2 poems: AL-HAA-IYYAH and AL-LAAMIYYAH

Ayatul Kursi - notes from a lesson on the meaning and benefits

 My Notes from lesson on the meaning of Ayatul-Kursi by Ustadh Hassan Somali

At masjid Tawheed on 7^th May 2023

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all creation, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his Companions.

(All benefit is from Allah; any mistakes are from me)

 

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

 

Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence.
Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?
He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.
His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not.
And He is the Most High, the Most Great.                                                                                

Surah Baqarah: Ayah 255

Ayatul Kursi is an aqeedah; it contains:

·        3 categories of Tawheed

·        5 names of Allah (Allah ٱللَّهُ, the eternal ٱلْحَىُّ, The Self-Subsisting ٱلْقَيُّومُ, the most high ٱلْعَلِىُّ, the great ٱلْعَظِيمُ.

·        20 attributes of Allah

 

It is advised to memorise ayatul-Kursi 8 times a day

One after each of the salah (5)

Morning and evening athkar (2)

Before bed (1)

 

Narrated Abu Umamah (RA):
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi at the end of every obligatory prayer, nothing but death will prevent him from entering Paradise."

[An-Nasa'i reported it, and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic).
(book 2: hadith 324): Riyad as-Salihin 1020

Narrated Abu Hurairah:
that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever recites Ha Mim Al-Mu'min - up to - To Him is the return (40:1-3) and Ayat Al-Kursi when he reaches (gets up in) the morning, he will be protected by them until the evening. And whoever recites them when he reaches the evening, he will be protected by them until the morning."

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2879
In-book reference : Book 45, Hadith 5
English translation : Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 2879

 

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put me in charge of charity of Ramadan (Sadaqat-ul- Fitr). Somebody came to me and began to take away some food-stuff. I caught him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." He said, "I am a needy man with a large family, and so I have a pressing need." I let him go. When I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) next morning, he asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him so I let him go." He (ﷺ) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." I was sure, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he would return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff from the Sadaqah. I caught him and said; "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." He said, "Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back." So I took pity on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who asked me, "O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?" I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! He complained of a pressing want and the burden of a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go." He (ﷺ) said, "He told you a lie and he will return." (That man) came again to steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, "I must take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and this is the last of three times. You promised that you would not come again but you did." He said, "Let go of me, I shall teach you some words with which Allah may benefit you." I asked, "What are those words?" He replied, "When you go to bed, recite Ayat-ul- Kursi (2:255) for there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah, and Satan will not be able to approach you till morning." So I let him go. Next morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me, "What did your prisoner do last night." I answered, "He promised to teach me some words which he claimed will benefit me before Allah. So I let him go." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "What are those words that he taught you?" I said, "He told me: 'When you go to bed, recite Ayat- ul-Kursi from the beginning to the end i.e.,[ Allah! none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not fatigue Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great].' (2:255). He added: 'By reciting it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from Allah who will protect you during the night, and Satan will not be able to come near you until morning'." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, he has told you the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were speaking for the last three nights?" I said, "No." He (ﷺ) said, "He was Shaitan (Satan)."

[Al-Bukhari].
Riyad as-Salihin 1020
In-book reference : Book 8, Hadith 30

 

Breakdown of Ayah

1.      Allah – there is no deity except Him

This is a blessed statement – those who live and die on it will enter paradise. (La ilaha ilah – is why we have paradise and hellfire). It separates believers and disbelievers.

 

2.     the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence

Allah being described as ever-living – Allah is perfect – no deficiency. Deserves to be worshipped alone. The sustainer – place tawakkul (trust) in him. Allah does not need our worship, it is legislated for your benefit.

 

3.      Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep

Allah is not over taken by any slumber or sleep – like us. As humans, we are weak.

 

4.      To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

Everything belongs to Allah – he is the true king. Intelligence tells us not to get attached to the dunya.

 

5.      Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?

No one can do anything without the permission of Allah. – This is a refutation to those who worship others than Allah. (those who ask intercession.)

 

6.      He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them

7.      and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.

