Muharram – Level 2 – 1st Year

Topic Overview: Analysis of the Journey of Imam Hussain (PBUH) from Medina to Karbala -The Story of Hazrat Ghasim (PBUH) -Basing Our Lives Solely to Gain the Pleasure of God

  • Objective(s):

    1.Since the kids arrive at different times, it is suggested that before the start of the official program, any sort of craft that is associated with the occasion is planned for those kids who come earlier to the program.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. Parchment paper sheetsin approximate dimensions of 25*15 cm.

    2. Two thin sticks

    3. A thin strip of Burlap fabric

    4. Hot glue gun

    Duration:

    25 Minutes

    Warm-up/Craft
    The instructions for the craft are provided at the end of this table. How to utilize this letter
    is mentioned in the beginning of this program.
    ———————————-
    The YouTube video below may be played while the kids are busy assembling this craft to
    create an atmosphere of despondency and make it more spiritual.

    https://youtube/Ij5F75XX8Uc

    Instructions: Letter

    Needed Supplies

    1. Parchment paper sheets[1] in approximate dimensions of 25*15 cm.

    [1] You may use any sort of paper that looks antique and aged.

    2. Two thin sticks

    3. A thin strip of Burlap fabric

    4. Hot glue gun

    Think stick: You may use a tree branch, pencil, wood or ….

    The cylindrical ice-cream sticks will not work well with this craft, so leave it as your last option.

    Glue the ends of paper and place the sticks on the glue so it may fully stick to the paper. It might be hard for the kids to use the hot glue guns so help them with this effort and ask them to just place the sticks on the glue. Wrap the paper around the stick a few times. Do this on both ends of the paper. You may write the few starting sentences yourself.

    In the Name of God

    Salaam, my dear Imam…

    Salaam, my kind and compassionate father…

    Ask the participants to write a letter to the Imam of Our Time (May God the exalted hasten his return). Before you start writing, as a group, you may talk with them about what should be written in the letters and then ask them to start writing. Ask the kids to divide the paper into two sections and write half of it during the craft portion of the program and the rest may be written at home. Tell them to take a good care of their letters and know that the Imam of Our Time is fully aware of what they have written in these letters.

    In the end, roll the paper and tie it around with a strip of Burlap fabric.

  • Objective(s):

    1. The importance of giving Salaam.

    2. Seeking means to the Holy Qur’an to illuminate our hearts that is means to salvation.

    3. Mentioning the relationship of this Surah especially its last verses with Imam Hussain (PBHU).

    4. The importance of knowing the meaning of the verses of Quran.

    5. Addressing this point that it is a good habit to speak our hearts out to the Imam of Our Time and even write him a letter. In addition, that His eminence is always aware of our circumstances and nothing of our affairs is concealed from him.

    6. Disapproving the act of not staying faithful to one’s covenant by mentioning the letters written by the Kufians and …

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. It is better to display the verses so the participants may recite it as a group.

    Duration:

    20 Minutes

    Salaam to all of you my dears! I hope everyone is doing well!

    Welcome to our program! I hope that we have a great time together and learn new things. I hope all of you help us in this effort, and we also learn new things from you all.

    All right, now how did you all like the craft portion of our program? Was it interesting? Did you all like the letters you made? Now, later I will tell you what we will write in these letters, but first tell me how do we start everything that we want to do? Yes, in the name of God, by putting our trust in Him, and ask for His help.Just like the way we start our letters by writing His at the top; right now, we also want to start by reciting a few verses of the Qur’an and review its meaning. Thereafter we will start writing our letters. Is anyone here familiar with Surah al-Fajr? Or anyone knows what part of the Qur’an is this Chapter located?

    Surah al-Fajris inJuz’ 30th of the Quran and it is very beautiful. We will now recite together a few verses of it and become more familiar with this Surah.

    بسمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

    يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ٢٧ ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ٢٨ فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي ٢٩ وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي ٣٠

    O the contented soul! (27) Return towards your Lord – you being pleased with Him, and He pleased with you! (28) Then enter the ranks of My chosen bondmen! (29) And come into My Paradise! (30)

    (Please Note: The above translation is only given for mentor’s use)

    My dears, these were the last few verses of Chapter al-Fajr! This Chapter mentions the matter of light overcoming darkness. In this chapter, dear God gives us a good example and has said that when light appears it is as if it is winning over darkness. Because darkness disappears. Right my dears?? Now this goes the same when the believers win over worldly-minded people; it is as if light overcomes darkness. This is one of the beautiful examples that which God mentions for us to better understand what He means. Even the name of this chapter, which is “Fajr”, has the same meaning. Who can tell me the meaning of the word “Fajr” and knows what it is referring to? Maybe you have heard of this word before, which is said when it’s dawn and slowly you can see the rays of the sun shining in the sky. Who knows what is overcoming what at that time? Yes, that is right, the sun light overcomes darkness and the sky slowly becomes brighter and brighter and darkness disappears.

