Death and hifdh

Last week was a very intense week for us a family. A sister Solace UK had been supporting was dying and eventually did return to her Lord. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioun. So formal home Ed kind of flew out of the window as I had to arrange for transportation of the body, the ghusl, janazah and then burial.

Despite not being as available to the kids as I normally am, they got to experience praying the janazah, and witnessing the actual burial of our dear sister. Real Islamic studies lessons subhanaAllah…They saw the body taken out of the coffin, lowered into the grave, and the wooden planks positioned over the body. They then contributed in filling the grave with the crumbled earth. It was a very moving experience for them and I think it left it’s mark on R.

A sister asked me if it would be too much for them. I said no. Death is a part of life and it’s a reality they need to know and remember.

Since then, she’s developed a sudden interest in the journey of the soul after death and the signs of the day of judgement. So I’m in the process of stocking up some books inshaAllah. If you can recommend any good titles, please do let me know.

This has led us onto thoughts about R’s hifdh. I’m of the opinion that a child doing hifdh should never really stop hifdh but to reduce it if more time is needed for murajaah. However, recently we have decided to stop her hifdh for about 10 days. Her murajaah has become very intense in recent weeks and we feel it is best to do a huge intense round of murajaah before continuing. We have always had the target of her completing her hifdh by age 10 and inshaAllah Allah will bless her to reach that target. But after the recent death, it has changed our perspective somewhat.

There’s no rush. In fact, I’d rather she finishes later by 16 and memorises it well and really solidifies and consolidates her hifdh than to complete by age 10 and her hifdh is patchy.

We’ve also been thinking about our intentions towards hifdh. Since R has been memorising, she has always wanted a huge party with her friends once she finishes inshaAllah. I have no problem doing that for her but I want all of our intentions to be pure and so we’ve decided to postpone the party some time after she completes all her hifdh. In that way, we hope that our intentions will be purer.

After she completes her hifdh, it still be a private affair. No one knowing aside from us in the family. Trying to link that back to shukr and being grateful to Allah. Then later on we’ve agreed she can tell her friends so as to invite them to her party. I don’t want her to start advertising it as soon as she’s completed as it interferes with her intention. And it affects my own. Life is preparation for the next life. We need to be careful what we say and do and how we do things…. As they either have a positive or negative effect on our next life.

May Allah help us all. Ameen

FREE Online Webinar by Umm Raiyaan

SISTERS ACHIEVE

(www.sisters-achieve.com)

presents

FREE Online Webinar

‘How to turn your dunya and akhirah dreams into a reality!’

13th May 2014 ~ 9pm

by Umm Raiyaan

Be passionate about your akhirah. Live your life in the dunya for your akhirah. Be the Muslimah you want to be.

This free online webinar for sisters will inshaAllah cover the steps sisters need to take to turn their dreams and aspirations into a reality. We all want to memorise the Qu’ran. We all want to be in service to others. We all want to turn those ideas we’ve had for many years into a tangible reality.

We only have one chance in this dunya to truly MAKE IT in the akhirah!

REGISTRATION FOR THE FREE WEBINAR: http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1845788-how-to-turn-your-dunya-and-akhirah-dreams-into-a-reality

This free webinar is a prelude to the main course starting on 7th August 2014. Read more about it here: http://www.sisters-achieve.com/registration

Easy Art

Arts and crafts, experiments and hands on learning is what makes home education fun. Sadly I’m not artistic but I have to still strive to include it in our home Ed.

Here are some random arts and crafts, hands on activities the kids have recently been enjoying:

R is really into paper quilling at the moment. It’s a slightly complex hobby ti have and requires a paper quilling tool, onion holder,  special paper and board with pins that you see in the picture. Pic 2 and 3 are some of the designs that she’s made mashaAllah. Really nice hobby.

