Assalamu alaikum,
Sore yang indah di tengah hiruk pikuk metropolitan London, Green Street Plaistow, Eastham, saya baru saja menyelesaikan KHURUJ 3 hari di mesjid terdekat. Mesjid itu tepatnya berada di jalan Selwyn no 72/74 kawasan Upton Park. Sebenarnya ikhwan yang lain dalam group khuruj masih menunggu sampai esok pagi. Namun karena saya telah membooking ticket kereta api ke Brighton jam 08.06 sore itu, maka amir membolehkan saya untuk berangkat lebih awal. Saya malah belum sempat melaksanakan sholat ashar yang jadwalnya jam 07.30. Juga masih ada satu program silaturrahmi yang tersisa pada sore itu tepatnya jam 06.00. Batinku, tak apalah saya tidak ikut program terakhir, toh saya sudah menjalaninya selama tiga hari. Lagipula sudah musyawarah dengan amir rombongan. Sebelum jam 06.00 saya bergegas mengambil ransel dan sleeping bag dan lekas pamitan kepada semua ikhwan kecuali seorang ikhwan asal Somalia.
Dengan bismillahirrahmanirrahim, saya melangkahkan kaki keluar masjid didampingi amir jemaah bernama Bilal, mahasiswa program doktor bidang Computing and Science di Univ. of Sussex asal Pakistan. Seorang yang bersahaja namun sangat cerdas dan sangat taat kepada Allah. Sebelum melangkahkan kaki, saya mengucapkan salam kepadanya. Dibalasnya dengan manis salam saya. Namun ia berkata dengan penuh canda bahwa saya agak nakal karena nisab belum selesai sudah mau pulang. Sebuah persaudaraan yang penuh makna dan sarat kasih sayang karena Allah semata.
Saya menyusuri jalan menuju stasiun kereta api bawah tanah Upton Park. Sebelum ke stasiun, saya menyempatkan membeli minyak zaitun dan teh hijau buat saudaraku di Brighton, dan mampir ke cash machine di pojok pertokoan di Green Street. Sekedar info, jalan ini sangat ramai dibandingkan jalan-jalan lain di sekitarnya karena kiri kanan jalan dijejali dengan berbagai toko mulai dari toko makanan,daging halal, buah, tekstil, pakaian jadi, sampai alat elektronic. Dan khasnya lagi, pertokoan ini hampir semuanya dimiliki oleh orang-orang asia keturunan India, Pakistan, dan Bangladesh kecuali supermarket seperti Tesco dan Iceland. Juga sebagian besar pembelinya pun keturunan dari ketiga negara ini ditambah orang-orang Afrika dan sebagian kecil orang bule. Satu lagi yang menarik bahwa tepatnya disebelah kanan stasiun kereta api bawah tanah, ada sebuah open market layaknya kita di Indonesia, namun keadaanya jauh lebih bersih daripada kondisi pasar tradisional kita kebanyakan.
Setelah membeli keperluan, saya berjalan mengikuti petunjuk amir saya tentang letak Upton Park Underground Station. Namun firasat saya mengatakan bahwa saya salah arah, maka saya sempatkan bertanya. Ternyata memang benar bahwa saya menuju ke arah yang keliru. Setelah dapat informasi yang jelas dari seseorang, maka saya berjalan menuju ke stasiun. Dari jauh saya sudah melihat simbol stasiun underground. Sebelum masuk, saya sempat membaca bahwa pada hari itu service ditunda dan diberi alternatif untuk naik bus menuju Stratford, central underground pada zona ini. Namun, saya belum yakin sampai saya masuk ke bagian informasi untuk mendapatkan konfirmasi dari pengumuman tersebut.
Sejurus kemuadian, saya keluar dan menunggu bus sesuai dengan petunjuk petugas informasi . Kurang lebih sepuluh menit menunggu, saya naik bus bernomor yang kebetulan saya lupa. Keadaan bus penuh sesak sehingga banyak yang terpaksa harus berdiri demi mendapatkan kesempatan untuk berangkat. Agak mirip dengan metromini, namun keadaan busnya jauh lebih baik, mungkin kurang lebih dengan busway di Jakarta tetapi tak berAC. Berkali-kali berhenti menaikkan dan menurunkan penumpang membuat saya kurang sabar mengingat waktu. Tambahan lagi, saya belum familiar kearah mana bus ini menuju meskipun ada digital record setiap halte bus yang disinggahi dan tujuan akhir bus. Karena saya tidak punya gambaran, maka saya putuskan tuk bertanya dengan dengan supir. Akhirnya, saya mendapat jawaban yang jelas bahwa bila saya mau menunggu agak lama, maka bus tersebut juga menuju ke Stratford. Namun kalau mau lebih cepat, saya harus turun dan mengambil bis nomor 25 atau nomor 86.
