2019 Nov Class note by Z 14 year old male for class of 11/17/19
Date: 11/18/19 bu Z age 14 Male
This week, I came to class prepared with Surah’s Rabij Alni, and Draudi Ibrahim memorized in English. We started class as usual and did 2 cycles of practice prayer. Then, we did about 10 minutes of meditation. After that, the teacher told me to explain to a new student how we usually start off the class, and I explained that we start off by reciting the pledge of allegiance while facing the flag, the pledge of faith while facing the qibla, and then finally we recite Surah Al-Fatiah in English while facing the front of the classroom.
We started with a quick puzzle, the puzzle had a couple of words, and a couple of letters scrambled next to it. The objective was to unscramble the letters into a synonym of the word given. For example, if the word given was “Bet” and had the letters A, R,E,W, and G scrambled next to it. You would unscramble the letters to make the word “Wager” which is a Synonym of the word “Bet.”
Once we finished with the puzzle, we went straight into testing on what we were supposed to learn. I went up and tested on Surah’s Rabij-Alni, and Draudi Ibrahim in both English and Arabic. I successfully recited both the Surah’s in both languages and was told to go with another teacher and refresh everything I’ve learned so far to be tested again. So, I took about 15 minutes making sure I had everything down with the help of the other teacher. Once I was confident, I went back up to the main teacher and tested on everything I need to say while praying. This consisted of how to start the prayer, what to say while praying, the Surah’s I’ve learned so far, and their translation in English. I successfully recited all of them, except for Surah al-Maaoon which I haven’t learned yet. I was told to memorize that by next week.
After testing, we all sat down and the main teacher started talking about certain topics. One thing he talked about was the 3 P’s (Power, Poverty, and Passion). He described how people with more power have more influence, He used a Pyramid to represent the level of powers, the top being the most powerful, and the bottom being the least. He explained how if you get a Bachelor’s degree, you’re not very influential and aren’t pushing yourself enough, and are most likely a sheep. Which means you follow others, instead of leading. He then went on to explain how if you get the Master’s Degree, you are likely to be a goat, which means you may lead others, but not always. Lastly, he described how if you have a PHD, you are a goat and have the power to influence others, have respect, and have more valued opinions.
Another thing he discussed was Invocation, he explained how we should always invoke god but not always expect to get everything we want. He explained how God knows what’s best for us, and that we have to do our part as well instead of relying on god. For example, if you invoke god before taking a test, god will make sure nothing happens on the way, such as a car crash resulting in not being able to take the test in time, etc. However, if you don’t study, you can’t expect god to just put the knowledge into your head, and that’s where you need to do your part by taking the time to study.
He also discussed how every good thing we do leads to more good decisions and how every bad thing leads to even more bad decisions. For example, if you try a drug, you will be tempted to try even more drugs, and if you decide to stay way, you won’t be
tempted and will be saved from addiction, health problems, etc.
Finally, the teacher discussed how the only reason we exist, is to make the world a better place. He explained why we should take care of the earth, and how you get tested on if you made the world a better place on the day of judgment.
In conclusion, I learned that we all exist to make the world a better place, we should always invoke god, the power of Surah al-Fatiah, and how God knows what’s best for us.