Jazak Allahu khairan and all the best this year. What kind of readings will you be starting with for the middle schoolers? We are having the same thoughts as we begin a new year with our MS halaqa. They will also be 7th graders. Also, do you have any beginning of the year rituals or conversations that you usually do with your boys? JAK.
Salam! Since we've got a small group that's been together for a few years, and since they're also part of the same broader community, they already know each other pretty well. (That presents another challenge: They're so happy to see each other that I can hardly keep them still.)
But we do have some rituals and moments. For example I try to include what I call the "Abu Qubays" moment, named after a mountain where Meccans used to announce news--every week, a different student has a turn to talk about his week and how he's doing; that gives each of them a chance to speak but also encourages them inshallah to have the comfort to speak in public settings too and talk about themselves, which men can be hesitant to do
With respect to texts, I'm not one hundred percent sure yet--we started the spring halaqa with a question, "What are things Muslim men have to do?" We ended up spending a lot of time on modesty, defined broadly. How are we modest in clothes, in speech, in habits, in personality, in approach, and I think I'm going to continue that this fall, by reading a different Hadith each week on this virtue (and that helps because I'd like for them to learn some Arabic, too).
Tell me more about your halaqas--How many students? What do you plan on reading? How do the students get to know each other?
Jazak Allahu khairan! I appreciate the inclusion ritual. We have 12 boys in our halaqa and we have the same issue where they are all too comfortable with each other because they have been with each other for 3 years now, so the focus is more on how do we want to be kind and supportive of one another. We are considering focusing on this book: Futuwwah, and Raising Males Into Sacred Manhood as an anchor. We also just found out about this treasure of a book: BIRR 99 Honoring Parents: According to Islam, which we we are thinking we could use too. Jazak Allahu khairan for your response. Sorry we didn't get a notification of your response earlier.
Jazak Allahu khairan and all the best this year. What kind of readings will you be starting with for the middle schoolers? We are having the same thoughts as we begin a new year with our MS halaqa. They will also be 7th graders. Also, do you have any beginning of the year rituals or conversations that you usually do with your boys? JAK.
Salam! Since we've got a small group that's been together for a few years, and since they're also part of the same broader community, they already know each other pretty well. (That presents another challenge: They're so happy to see each other that I can hardly keep them still.)
But we do have some rituals and moments. For example I try to include what I call the "Abu Qubays" moment, named after a mountain where Meccans used to announce news--every week, a different student has a turn to talk about his week and how he's doing; that gives each of them a chance to speak but also encourages them inshallah to have the comfort to speak in public settings too and talk about themselves, which men can be hesitant to do
With respect to texts, I'm not one hundred percent sure yet--we started the spring halaqa with a question, "What are things Muslim men have to do?" We ended up spending a lot of time on modesty, defined broadly. How are we modest in clothes, in speech, in habits, in personality, in approach, and I think I'm going to continue that this fall, by reading a different Hadith each week on this virtue (and that helps because I'd like for them to learn some Arabic, too).
Tell me more about your halaqas--How many students? What do you plan on reading? How do the students get to know each other?
Jazak Allahu khairan! I appreciate the inclusion ritual. We have 12 boys in our halaqa and we have the same issue where they are all too comfortable with each other because they have been with each other for 3 years now, so the focus is more on how do we want to be kind and supportive of one another. We are considering focusing on this book: Futuwwah, and Raising Males Into Sacred Manhood as an anchor. We also just found out about this treasure of a book: BIRR 99 Honoring Parents: According to Islam, which we we are thinking we could use too. Jazak Allahu khairan for your response. Sorry we didn't get a notification of your response earlier.