    In the last few verses of this chapter, God is explaining to us the story of a disobedient nation. And tells us that the consequences of disobediences, revolts, and misdeeds of this nation will be torment and the Hellfire on the Day of Judgment. However, in the versesthat we recited, God says: “O’ the one who is reassured and satisfied! Return to your lord as you being pleased with him and He is pleased with you! Then enter among my good servants and enter my paradise!” What does this mean? Here, God is invitingamong his righteous servants to paradise, who is who is satisfied, has trust in God, God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with God.

    My dears, there are many sayings from the Ahlul-Bayt or the Prophet’s family handed down to us that tell usthis chapter is referring to Imam Hussain (PBUH) and God is referring to Imam Hussain (PBUH) in the last few verses of this chapter. That worthwhile human being who had his full trust in God and was calm, was none but Imam Hussain (PBUH), who acted to only seek God’s pleasure. Therefore, God is pleased with him, and him by being calm, content and having his complete trust in God was able to stand against the enemy on the Day of Ashura along with his family, so light could overcome oppression and darkness. Just like the light during dawn (fajr) overcomes the darkness during night. This way, everyone understood that Imam Hussain was the righteous one, and the true Islam is the one that the Prophet’s family preached and practiced.

    My dears, if we want, we also can be included in these verses. This doesn’tmean that only Imam Hussain (PBUH) could have had his trust in God and be calm. It is just that he placed full trust in God, and only wanted to please Him. But, we also can take a step in the path of Imam Hussain and have our full trust in God and the things He have planned for us, and have peace by simply loving our Imam, knowing his objectives and goals. And be sure that dear God is mindful of us, wants the best for us, and if we trust Him, be satisfied of Him, and be good humans for the sake of God, we will enter Heaven as God has promised.

    Alright, I think all of you enjoyed the fact that we went over the meanings of these verses and learned how by simply having our full trust in God and seeking his pleasure and happiness we can follow the lead of Imam Hussain and enter Heaven.

    But my dear, be aware that during our time there is someone who just like Imam Hussain has the same level of trust in God. Does anyone know who that person is? He is also the best servant of God on this earth. Just like the oppressions suffered by Imam Hussain on the Day of Ashura, in these 1000 years that Imam Mahdi has been hidden from our eyes, he also has suffered from the way his Shias and the people of this world have been treated by tyrannical and evil people. However, he must bepatient, until the time God wants him to reappear. Meaning that he is also pleased with God and God is pleased with him. Now, since we also want to follow the way of Imam Hussain, we must act in a way to please God; this means we must be a true follower of the Imam of Our Time, love him sincerely, and do the things that will make him happy and …

    Activity: Writing the Letter (You may write the letter in other segments of the program)

    Now my dears let us talk about the letters you all made earlier: Do you all know why Imam Hussain left his city towards the city of Kufa? Yes, because the people of the Kufa were tired and upset from Yazid and the governors he had chosen. Not only was Yazid an oppressive leader, but he also shamelessly refused God’s commands and openly committed terrible sins. Therefore, he practically did not act like a Muslim. That is why, people wrote a letter to the Imam, opened their hearts to him, and asked him to come to their help. Even though later they never fulfilled their demands and promises they made and again were tricked by the Devil and Yazid.

    Now we want to use these letters andpour our hearts out to the Imam of Our Time. We want to tell him how much we are waiting for him and tell him how much we love him. Tell him that we miss him a lot and we are eagerly waiting to see him. We all know that the Imam of Our Time is aware of what we have written in these letters and know what we have told him. We will keep this letter somewhere safe, and look at it every year, to renew our loyalty to him. We can also write a new letter to our Imam. We hope that one day, we can give our letters to him. If any of you would be willing to share with us what you wrote, I can read it aloud for everyone. (You may take this time and correct them if needed and point out anything)

  • Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. Projector, speakers and a device to play the YouTube video

    Duration:

    2 and 6 Minutes

    Clip: The love for you O’ Imam Hussain…

    https://youtube/oTvXxTjGcbI?list=LLi_1lWP1pr947ZPkO0KQYBw (2 Min)

    Or

    https://youtube/Ij5F75XX8Uc (6 Minutes)

  • Objective(s):

    1. Becoming familiar with HazratQasim ibn-al-Hassan (PBUH).

    2. Becoming familiar with the heart-shattering oppressions inflicted upon Imam Hussain and the infallibility of his companions.

