ry fh fh fh ISLAM my faith ... fh Feizel Chothia fh Mawlana Naeema Desai Mu‘allimah fh fh fh fh fh A TEXTBOOK FOR ‘AQA’ID fh AKHLAQ FIQH ‘AD‘IYAH fh ADAB QASAS AL-AMBIYA’ fh SIRAT AN-NABI & TARIKH AL-ISLAM fh GRADE 3 fh vn my faith ...ISLAM ry fh fh ISLAM Author fh my faith ... Mawlana Feizel Chothia A TEXTBOOK FOR ‘AQA’ID, AKHLAQ, Reviewed by fh FIQH, ‘AD‘IYAH WAADAB, ‘QASAS AL- Mu‘allimah Naeema Desai AMBIYA’ , SIRAT AN-NABI & TARIKH AL-ISLAM Typesetting fh Mawlana Feizel Chothia GRADE 3 Cover Design Mawlana Feizel Chothia fh fh fh fh fh fh fh fh fh fh vn my faith ...ISLAM 1 ry preface fh fh The preservation of the religious and moral heritage of Muslims is impor- fh tant as well as complex. To impart Islamic education to children and to enable them to grow as Muslims in modern society offers a great challenge to us. A fundamentally important facet in this context is Islamic didactic material. It gives me pleasure to say that the book ‘MY FAITH, ISLAM’ rep- fh resents a positive attempt to address this challenge. For a long time, the need has been felt for an augmentation of the current Islamic studies programs. An innitiative was undertaken to address this fh need. The outcome is ‘MY FAITH, ISLAM’. It is a comprehensive set of text- books on Islamic Studies embracing the full school career of Muslim chil- dren. The books have been specially graded to enable children from grade one through to grade twelve to relate to the text in a manner that suits their fh particular academic level. This text is designed to be both practical and interesting. I hope that the users will find the variety of topics, exercises and extracts do, in fact, fulfil fh that aim. An effort has been made to present the matter in a methodical and readable manner and all major Islamic topics pertinent to Muslim children have been included. The text has been presented in lesson format and I have used language which is simple and a style which is appealing to fh young minds. I have attempted to narrate the facts in such a way that there is a moral lesson for the learners in each section and through every lesson I attempt to motivate the learner to imbibe the spirit of Islam and transform fh it into practical living. Although care has been taken to cover aspects as thoroughly as possible, constructive and clear criticism would be appreciated to improve the mate- fh rial. In the preparation of these books consideration was given to the limit- ed time teachers have in preparing lessons. However, teachers should still make use of any extra material they have appropriate to the standard and lesson. fh I do not claim this material to be the best, but it is the product of very sin- cere and laborious efforts. How far I have succeeded in my attempt is for the users to judge. fh Books do provide a basis for education and it is the teachers who make them really useful and meaningful. Books on their own can do no miracle for young people unless they are properly geared to use them. I hope the fh Islamic teachers will remain conscious of this. Although my aim has primarily been to fascilitate the instruction of teach- ers and the assimilation of children I hope it will benefit parents too. I will fh deem my efforts well rewarded if it inspires young Muslims to under stand and practice Islam passionately. fh May Allah accept my humble effort and make it a source of my salvation in the Hereafter. Amin. vn Mawlana Feizel Chothia Ramadan 1427 AH / October 2006 CE 2 my faith ...ISLAM ry fh acknowledgements fh “Whoesoever is not grateful to people is not grateful to Allah.” fh I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude in appreciation of the enthusiasm, sincerity and dedication to Islamic re-awakening of brother Muhammad Doola without who's support this treatise could not have been accom- fh plished. Special thanks to brother Muhammad Amod who provided invalu- able technical assistance in the production of this work. Their love of Faith is most heartening and inspirational indeed. May Allah, the Exalted, grant them all the best of this world and the hereafter. fh I would be failing in my duty if I did not display my gratitude to my mentors, Mawlana Hasan Docrat a truly outstanding and erudite scholar of Islam, who very kindly proof-read the work. fh I owe a special debt of gratitude to my wife, Mu'allimah Naeema Desai Chothia, without whose assistance, support, encouragement and patience this work would not have been Possible. fh Finally, let me add that if this work stimulates a more assertive and active interest in Islamic faith and doctrine amongst young Muslims, I will consid- er the effort to have been amply rewarded. fh Mawlana Feizel Chothia fh Mawlana Feizel Chothia has devoted his life to the cause of Islam. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1970 he was educated at the Madrasah Arabiyah Islamiyah (Dar Al-UlumAzaadville) institute of traditional Islamic sciences, one of the most well known institutions of Islamic learning in South Africa. He studied under the fh guidance of the eminent Islamic scholar and Shaykh ul-Hadith (Specialist in Prophetic Tradition), Mawlana Fazlur Rahman Azmi and Mawlana Hasan Docrat, author of the popular work on Arabic syntax, ‘A Simplified Arabic Grammar’ and Syllabus Co-ordina- torof Madrasah Arabiyah Islamiyah. He has also acquired a post graduate degree in fh Islamic Studies under the guidance of the distinguished academic, Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi. He has specialist training in Islamic jurisprudence, primarily the Hanafi School of Law, and his approach is rooted in a traditional, normative stance. MawlanaFeizel has traveled widely in the cause of Islam, visiting Arabia, Palestine, South East Asia, Turkey and England as well as living both in South Africa and Australia where he served as fh Imam in numerous Masjidsand was actively engaged in Islamic propagation, teaching and administration, and developing curricula and materials for Islamic elementary and afternoon schools (ie. Madaris - primary and secondary Islamic seminaries). Apart from his formal training and experience, his development as an Islamic scholar within fh the Western milieu and his intimacy with Western culture and its institutions has served him well in assessing and positively engaging the challenges it poses to Muslims and the Islamic Faith. He currently lives in Perth where he is associated with a number of innovative projects in the field of Islamic education and literature. fh Mu'allimah Naeema Desai Chothia is a South African born graduate of Madrasah Tarbiyat ul-Banat, a popular tertiary Islamic institute near Johannesburg. She has, in the course of her academic endeavors, also acquired a diploma in the Montessori method of nursery and pre-school education. She has experience in teaching in pri- fh mary, secondary and tertiary Islamic seminaries (ie.Madrasah's and Dar ul-'Ulum's) and Nursery and Pre-schools, as well as conducting teenage and adult Islamic educa- tional programs for women and new convert Muslims, both in South Africa and Australia. Mu'allimah Naeema Desai is a qualified Islamic Studies directress with vn twelve years of experience as not only a teacher but also as principal of Islamic primary seminaries. She currently lives in Perth, Australia. my faith ...ISLAM 3 ry introduction fh fh T P The first and most crucial obligation upon a Muslim is to fh acquire knowledge. This is so because correct knowledge must come before correct action. The opposite is also true: that par- tial or false knowledge could, and does, lead to wrong or disastrous conduct. It is impossible for a Muslim to live according to the require- fh ments of Islam and at the same time live in a state of ignorance and barbarity. Our attitude, as Muslims, to knowledge is an important part of our fh worldview. How well we understand and fulfil our role as human beings will depend on the type of knowledge we acquire, the sources we depend on and the ways in which we gain knowledge, and the purposes for which we use our knowledge. fh Knowledge is connected in Islam with worship. The acquiring of knowledge is worship, reading the Qur’an and pondering upon it is worship, travelling to gain knowledge is worship. The practice of fh knowledge is connected with ethics and morality - with promoting virtue and combatting vice, enjoining right and forbidding wrong. Knowledge is to be pursued and practiced with modesty and humili- fh ty and leads to beauty and dignity, freedom and justice. The main pur- pose of acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to Allah. It is not simply for the gratification of the mind or the