The next activity is so easy to make and really great results. Take a canvas, we bought ours from the pound shop. Using making tape, tape your name or a design onto the canvas and then paint over the canvas. Once it’s dry peel off the making tape and lovely piece of art. We recently did this at home and I like the results:

Our home Ed group is really great mashaAllah. Each week the kids do something different.

For the older girls…

Flower pot painting and decorating boxes with pretty napkins.

Weaving baskets. This set is brilliant. It comes with a cardboard ready bowl and weaving tool.

We separated the remaining Lego into colours and the kids have been using the Lego a lot.

Going to try to do more activities like these with the kids. Home Ed isn’t just about academics.

Don’t let opportunities pass you by. .

With two months left until Ramadan, take some time out and think about what you planned to do differently in your life last Ramadan. Have you achieved those aims? Are you using the dunya as a tool to improve your rank in the next life? If year after year nothing substantial changes in your life. It is definitely time to do something about it. So many messages recently about brothers and sisters who returned to their Lord…
I often wonder what their wish would be. . Most likely to return to this life to do what they didn’t do. To live a life that would benefit them in their grave.

Don’t let years pass you by without making the most of this dunya. Don’t let opportunities pass you by. .

2 weeks left till the closing date of a course that will make you take the physical steps to create change for this life and the next.

Register today: Www.dunyaandakhirahdreams.wordpress.com/registration/

Duas that lack certainty!

A few days ago I was speaking to a dear friend. The conversation started off with her pouring out her frustration at not being able to achieve a particular goal she’s always dreamed of. She told me of a slight obstacle that she felt was getting in the way of this dream turning into a reality. To her, this obstacle was the main reason that she couldn’t have what she has always wanted.

I saw it very differently. After a long conversation on the phone, she told me she felt like a ‘burden’ had been lifted and she saw the entire situation in a completely different light. I wasn’t going to blog about it but I thought it may be that others are in a similar predicament and so I will inshaAllah share with you some of the things I mentioned to her.

Many of us want so many different things in our lives. In fact, the list is endless. We have these ideas that keep itching away at us and we hope and dream and then hope and dream again. But why is it that nothing actually transpires?

I’m going to quickly talk about two initial steps that are very important…

Be certain in your own dreams

We all know that Allah answers our duas. Either He azza wa jaal gives it to us in this life, grants it to us in the next life or prevents an equal harm from happening to us. We all know that if we want something badly, make dua for it! One of the conditions of a powerful dua is that you are CERTAIN 100% that Allah is hearing you and that He WILL respond to you. No doubt about it – no ‘insha’Allah’ – no ‘maybe’. But that ‘YES!’, HE WILL RESPOND. But here’s the problem. Many of us are not even certain in what we are asking for so how can we actually have that certainty that our dua will receive a response?

Lack of certainty in our own dreams breeds INACTION. When you’re not certain about something – you’re simply not passionate and to be quite frank, you won’t put in the ACTION to make it happen. You won’t even raise your hands and beg Allah for it because it isn’t something that has been ingrained into your heart yet.

So one of the first steps is really to take time out to build your vision for your dunya and akhirah, to refine it to such a level that you almost SEE it happening right in front of you. Your fingers start tingling, your heart starts racing as you can almost touch that vision. Your senses reach a heightened state and bam! It’s there right in front of you – you can see it, hear it, smell it, touch it, taste its sweetness. It isn’t far away. It is almost as though you are watching a movie of your dreams unfolding right in front of you. You can almost see yourself enjoying the pleasures of jannah – the different fruits you will eat, the gathering of people in jannah seated on magnificient chairs waiting for their one on one time with Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) where they can ask for anything that want…the Day of Increase!

Be certain in your goals for this life and the next, so that when you make dua for it, when you start putting it into action, it actually starts unfolding right in front of your eyes.