    3. Becoming familiar with the bravery and heroism that the companions of Imam Hussain (PBUH) put into display.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. Becoming familiar with the skills necessary for storytelling to appeal to the children and convey the message and goal of the story.

    Duration:

    7 Minutes

    Story: He shouted, O’ My Dear Uncle!

    It wasnighttime. The sound of laughter and joy could be heard from the tents of the enemy. However, the tents of the Man of Free was silent. Everyone was thinking of the battle that was going to begin tomorrow.

    The Man of Free gathered his companions and told them “The enemy is only looking after me and is not looking after you all. Now that it’s the nighttime and dark, you are free to escape and save your lives.

    The first person to say anything was a young boy. A young boy who was the nephew of the of the Man of Free. He asked the Man of Free: “O my dear Uncle, if I stay with you will I be killed tomorrow?

    The man of free asked him: “How do you look at the matter of death“?

    The boy said: “For me dying in defending my master is sweeter than honey”. The man of free said: “Tomorrow you will die.”

    After he said that, the man of free became silent. Again, he told his companions:

    “Whoever wants to leave, they are free to do so, because tomorrow you will all be killed

    That night, a few of the companions of the Man of Free escaped in the dark. The Man of Free, his family and 72 of his companions were the only ones left and ready to face the enemy.

    That night, the teenage boykept thinking about his uncle’s question. His uncle asked him about the matter of death. He kept thinking if he had answered his uncle’s question the correct way or not?  It was at that moment, that he went to asleep, and a soft smile adorned his face. Perhaps he was seeing his dad in his dream, who had come to visit him, who soon would embrace him in God’s beautiful paradise.

    The next morning arrived. It was the day of the ultimate battle. The battle upon a land that brought with itself sorrow and trouble. The army of the enemy was standing against the small army of the Man of Free like a long and continuous wall.

    Suddenly, the enemy troops placed their arrows in their arches and shot towards the companions of the Man of Free. Many of the companions of the Man of Free died or were wounded.

    The eldest son of the Man of Free rushed to the battlefield and was martyred. The teenage boy got himself ready to get to the battlefield and stand against the enemy. The Man of Free saw him and started crying. He looked at him once more. He was in aww and thinking how could this young man in this height could fight the enemy and be victorious? The Man of Free thought to himself: he is still too young to fight. The Man of Free did not want the young boy to go to the battlefield and fight with those who were evil.

    The Man of Free placed his hands upon the shoulders of the teenage boy and looked at him with happiness and says: “I do not want to see you be killed

    The teenage boy looked at the enemy troops. And looked at the thousands of troops who were standing far away and mostly were on horses that were restless. The teenager told his uncle: “How can I stay alive and see you be killed my master? I would never want to see that day.”

    The Man of Free still did not allow the teenager to go to the battlefield. The teenager started crying and continuously started tokiss the hands and feet of that man. The man of Free hugged and kissed him upon his forehead. The teenage boy stared into the eyes of the man of Free begging him. He was talking to his uncle with his eyes. The man of Free did not know how to prevent him from going to the battlefield and fight against the cruel troops. The young boy could sense anxiousness from the eyes of the Man of Free. But he again expressed hi wish. The Man of Free stayed silent, and the young boy rushed to the battlefield.

    A few moments later, the teenager stood in the middle of the battlefield. The first soldier of the enemy attacked him but fled before him with fear and tremble. He killed the 2nd soldier. The teenage boy fought like a strong and courageous man. However, in the midst of striking swords, and the roar of the injured horses, one of the straps of his shoes broke. He bent over to fix the broken strap. It was then when the enemy seized the moment and struck his head with a sword. The teenage boyfell on his face and shoutedout:O’my dear uncle!

    The man of Free in midst of the dust and the tumult of the enemy, heard the voice of the teenage boy. He rushed towards him and saw the enemy troopwho was standing above the teenager’s head and was sweating. The man of free attacked him and with just one strike cut his hand off. The soldier of the enemy could not withstand the pain. With all the power he had left in him; he yelled towards his companions: “Why are you all not attacking???What are you all waiting for???

