Former Al-Amal 4 Education Picks of the Month

Sept./Oct.2007:

Sister Umm An-Nu'man: A sister who writes fiction novels for children in grades SK (Kindergarten) through Grade 12. Relying only on the Quran & Authentic Sunnah, children are introduced to lively, moving, characters whose experiences remind us of the indelible, rich quality of Islam. Islamic concepts are taught in a subtle, enlightening manner and moral excellence is always a strong focus of this authors work.  Parents can be assured that the material their child is reading contains nothing the goes against the spirit or letter of Islam. Children can expect only engaging, thought provoking reading that will keep them coming back for more insha'allah!

Oct./Nov. 2007:

"How to Keep Discipline without Yelling or Screaming"

This month we have featured an article that addresses a growing concern for teachers in Islamic Schools: yelling in response to disruptive student behaviour. As student behaviours become more disruptive, aggressive and non-compliant, many teachers, having reached their frustration point, result to yelling. The problem? That behaviour directly contradicts what Allah and His Messenger have ordered us to do. Allah says, "وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ" [The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. 41:34] and Bukhari narrated that the Prophet said: "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger" [Bukhair 8.135]. Additionally, as many teachers find out, yelling doesn't work. In fact the student's behaviour often gets worse. Read on for solutions to this growing problem.

Solutions from the Quran and Authentic Sunnah

From the Quran:

"وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ" [The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. 41:34]

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ [Those who spend [in Allâh's Cause - deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn (the good­doers)].

From the Authentic Sunnah:

Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 8.136, Narrated Sulaiman bin Sarad, r.a.

Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet while we were sitting with him. One of the two abused his companion furiously and his face became red. The Prophet said, "I know a word (sentence) the saying of which will cause him to relax if this man says it. Only if he said, 'I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast.' " So they said to that (furious) man, "Don't you hear what the Prophet is saying?" He said, "I am not mad."

Hadith - Sunan of Abu Dawood, Narrated Atiyyah as-Sa'di, r.a.

AbuWa'il al-Qass said: We entered upon Urwah ibn Muhammad ibn as-Sa'di. A man spoke to him and made him angry. So he stood and performed ablution; he then returned and performed ablution, and said: My father told me on the authority of my grandfather Atiyyah who reported the Apostle of Allah as saying: Anger comes from the devil, the devil was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when one of you becomes angry, he should perform ablution.

Hadith - Sunan of Abu Dawood, Narrated Abu Dharr, r.a.

The Apostle of Allah said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down.

Adapted from: http://muttaqun.com/anger.html

Solutions from education experts:

Dec../Jan. 2008:

Feb./March 2008:

This month we have chosen to highlight not only a wonderful article that is packed with great ideas and resources, we also want to bring your attention to a quarterly journal for teachers and parents. February and March's "Pick of the Month" is an article called, Guiding Children Through Learning Centers. The full article can be found in the Texas Child Care quarterly journal. Current and back issues can be easily requested from their website: http://www.childcarequarterly.com/ and the issue that featured this article can be ordered at: http://www.childcarequarterly.com/backissu_winter03.php . Shipping is free and you'll find many more beneficial articles that will aide you in the classroom insha'Allah. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW A PORTION OF THE ARTICLE OR CLICK HERE.

**The following article, 'Guiding Children through Learning Centers', was presented/reproduced with the permission of the Texas Child Care Quarterly.