Allah knows everything – Al-Alim. He knows the past/ present and future. Nothing escapes his knowledge. His creation grasps nothing of his knowledge – without his permission. Knowledge that makes you arrogant is not beneficial. Arrogance is when you look down upon people – the sin of iblis. May Allah protect us from him.

 

8.      His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,  and their preservation tires Him not

Kursi is related to the footstool. The kursi literally: footstool is mawdi’ul qadamayn (place of the Feet) of Allaah, Most Mighty and Most Majestic, and it is before the arsh like a front to it. 

The greatest of al-Kursi is clearly stated in the hadeeth in which the Prophet (ﷺ),said:

“The seven heavens and the seven earths by the side of al kursi us naught but as a ring thrown down in a desert land, and such is al kursi with respect to al-arsh (the throne)” [65]

 

        And He is the Most High, the Most Great

Allah is above all the creation 

Non-Fiction and Transactional Writing

Non-Fiction and Transactional Writing

Non-fictions are texts where the content deals with facts, the real world and opinion. Transactional writing is non-fiction that aims to communicate information between people.

Some examples can be:

• ·       Letters
• ·       Articles
• ·       Speeches
• ·       Writing an argument
• ·       Leaflet/ guide
• ·       Report
• ·       Review
• ·       Autobiography

I like to start transactional writing in KS2, around 10 years.  Many skills needed are used in everyday life, so building on those can help develop a good basis for English writing.

Apart from developing important skills, transactional writing is included in GCSE English Language.

It is important for each type of writing to think about your audience and the appropriate structure.

For example:

A leaflet may include sub-heading and then small pieces of information.

A Speech or article would have 3 main parts:

·       introduction - introduces the topic,

·       middle – allowing for more detail on the subject

·       conclusion - which summarize the points made.

 

Below are some ideas for transactional writing (some are taken from past gcse papers).

Tips for encouraging children to enjoy reading and writing poetry.

These are some of my favourite tips and ideas for encouraging children to enjoy reading and writing poetry

Read other people's poems and your own (out loud)

(Poetry teatime is a well known activity amongst homeschoolers, where you can take time with family and children to slow down, set the table wtih favourite drinks and snack and share poems)

Practice rhyming words

Make mind maps for ideas relating to your poetry topic

Use repetition - for example:  I like ......... or  My favourite .........

Help children understand that poem don't have to be really long and complex, it is about express yourself:

Look at different styles of poetry:

Look at Haiku poem - they are 3 phrases with a 5, 7, 5 pattern 

Example of Haiku by Matsuo Basho

"An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the ponds

Splash! Silent again.

Use acrostic poems  -  

Slowly days are getting longer 

Pretty flowers starting to appear

Rain still sprinking the gardens lots

Igniting imagination of what is to come 

New life being born

Green everywhere

Help children to understand poetry doesn't have to rhyme

Go outisde and use nature as inspiration for poetry

Use a format where the child has to just think of one word. For exmaple:

Rainbow 

The red makes me think of 

The orange remind me of

The yellow makes me think of 

The green reminds me of

The blue make me rememeber 

The indigo makes me think of

The violet makes me think of 

    

To conclude, make poetry part of your everyday. Make it enjoyable.

The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

 

The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

A beautiul, funny, engaging, sad and moving story.
A great read aloud 📖 It was enjoyed by my children aged 6+. Think would be a great individual read for age 8+.

The book is fiction but based on the true story of a gorilla named Ivan who was captured in the Democratic republic of Congo, transported to the US and then spent the next 27 years in a cage in a road side shopping mall with some other animals.

The story tells the story from Ivan's point of view and how he wonders if there is another way to live.

It opens the conversation about how animals are treated.

A great question to explore this is:

Is it ever okay for animals to be kept in captivity? 

Autumn Walk Checklist

Hadith for Children

 Asalam alaykum 

Please find attached a free downloadable with some short hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that children can learn and memorise. 

I compiled these from a talk by Sheikh Abdulilah Lahmani (Markaz Muaadh):

https://m.soundcloud.com/markazmuaadh/20-hadeeth-for-children-by-shaykh-abdulilah-lahmami?ref=whatsapp-text&p=a&c=0&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=story&utm_source=whatsapp