senses. It is not knowl- edge for its own sake or science for its own sake. Knowledge accord- fh ingly must be linked with values and goals. One of the purpose of acquiring knowledge is to gain the good of this world, not to destroy it through wastage, arrogance and shameless- fh ness in the reckless pursuit of higher standards of material comfort. Another purpose of knowledge is to spread freedom and dignity, truth and justice. It is not to gain power and dominance for its own sake. The Qur’an is our most important link with reality. A Muslim must fh therefore acquire a knowledge of the Qur’an and its essential guid- ance. A Muslim needs to have a knowledge of the Sunnah of the Sacred Prophet Muhammad [s]. This is because his Sunnah is the practical method or path for implementing Islam. The Sunnah fh includes what the noble Prophet [s] said, what he did and what he agreed to. From the Qur’an and the Sunnah a Muslim needs to have a knowledge of the Shari‘ah or the Islamic Moral and Legal System which regulates man’s actions. A Muslim needs to know the purpos- fh es of the Shari‘ah and how it categorises life’s transactions, that is, what is lawful (halal) and what is unlawful (haram) and the principles and values that govern each. fh Islamic knowledge is the only authentic way to come nearer and clos- er to the Creator. It informs us of Him, of His attributes, of how He rules over the cosmos and history, of how He relates Himself to us, and how we should relate to Him, to ourselves and to our fellowmen, fh and to every other being. It is also important to remember that the search for knowledge is a life-long process and does not end with the receiving of a certificate. vn 4 my faith ...ISLAM ry fh GENERAL contents fh ‘AQA’ID beliefs 7 fh LESSON 1 Allah, the All-Hearing 9 LESSON 2 Allah, the Merciful 21 fh LESSON 3 Islam, Our Religion 37 ‘AKHLAQ character 57 fh LESSON 1 Respect for Teachers 59 LESSON 2 Respect for Neighbours 75 LESSON 3 Respect for Guests & Hosts 87 fh FIQH islamic law 105 fh LESSON 1 Tayammum 109 LESSON 2 Zakah 127 LESSON 3 Sawm 143 fh LESSON 4 Haj 161 AD‘IYAH wa ADAB fh supplications and etiquette 183 REVISION 186 fh LESSON 1 Du‘a’ during Wudu’ 193 LESSON 2 Du‘a’ when Eating Elsewhere 194 Du‘a’ after Drinking Water 194 fh Du‘a’ after Drinking Milk 194 LESSON 3 Du‘a’ Morning and Evening 197 Du‘a’ when Entering a Bazaar 197 fh LESSON 4 Du‘a’ when Boarding a Vehicle 202 Du‘a’ when Commencing a Journey 202 fh Du‘a’ when Returning from Journey 202 LESSON 5 Du‘a’ when in Prosperity 206 Du‘a’ when in Adversity 206 fh Du‘a’ when seeing Another in Adversity206 LESSON 6 Arabic Numerals 211 LESSON 7 Important Phrases 211 fh QASAS AL-AMBIYA’ vn stories of the prophets 213 LESSON 1 The Story of Musa[a] 215 my faith ...ISLAM 5 ry fh fh LESSON 2 The Story of ‘Isa [a] 255 fh SIRAT AN-NABI life of nabi muhammad [s] - REVISION gr. 1-2 291 fh LESSON 1 The Birth of the Prophet [s] 294 LESSON 2 The Prophet’s [s] Youth 311 fh LESSON 3 The Revelation Begins 331 LESSON 4 Cruelty of the Quraysh 347 LESSON 5 The Mi’raj 361 fh LESSON 6 The Hijrah to Madinah 377 LESSON 7 The Victory of Islam 397 fh TARIKH AL-ISLAM history of islam 411 fh LESSON 1 Sayyiduna ‘Uthman [r] 413 LESSON 2 Sayyiduna ‘Ali [r] 427 fh CURRICULUMProfile &PERFORMANCEAssessment 445 fh fh ABBREVIATIONS fh T - An activity that must be conducted by the teacher. - An activity or exercise that must be completed by the child. C fh - An activity or exercise that requires the assistance or P participation of the parent. As a mark of reverence, Muslims are required to invoke the benedictions of Allah upon the Noble Prophets and angels whenever their names are mentioned. Prayers are also fh invoked upon the Family and Companions of the Prophet [s] as well as the pious pred- ecessors of Islam. [s] - sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam : May the Peace and Blessings fh of Allah be upon him. [a] - alayhis-salam : On whom be peace. [r] - radiy-allahu anhu / anha : May Alla be pleased with him / her [rh] - rahmat-ullahi alayhi / ha : May Allah shower His Mercy upon vn him / her 6 my faith ...ISLAM ry fh ‘AQA’ID beliefs fh fh fh fh X fh fh ry fh vn fh fh fh fh fh C O N T E N T S fh fh Allah, the All-Hearing 9 LESSON 1 Allah, the Merciful 21 LESSON 2 vn Islam, Our Religion 37 LESSON 3 my faith ...ISLAM 7