    Suddenly, more than 10 people attacked the Man of Free.  The Man of Free fought with all of them, which forced the enemy to retreat. In the midst of the dust and sand, few soldiers from the enemy came and helped to carry the killer of that young boy.

    The teenage boy twisted in pain and cried. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his uncle who had bent over on his face, sobbing.  The teenage boy closed his eyes again, this time with a smile. When the Man of Free saw the blood on the hair of the teenage boy, he knew that he would no longer open his eyes. He hugged him and carried him to the tent.

    The teenage boy slept forever,and the cries of the angels could be heard.

  • Objective(s):

    1. Becoming familiar with the reasons behind Imam Hussain’s journey to Kufa and the events of Ashura.

    2. Lessons from Imam Hussain (PBUH) and his dear companions.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. Projector and a device to present the Prezi slides.

    Duration:

    15-20 Minutes

    Slide 2:

    My dears, the people of Kufa during the time of Imam Ali had tasted the leadership and wilayah of Imam Ali. They knew well, how kind and just he was, and that he indeed was a special person and very different from ordinary people. After Imam Ali, his eldest son meaning Imam Hassan became his successor and became the Imam of Shias. At the same time though, Muawiyah had declared himself as the leader of the Muslims. Then Muawiyah martyred Imam Hassan, and Imam Hussain became the 3rd Imam of Shias.

    Slide 3:

    When the tyrant and cruel Muawiyah died, his son Yazid came after him. Yazid was a person who drank alcohol, committed sinful acts in front of the public, and had bad morals. He wanted to force Imam Hussain to pledge to him. Which meant that he wanted Imam Hussain to say that he agrees with him and he can be the leader of Muslims. Therefore, this way others would go against him. Well, it was obvious that Imam Hussain would never pledge his loyalty to a corrupt person. Because he sure wasmaking Islam look bad in the eyes of others. If Imam would accept this, then people would have thought that Yazid is a good person and everyone would have been deviated.

    Slide 4:

    During that time, Imam Hussain lived in the city of Medina. Yazid ordered the governor of Medina to go and force Imam Hussain to pledge and put him under lots of pressure. Imam Hussain could not risk it and so he decided that it is best for him to leave Medina. Therefore, during the night, Imam Hussain, his family, and some companions left for the city of Mecca and took refuge in the sanctity of the House of God in Mecca.

    Slide 5:

    my dear Kids!!!!!! The people of kufa would see that Yazid is doing sinful acts in front of the public, and oppresses them and ….not to mention that he would call himself as the successor of the Prophet!!! That is why the Kufans, decided to bring Imam Hussain, the real successor of Prophet, the one who God had chosen. Therefore, they decided to write a letter to him, inviting him to Kufa so he could help them. With about 2200000 signatures on the letter, they gave it to few men to give it to Imam Hussain in Mecca. They had written in the letter that Yazid is a bad man, he has betrayed all the good people, and he only does wrongdoings and does it in the name of Islam. In the letter they asked Imam Hussain to come to their city, become their leader and establish a just and peaceful government.

    Slide 6:

    Imam Hussain had to change his intention of doing hajj to umrah, leave Mecca to preserve the respect for the House of God and to prevent any war or bloodshed to happen in the House of God if in any case the Imam was arrested.

    Slide 7:

    So, Imam starts his journey along with his family and a few of his companions towards the city of Kufa. Their journey took about 24 days under the extreme hot weather.

    Slide 8:

    At the same time when the Imam starts his journey, he sends his trustworthy cousin Muslim ibn-aqeel toKufa, so he could be sure of the letters sent to him. Also, to see if people are true to their words and if they are ready for the presence of Imam and for his just government to be formed.

    When Muslim ibn-aqeel enters Kufa, he receives the unprecedented support of the people, who had come to pledge to him. That is why Muslim sends a letter to the Imam and lets him know that the people of kufa are true to their words; so, he may come to Kufa.

    However, on those same days the cruel Obeidallah ibn Ziyad who was very cold-hearted, was chosen by Yazid to come to Kufa accompanied with a few troops to help him in protecting his government and not allow it to get in the hands of Imam Hussain and his dear companions.

    Slide 9:

    Yes, my dears, unfortunately ibnZiyad started tricking and deceiving people. He started tricking and giving false promises to those same people who had invited Imam Hussain to Kufa with wealth and status and even threatened to kill some of them. The Kufans broke their promises and left Muslim ibn-aqeel alone. To an extent that during the Maghrib (night) prayers many people were praying behind him, however after the Isha’a prayers all of them fled and left Muslims ibn-aqeel in the fear of Yazid and his troops.

