2020 Mar Class notes by 15 M Z for 3/01/2020
Class notes by Z 15 male 03/01/2020
This week, I came to class with my memorization refined. I practiced multiple times to be certain that I don’t make any mistakes.
When I arrived at the mosque, I went to the prayer room and made sure to get my prayer done. This time, I noticed how relaxed and spiritual I was while praying. It made me realize the beauty of Islam and how tranquil praying is. After doing my Fajr and practice prayers, I started meditating. I observed how quickly I was able to slow my body down and get into the zone of meditation, which was something I had struggled with recently. However, it was much easier to do at the Mosque.
After meditating, we started the class by reciting the pledge of allegiance, the pledge of faith, and the English translation of Surah Al-Fatiha as usual. However, the teacher noticed the constant mistakes the students made while reciting the pledge of faith and assigned the class with memorizing it correctly.
After we got tested on the pledge, the teacher announced the start of regular testing (Homework, Memorization, and Level One Exam). I was given Surah Ayat-Al Kursi to memorize. While I was memorizing Ayat-Al Kursi, I was called up front to test out on everything I’ve learned so far. I usually am nervous when I go to test out. However, today I was confident. Something I noticed in the middle of testing was how much easier it was for me to remember the Surah’s and their translations. I also passed on the first try without making any mistakes. This encouraged me to keep pushing myself and to practice frequently so I could pass as fast as possible.
After testing, we discussed a couple of different concepts. The first concept we went over was the tree trunk and branches concept. In this concept, the tree trunk represents Islam, and the branches represent all other religions such as Christianity. Judaism, Hinduism, etc. The purpose of this concept is to show how these religions all have an aspect of Islam in them, however, they’re still much different from ours. For example, in Hinduism, they have multiple gods, while we only believe in one.
The next concept we went over was the CCA concept. CCA stands for common sense, context, and accountability. This concept shows how you should always apply context and common sense to everything and always remember that you are accountable for everything you do.
The final concept we went over was the Soap concept. This concept explains how if you clean yourself by only using water, you’ll be clean. However, if you use soap with water you will be much cleaner.
We then talked about the power of the Qur’an and learned some things about certain prophets. Three guests who were able to recite the Qur’an very well were asked to recite a couple of Surahs. By the time it got to the second person, the main teacher was in tears. He then used this and explained how powerful the Qur’an is if you recite it correctly and let it get to your heart. This made me realize why people convert to Islam after just hearing the Qur’an.
After that, we moved on to the prophets. The first prophet we discussed was Prophet Musah, the special ability that prophet Musah had was the ability to turn sticks into snakes. Then, we talked about prophet Isah. Prophet Isah was able to bring people back to life. After that, we talked about the Prophet Sulaiman. He was able to talk in any language, including animal language. Finally, we talked about Prophet Yousef. His special ability was extreme handsomeness. The purpose of learning about the prophets was to explain to the class how every prophet had a special ability that was unique to themselves
We ended class by discussing a couple of events that happened throughout the united states. The first one was an event that happened at a funeral. When the funeral service workers got the body, they realized the family didn’t pay. So, the workers threw the body out. Then, we talked about something that happened in Stafford Virginia. A son shot and killed his mother and sister, then proceeded to shoot his dad when he got home. This made me realize how mental illness can affect people, even if it meant killing their own family.