 

Be certain in your duas

Now that you are at a point where you’re child-like excited about your goals, you will definitely be making dua for it EVERYWHERE. You’ll know that you need to lift it up to Allah – that without doing so, it won’t be fully possible. You need that golden seal of baraka from your Lord. But this time you’ll be making dua differently. Instead of asking for the actual goal or dream to happen. You will be making dua that ‘When it happens ya Allah ….x, y,z’  It is now not an ‘IF’ dua but a ‘WHEN’ dua! Why? Because your certainty in your dua happening and your certainty in you doing the work is how can I put it….. ‘mmm…mmm… mmm….mashaAllah!’

Sisters, try to focus on these two aspects in your life and watch the amazing results unfold. With Allah anything is possible. We just need to be certain in that.

And finally, to my friend who I spoke to…I’m still waiting for that registration form!

Meaningful prayer

Sisters, I want to highly recommend you contact bayyinah tv and request whether you can still attend the Meaningful prayer course. It started about 10 days ago but it’s all pre recorded so you still have time to catch up. My daughter and I have been doing the course together and I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it is. It covers the linguistic beauties of the salah and is transforming our salah SubhanaAllah. Contact them today.

Www.meaningfulprayer.com

I’m speechless at what we’re learning SubhanaAllah! Umm Raiyaan

Pls share!

New Online Course!

Recently, our home ed has been a little bit dull! Just getting the basics done. This has been because I have been busy setting up a new online course for sisters which will take them on a journey in turning their ideas and dreams into a reality.

I’ll inshaAllah return back to home ed blogging soon. In the meantime, head over to my other blog and check out the course. If you know anyone that will benefit especially those who might have a fantastic idea that will benefit the Muslim community in some way, then please do share the message below with them:

‘Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe of you must. But take the step. ‘
Closing date for registration for the ‘Achieve your dunya and akhirah dreams Online Course’ 15th May 2014. Register here: http://dunyaandakhirahdreams.wordpress.com/about-the-course/

Child-friendly Morning and Evening Adhkar Book

A brother and sister are launching a child-friendly version of the Morning and evening adhkar!

Their aim is to instill in children a love and attachment to the morning and evening adhkaar.

Be sure to subscribe to their mailing list on their website:

http://www.raisingmumineen.com

Follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Links are on the website.

Share with your friends and family.

Do you run a Home Ed group?

Do you run a home Ed group? If so, please email the following details to homeeducatorshub@gmail.com

Name of home Ed group:
Country, City:
Brief description of what the home Ed group does (including what day and time the group meets):
Name and email/no of person who runs the group:

Every day is different

No two home Ed days are the same.
Some days we knuckle down to a lot of book work. Other days we don’t do any book work at all.

For example today, I fell ill and just couldn’t do anything. So my plans didn’t materialise but that was absolutely FINE.

We had an autonomous day. I actually see these autonomous days as real home Ed. .. More than the structured days. I love them and really need to make more space for them.

So this was our day:

R woke up prayed and did her hifdh.
Boys woke up and read in bed and then played with their cars.
Baby S woke up and I gave her her milk (she still breastfeeds).
We all had breakfast and spoke about all sorts as is usual at breakfast times for us!
Boys did murajaah.
R did her murajaah.
Boys played and watched a documentary.
R carried on with a paper quilling project she’s working on. She’s really into that at the moment after borrowing the tools from a friend.
We had lunch and prayed.
Kids decided to watch a few documentaries.
I put baby S to sleep and fell asleep with her.
Woke up and a delivery from my dad arrived for Z (he turned 6 today) … a new electronics set.
The boys spent ages using the set.
R decided to do a few electricity and magnetism experiments.
Prayed.
Tested R on her hifdh and some murajaah.
Did a bit of tidying up together.
Prayed maghrib together.
Kids played, read and entertained their baby sister.
Had dinner.
Tested out a new projector for work… They were amazed – felt as though we had a home cinema lol. (We don’t have a TV at home).
Got ready for bed. Duas and adhkar.

A very chilled out autonomous day. Love these days. I don’t see them as unsuccessful home Ed days as home Ed is life. . It is real living. Embracing the flow. .