    Slide 10:

    The people of Kufawere fearful that the troops of ibn-Ziyad could come, search their houses, and kill them. So, they did not even give food to Muslim ibn-aqeel and did not allow him to come to their houses. So, Muslim ibn-aqeel had to stand in the street, not having anywhere to go to eat and rest.

    During this time, he was sitting against a door of a house, thinking about all of the events that happened and he was worried of what is going to happen when Imam Hussain and his family arrives; when all the sudden the person living in the house he was sitting against, opens the door. The old woman said to Muslim: O man what do you want? Muslim asked for a cup of water. Then the old woman asked: Why are you not leaving? Muslim said: I do not have any place to go to. The old womanasked: who are you? He said: I am Muslim ibn-aqeel.

    The old woman recognized who he was and allowed him to enter her house, because she was a Shia, the lover of Imam Ali, and braver than the many of the men in Kufa. However, when his son returned home and became aware that Muslim ibn-aqeel is in his house… he told on Muslim ibn-aqeel so he could receive lots of money from ibn-Ziyad.

    Slide 11:

    Well in the end, they arrested him and brought him before ibn-Ziyad. While Muslim ibn-aqeel was in tears because of the way people had forgotten Imam Hussain and the Imam was already on his way to the city of these coward people; he gets martyred by the hands of that cruel man.

    Slide 12:

    My dears this same situation had happened for Imam Ali as well. Who remembers this? Do you all remember, that on the day of Ghadir Khumm Prophet of God, in presence of all the Muslims introduced Imam Ali as his next successor. So, everyone pledged to him that after the Prophet, Imam Ali would be their leader? However, people forgot all about it and after the Prophet’s death, they all left Imam Ali alone.

    Slide 13:

    Oh, my dears! Right now, our Imam, is the Imam of Our Time. May we not do any wrong doings, and instead of being one of his supporters and make him happy, we do something bad and make his heartbreak. If we are religious, if we love the Imam of Our Time, we must be a wise supporter of the Imam of Our time.

    And not be like the Kufans, be tricked or for the fear of losing something, or something fun in this world; act contrary to our Imam’s desires! We are the Shia’s of the Imam of Our Time and we must act and talk in a way that other would be likewow!!!! Good job to those who are Shia and Muslims. How truthful are they! How kind are they!!!How helpful are they!!!Such a wonderful kids are they!!!!If we are not like this, then will make our Imams look bad in the eyes of others!!!We have to be very careful!!!! Well ….

    Slide 14:

    Imam was on his way to Kufa. When he reached near Kufa the army of Ibn-Ziyad blocked the way of Imam Hussain and his family, closed the road on them, and would not allow them to enter Kufa. That is why our Imam had to instead go to the desert nearby Kufa.

    The caravan was moving, when the horse of Imam Hussain stopped and would not move anymore. Imam Hussain asked: Where is this? They said: it isKarb-o -balla. Imam said that the meaning of this place is a place of sorrows and tribulations and this is the same place that my grandfather the messenger of God promised me of it. Imam Hussain reached this place on the 2nd day of Muharram and set up the tents there. On the 7th day of Muharram, the cruel ibn-Ziyad ordered the river of Euphrates, which was the only source of drinking water to be blocked from the reach of Imam Hussain, his family and his companions. And from that day on, until the evening of the Day of Ashura all those with Imam Hussain and himself had limited water in their tents and were extremely thirsty.

    Well until this part of the story, Imam Hussain had reached Karbala. Important events happened in Karbala, up until when the night of the 10th of Muharram or Ashura happened. I will not explain the events that happened on that day and instead want to focus on the important lessons we can learn from the Day of Ashura:

    My dears, every moment of Ashura and the people that were with our Imam on the Day of Ashura is a lesson for us. Maybe about 100 lessons to be learned, however I only will mention some of these lessons. But first I want to hear from you guys, in your own words tell me what we can learn from the Day of Ashura, and how can we use those lessons in our life? You can even give me a few examples of how we can be like the companions of the Imam? (Wait for kids’ response)

    • Even though all the oppressors and cruel people killed and wounded his family members. Imam Husain remained patient and pleased in the face of all the hardships he faced, because he was doing all of this to please God and to guide people. His patience was to such an extent that God mentions, his patience and faith in the Quran.

    يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿٢٧﴾ ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴿28﴾

    O the contented soul! (27) Return towards your Lord – you being pleased with Him, and He pleased with you!

    Some Shias were willing to give up everything to support the Imam of their Time. The companions and supporters of Imam Hussain, all knew that they were going to be martyred. Despite that, they were willing to stay besides their Imam and his family in their defense. They bid their farewell to their wives, and children. Their wives with the strong faith they had, encouraged their husbands to go and support their Imam of the Time.

  • Objective(s):

    1. Becoming familiar with HazratQasim, his sacrifices, and the way he stood up to defend his Imam.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. Projector, speakers and a computer

    Duration:

    5 Minutes

    Animation: HazratQasim

    https://youtube/o7z-qVnmQuQ

  • Objective(s):

    1. Engage kids with the content taught.

    2. Doing a group activity along with engaging the kids in finding an answer as a group.

    Duration:

    15 Minutes

    Group Activity: Questions and Answers Regarding theEvent of Ashura

    Divide kids into groups of 2-3 people. (Depending on the number of participants). Then ask each group one question and allow each group to think for 2-3 minutes. Then, ask them to stand up as a group and present their ideas in front of other kids.

    (The answers to the questions are mentioned in the Prezi section of this file)

    1. Why did Imam Hussein not pledge his allegiance to Yazid? To save the religion of Islam… (Why should of Islam been saved, what had happened?)

    2. Why did Imam Hussain along with his family leave their home in Medina and why did they end up going to the city of Karbala? To be safe from the governor of Medina, who wanted to force Imam Hussain to pledge allegiance to Yazid.He went to hajj and left Mecca as he did not want the sanctity of the house of God to be violated and …

    3. What did Imam Hussain do to be sure of the demands of the people of Kufa? He sent his cousin, Muslim ibn-Aqeel to Kufa as his most trusted representative…

    4. For what reason did, the people Kufa first left alone Muslim ibn-Aqeel and then Imam Hussain (PBUH)? Weak faith, and the importance of wealth and status in this world and were afraid of Yazid’s tortures… (make them think and talk, make it tangible for them that even today, humans can act only on the basis of their worldly pleasures, or can consider God and live for His pleasure and if needed they will put behind worldly pleasures in exchange for pleasing their creator. Because they are certain that they would enter God’s Paradise.)

    5. How should we live our lives? (To please God and the Imam of Our Time)

  • Objective(s):

    1. Becoming familiar with the reasons behind the journey of Imam Hussain from Mecca to Kufa.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. 2 Actors: a mother and a daughter or a son.

    2. Chair, knitting accessories or something that a mother can be busy with.

    3. A bowl of fruits.

    Play: The Reasons Behind the Event of Ashura

    Mother is sitting on a chair and is busy knitting. (mother’s attire can be black as a sign of mourning) Her daughter arrives from school. Sarahis wearing a school uniform and has with her a backpack.

    Sarah (Loud voice): Salaam Mom!

    Mother (stops knitting and looks at Sarah with a smile): Salaam my little one, how was school?

    Sarah: Yes, today we spent most of the time in the auditorium. We had a special program for the month of Muharram.

    Mother (while getting up): What kind of program? A speech? Or a eulogy (latmiya)?

    Sarah: They talked to us about the event of Ashura and the journey of Imam Hussain from the city of Mecca to Karbala.

    Mother (continues with excitement): What did they tell you? Tell me about it, I want to hear it as well!

    Sarah puts her backpack down and grabs a fruit from the bowl and puts it in her mouth-mother sits back down in her chair again.

    Sarah: They told us that Imam Hussain went toMecca. When the time of Hajj came, and people arrived from all around to do the rituals of Hajj; Yazid also sent an army with Omar ibn- Saeed bin al-‘As as an excuse to perform the hajj rituals.

    Mother: Yes,that is right, on the 8th of the month of Zil-Hajj the army arrives in Mecca.

    Sarah: But it seems it was a plot to arrest the Imam!!!! Right?

    Mother: (sighs, lowers her head in sadness, and says): Yes, Yazid wanted to force the Imam to pledge to him. However, because the Imam did not agree to it, he therefore sends an army, and orders them to force the Imam to pledge to him!

    Sarah: Today they told usthat Imam had no choice and had to make his Hajj into Umrah. So, he could quickly finish and leave the city.

    Mother: Yes, that is right, when the Imam found out that Yazid was forming an army, to save the sanctity of the house of God and for Yazid’s army to not be able to disrespect, he changed his hajj plan and had to leave the city of Mecca at night!

