajmaoona”. “Husayn brings us together”
Presentation on the importance of Ziyarah of Imam Hussayn (as)
The following points were covered during the presentation:
Importance and reward of this visitation during Arbaeen but through out the year as well.
-Hadith that states for every step you take towards the grave of Al-Husayn(as) angels accompany you: “Whoever visits the grave of Imam Husayn (a.s.) thrice a year shall remain safe from indigence. It is emphasized that one should visit his grave with sincerity and eagerness. Then the one who goes to his grave with eagerness, he is among the favored slaves (of Allah) and will remain under the standard of Husayn bin Ali (a.s.). And the one who visits him for the sake of Allah, Allah will forgive his sins similar to a newly born, and the Angels will accompany him in his journey”- Imam Hassan (as)
“If one of our Shia goes for Imam Husayn (a.s.) Ziyarat, then he will not return but all his sins will be forgiven. For every step that he or his mount takes, 1,000 virtues are written for him, 1,000 sins are forgiven and his status is elevated by 1,000 degrees” Imam Jaffer Sadiq (as) (Reference Kamil al-Ziyarat, pg 134)
– Visiting the grave of Imam Husayn (a.s.) is obligatory upon every believer Imam Muhammad al Baqir (a.s.) told Muhammad bin Muslim that, “Direct our Shi’ah to visit the grave of Husayn bin Ali (a.s.), for it has been made obligatory by Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime, upon every believer who considers Husayn (a.s.) to be his Imam”.
Why do we perform this pilgrimage to Karbala during Arbaeen? How did this tradition start? What about those than cannot travel to Iraq? How can they perform ziyarat?
Reciting Ziyarat from home Which Ziyarats are attributed to Imam Husayn (as)? -Ziyarat Ashura
-Ziyarat Arbaeen
-Ziyarat Nahiya Heartfelt narration by our 12th Imam Muhammad Mahdi(as) on the events of the tragedy of Karbala
“But as I have been hindered by the course of time, and (Allah’s) decree has prevented me from helping you, and as I could not fight those who fought you, and was not able to show hostility to those who showed hostility to you, I will, therefore, lament you morning and evening, and will weep blood in place of tears, out of my anguish for you and my sorrow for all that befell you…” Imam Muhammad Mahdi(as)
-Ziyarat Waritha How is this ziyarat linked with Imam Husayn(as)? Inheritance in the form of blood lineage but also in the form of a vicegerent of Allah(swt)
Prophet Adam (as)- Father of Humanity and Imam Husayn(as) stood for humanity at each step of his mission
Prophet Nuh (as) – Imam Husayn(as) wiped evil off the earth, his revolution lives on today
Prophet Ibrahim(as)- Imam Husayn (as) showed us how to break the idols within us, that come between us and Allah (swt) affecting our relationship with Him.
Prophet Musa (as)- Imam Husayn (as) toppled the Firaun of his time.
Karbala is a piece of heaven on earth -The angel Gabriel narrated to Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Karbala, where your grandson and his family will be martyred, is the one of the most blessed and the most sacred land on Earth and it is one of the valleys of Paradise” (Reference: Kamill al-Ziyarat. pg. 545)
-“Between the grave of Husayn and heaven is a passage of angels”- Imam Jaffer Sadiq (as) (Reference: Biharul Anwar 52, 325, 40)
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