Last night, we held the first-ever student recognition ceremony for our madrasah - specifically, for the twenty kids who had made huge strides in the span of just under two years. We had children who came to us not even knowing their Arabic alphabets, and now, they’re already reading fluently from the mus’haf! Others came in having memorized only Surah al-Fatiha, if that; today, they have completed Juz ‘Ammah by heart and are well on their way to completing Juz Tabarak as well. Some of these kids are as young as six years old, while the older ones are around thirteen or fourteen. In every single case, it has been a journey of blood, sweat, and tears (and only the blood part is metaphorical!)... but also of laughter, pride, and affection for these kids.
This student recognition ceremony was a historic moment for our small community, which has never before held such an event. My father, Shaykh Younus, first began teaching the children and adults of this community over 30 years ago - literally before I was born. Though my family came and went from Victoria several times since then, each time, we have found ourselves drawn back to what we consider a very basic community obligation: the duty of educating the younger generations of this Ummah, upon whose shoulders the future of this Ummah rests. It is an extremely unglamorous undertaking, without a fat paycheque to show for it, very little credit given, and more time and effort than one can imagine. Nonetheless, it is done for the Sake of Allah, and it is this alone that motivates every teacher who takes time every day to show up to our Islamic center and spend hours patiently teaching young children.
Seeing our students up on stage and demonstrating what they’ve learned over the last (almost) two years was more emotional than I expected. When we first told them that we were going to have a party for them, they were incredibly excited, and wouldn’t stop asking when the party was going to happen - and about the cupcakes that we’d promised them! Every week, they eagerly practised what they would be presenting. Indeed, just moments before they were to go up on stage, they huddled at their tables with their qaa’idah and their masaahif, heads bent as they practised intently. When they finally got up on stage, they did us proud - perhaps even prouder than their own parents were. For us as teachers, sitting with them for days every week, it was truly incredible to see them sitting with their heads held high and their voices unwavering as they recited the Words of Allah for the crowd.
Witnessing the joy and excitement that our students had for this event, that was centered on them and their education as young Muslims, was inspiring to even the most grizzled of adults. As long as our children have the love of Allah and His Messenger in their hearts, our Ummah has not lost hope.
(See our pictures here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9QCwRvAGQI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link )
This student recognition ceremony was a historic moment for our small community, which has never before held such an event. My father, Shaykh Younus, first began teaching the children and adults of this community over 30 years ago - literally before I was born. Though my family came and went from Victoria several times since then, each time, we have found ourselves drawn back to what we consider a very basic community obligation: the duty of educating the younger generations of this Ummah, upon whose shoulders the future of this Ummah rests. It is an extremely unglamorous undertaking, without a fat paycheque to show for it, very little credit given, and more time and effort than one can imagine. Nonetheless, it is done for the Sake of Allah, and it is this alone that motivates every teacher who takes time every day to show up to our Islamic center and spend hours patiently teaching young children.
Seeing our students up on stage and demonstrating what they’ve learned over the last (almost) two years was more emotional than I expected. When we first told them that we were going to have a party for them, they were incredibly excited, and wouldn’t stop asking when the party was going to happen - and about the cupcakes that we’d promised them! Every week, they eagerly practised what they would be presenting. Indeed, just moments before they were to go up on stage, they huddled at their tables with their qaa’idah and their masaahif, heads bent as they practised intently. When they finally got up on stage, they did us proud - perhaps even prouder than their own parents were. For us as teachers, sitting with them for days every week, it was truly incredible to see them sitting with their heads held high and their voices unwavering as they recited the Words of Allah for the crowd.
Witnessing the joy and excitement that our students had for this event, that was centered on them and their education as young Muslims, was inspiring to even the most grizzled of adults. As long as our children have the love of Allah and His Messenger in their hearts, our Ummah has not lost hope.
(See our pictures here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9QCwRvAGQI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link )
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