    Sarah: Why so quickly? He couldn’t wait one or two more days so he could be in Mecca for the Eid al-Adha?

    Mother: No,he couldn’t.On the night of 8th of Zilhajj, Imam dreams and in his dream, he saw his ancestorProphetMuhammad (PBUH & HP) who tells him to leave the city.

    Sarah: ok then?

    Mother: The Imam had told Yazid and his army that he does not want to fight anyone and is not willing to pledge to him. On the other hand, the people of Kufa had written letters and invited the Imam to come to their city. They had told the Imam that they will support him. So, the Imam and his family moved towards Kufa to prove that they are not going to fight.

    Sarah:But Mom! In school today they told us that Imam Hussain sent his courageous and trustworthy cousin, I think his name was Muslimearlier to Kufa so he could look and see if the people of Kufa are truly ready for the Imam to come or not?

    And when Muslimentered the city of Kufa, many people pledged their allegiance to him and told him that they are ready for Imam Hussain’s arrival. And so, he told the Imam to come to Kufa! Ahhh but why!!!!!!

    I wish they would have not written a letter; I wish the Kufians had shown earlier that they are weak. (Lowers her head and says🙂 I wish this would have never happened! I just can’t believe how they wroteletters, but they bailed out of it! How can someone want something, but change their mind so quickly?

    Mom: Well, my dear it happens! You think something must happen before people are tricked? No, my dear that is not the case. If people have weak faith, and not know the truth, they will turn towards whatever seems in their favor, without thinking they will make the wrong decision. During that time, Ibn Ziyad who was an evil person, went to Kufa and bribed people for money, and status to prevent people from supporting Imam Hussain (PBUH). He even imprisoned many to scare them.

    Sarah: You mean wealth and status was more important to them than their Imam?

    Mom: Yes, my dear. Those people who had weak faith, broke their promises and even left alone Muslim- who was a guest in their city. They even did not support Imam Hussain, but even someone of them blockaded him, fought him, and martyred him.

    Sarah: Mom, I really want to strengthen my faith to an extent that I am always able to defend the truth, and nothing can force me to trample the truth.

    Mom: wow, its great! I am very proud of you that you have come up with such a great idea. I am sure that right now the Imam of Our Time is very happy of your decision. How lucky you are!!!! To be honest, this can be an easy task, but at the same time its hard to follow.

    Sarah: What!!!what do you mean by that?

    Mother: Well, it’s a difficult task because many have tried to follow the instructions of Islam, pray, and recite lots of Qur’an, but have not yet reached such a status, and made their Imam upset. So it’s not easy to be considered true Shia’s with these things.

    We must carefully obey all of God’s commandments thoughtfully. We must know God so well and have such a strong faith that nothing can turn us away from what we believe.

     

    Sarah: Then why did you say it is easy?

    Mother: Well, I said it’s easy, because if we connect to the Imam of Our Time in this way, strengthen our connections with him, and ask for his help; he will easily help us to always be a true and strong Muslim, just like the loyal companions of Imam Hussain (PBUH) who wanted to be his supporters, so he prayed for them to be strong. (Sarah is paying careful attention to her mom and nods as way to show agreement)

    Now, let us stop our conversation here to go and eat something good together. Also, my neck hurts from all the knitting I been doing for you. And I think you have become a bit tired by now, right????

    Sarah: (hugs her mom and says): I love you mommy!! And so thankful of all the things you do for me. Let us head to the kitchen. (both hold hands and joyfully exit the scene)

  • Objective(s):

    1. Accustom the kids with the culture of poetry and reciting religious poems.

    2. Becoming familiar with Imam Hussain (PBUH) and mourning for his Eminence in a form of poetry.

    3. Accustom the kids with the ritual of chest beating (Ask kids to slowly beat upon their chests while the poems are being recited.)

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. The mentor should practice beforehand in reciting the poem eloquently. Ifpossible, try to memorize the poem.

    2. Ask the kids to recite along with you the parts of the poem that seems easier.

    Duration:

    10 Minutes

    Poem:

    Hussein’s a candle of light

    Hussein, Hussein O Hussein
    Hussein, Hussein O Hussein
    ***
    Hussein’s a candle of light,
    Who glows both in day and night,
    Guiding us all to the right,
    To Karbala we want to fly.
    ***
    Hussein is the savior,
    He is sinless he’s the pure,
    He will guide me he’s the cure,
    I’ll knock always at your door.
    ***
    You are the ark of salvation,
    You are the beacon of Guidance,
    You are so close to my heart,
    From it you will never depart.
    ***
    I will hold onto your rope,
    For you are my only hope,
    Without you I’ll never cope,
    Guide me to the narrow road.
    ***
    Let us board Hussein’s ship,
    Let us head for the best trip,
    Guaranteed, you’ll never slip,
    Those left behind, will never win.

    I went to a desert one day

    I saw a bird sitting there

    I told it why are you so sad

    He said I am heartbroken

    Today is the Day of Ashura

    There is uproar in Karbala

    Sadness can be seen

    Upon the faces of the faithful ones

    I said: O the beautiful bird

    Fly up high in sky

    Settle in Karbala

    Carry our salutations

    To the Master of Martyrs

    Sing a song of sorrow

    From the thirsty kids

    From the cold-hearted enemies

    From the parched throat of little Asghar

    Tell us From Ashura

    From Akbar who was martyred

    Tell us from Karbala

  • Objective(s):

    1. Maximizing kids’ ability in learning and memorization by doing related work at home.

    Take-Home Activity

    At the beginning of the program, you had asked the participants to use the letters they made to write a letter to the Imam of Our Time (May God the Exalted hasten his return) and discussed with them what they should write in their letters. As this point, you may ask the kids to write half of their letters during the program and write the rest at home while paying careful attention. Additionally, tell them to take a good care of their letter and they should know that the Imam of Our Time is aware of what they have written in their letters.

    My dears, when you see your parents talk with them about all the things you learned today as well as the purpose behind the letters you made today. So, they may also be reminded of this matter, because being reminded of something is always good for everyone. You can encourage your parents to also write one these letters to the Imam of Our Time and act according to it. Also, tell them that he is aware of what they have written in their letter, just as he is aware of our hearts, actions, and conditions.

  • Objective(s):

    1. Concluding and reiterating the overall concepts mentioned in this file.

    2. Creating a heartfelt bond with Imam of Our Age and Time and praying for his reappearance.

    3. Reminding of the Holy presence of the Imam of our Time (May God hasten his return) as our teacher and as the Imam of our age.

    Procedures-Supplies Needed:

    1. It is important for this segment of the program to be done in a quiet and calm environment while paying utmost attention the prayers.

    2. Starting the dua, after reminding the kids about the importance of praying for the Imam of Our Time (PBUH).

    3. It is suggested that that while the dua is being recited, the Arabic version of the dua along with the translation in the local language to be projected simultaneously.

    Duration:

    5 Minutes

    End/Concluding and Reciting Dua al-Faraj

    My dears may God accept it. I think that you all today, have learned many new things and we too have learned new things from your comments.

    Today, we tried to explain to you in more details about why this great and sad event of Ashura happened.

    These kinds of detailed discussions, thinking, readings and better and detail research allows us to know our Imam better and become familiar with his goals. So, this way we can also continue that path and use it in our lives. You may ask why?

    Well, because we do not want to be like the people of Kufa. We do not want to be saying that we love the Imam of Our Time and are waiting for him to come back and fill this world with beauty, goodness, and justice, and even pray for his return but God forbid when he reappears, we would be just like the people of Kufa? Right???

    We do not want to break our promises and make false claims. We want to forever hold on to the promises we make, know the Imam of our Time better, and sincerely pray for his return because we are in great need of him. Be able to say that we sincerely miss him and will never break our promises.

    In addition,the letters that we wrote today together, our Imam is aware of them that is why it is terrible to be not true to our promises. We will hold on to these letters until the time Insha’allah our Imam returns by our prayers and good actions. Then we will show our letters to him and will tell him these are the same letters and we have faithfully kept our promises.

    Now, let us all together recite dua al-Faraj sincerely, and sympathize with him with our broken hearts so we can be an essence to heal his dear heart.

    Reciting Dua al-Faraj while standing up and facing toward the Qibla, out of loveand respect for His Eminence.

                                     or

    Translation of Dua al-Faraj

    In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

    O’ God, send your blessing upon Muhammad and the Household

    of Muhammad

    O’ God, at this moment and every moment

    Be a guardian, a protector, a leader, a helper

    a proof, and an eye for Your representative &; proof, Mahdi son of Al-

    Hassan,

    Your blessings be upon him and his ancestors

    guard him as long as he lives on this earth as a ruler

    benefit him and bless him with everything You and this earth has to

    offer