Saya putuskan untuk turun, dan berjalan menyeberangi jalan utama menuju halte bus terdekat. Tak lama berselang, saya naik bus nomor 25. saking padatnya penumpang, saya hanya kebagian pas depan pintu keluar. Maka saya berdiri dengan sedikit berdesak-desakan. Setelah penghentian kedua, baru bergerak beberapa meter, seorang dibelakang saya (saya memakai jubah panjang full sunnah, Alhamdulillah) berkata bahwa dompet saya dicopet orang yang sempat dia lihat dan turun pada halte kedua tadi. Saya agak sedikit panic, namun segera saya dapat menguasai diri sambil terus mengingat Allah. Anehnya saya sama sekali tidak merasa takut atau gemetar, Alhamdulillahirrabbal aalamin. Dengan bantuan orang tadi yang kemudian memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai orang Somalia yang juga muslim, bus berhenti. Dan dengan sigapnya ia turun dan mengejar orang yang diduganya mengambil dompet saya ketika memasuki jalan kecil. Namun orang yang dikejar sesungguhnya tidak berlari melainkan hanya berjalan dengan cepat sebagaimana orang kebanyakan di negerinya ratu Elizabeth tersebut berjalan. Sekira tiga atau empat meter sebelum mencapai orang yang dimaksud, somali brother tadi terjatuh. Botol susu plastik yang ditentengnya sobek dan susunya semua tertumpah ke jalan dan lututnya pun berdarah. Saya merasa kasihan melihatnya, namun dia berkata tidak apa-apa. Orang yang dikejar malah berhenti dan bingung, tetapi kelihatan professional dan memiliki kemampuan beralibi. Namun somali brother tadi menunjuk bahwa dia yang mengambil dompet saya. Karena dia tidak bisa berkomunikasi bahasa Inggris dengan baik, maka orang yang dikejar dapat berkelit. Kemudian, mungkin karena takut dengan kerumunan belasan remaja tanggung yang saya dapat kenali dari wajah mereka adalah keturunan Somalia dan Pakistan, ia selanjutnya mempersilahkan menggeledah semua isi tasnya. Bahkan jaketnya pun rela dibukanya sampai-sampai seseorang menggeledah kaus kakinya. Terakhir, dia bersumpah dengan Wallahi yang berati dia seorang muslim, sehingga saya memutuskan tidak perlu lagi digeledah karena telah bersumpah dengan nama Allah. Walaupun somali brother bersikukuh bahwa orang tersebut yang mengmbilnya tidak ada bukti yang dapat dijadikan rujukan, saya pasrahkan kepada Allah. Biar Allah yang memutuskan apa yang sesungguhnya terjadi pada diri saya dan orang tersebut. Allah hanya hendak menguji hambaNya. Saya berdoa dalam hati semoga saya mendapatkan hikmah dari ujian Allah tersebut.
Ditempat kejadian ini yang kemudian saya ketahui bernama Manor Park, betapa banyak yang bersimpati kepada saya. Bahkan salah seorang diantara pemuda berkulit hitam dengan janggut tipis menawarkan bantuan berupa sejumlah uang. Tawaran tersebut saya tolak dengan halus, karena sesungguhnya saya meyakini pertolongan Allah lebih dekat dan lebih cepat bila Ia berkehendak. Saya memutuskan untuk kembali ke masjid Upton Park tempat saya i’tikaf tiga malam. Namun saya belum mendapatkan klue bagaiman saya harus pergi dan dengan angkutan apa. Alhamdulillah, di saku jubah saya masih ada satu pound yang tersisa dan entah berapa debet pada kartu Oyster (sebuah kartu yang berisi voucher perjalanan di kota London baik bus maupun kereta api atau underground). Tapi sekali lagi saya tersenyum dengan kejadian kecil ini yang saya yakini tidak ada bandingannya dengan Sakratul Maut yang datang menjemput seorang hamba.
Untuk mendapakan informasi menuju ke masjid upton park, saya dibantu oleh seorang remaja tanggung berketurunan somalia sekira berusia 13 atau 14 kurang lebih usia putraku yang pertama dengan tulisan bus yang saya harus naiki dan di mana saya harus turun. Kebetulan, Upton Park harus dijangkau dengan 2 kali ganti bus. Sekali lagi Alhamdulillah. Kemudian saya juga mencoba mengontak teman saya untuk mendapatkan informasi. Bahkan ia juga menawarkan bantuan jika sekiranya tidak ada pilihan lain. Betapa Allah Maha Pengasih sehingga menggerakkan hati-hati manusia untuk memberikan bantuan atas namaNya. Maha Suci lagi Maha Sempurna Engkau ya Allah, Rabbku dan semesta alam.
Bermodalkan pertolongan Allah melalui secarik kertas dari tangan seorang bocah yang tulus hati, saya sampai kembali ke Upton Park train station. Selanjutnya saya berjalan menuju ke masjid Upton Park yang kira-kira 350 meter dari stasiun. Setiba di masjid, bayan ba’da ashar sementara berlangsung. Saya bergegas mengmbil air wudhu dan menunaikan shalat ashar. Alhamdulillah, saya berkumpul kembali bersama teman-teman jemaah yang lain. Namun mereka sangat heran kenapa saya kembali. Selanjutnya saya ceritakan ihwal kejadian itu. Dan semuanya memberikan nasehat bahwa ini hanya ujian kecil dari Allah SWT. Malam itu juga saya kembali ke Brighton (kota tempat saya tinggal berjarak kurang lebih 50 atau 60 mil dari London) dengan menumpang mobil ikhwan yang sama-sama khuruj yang juga kebetulan sudah mau pulang.
Hikmah dari peristiwa ini bagi saya adalah bahwa tidak ada sesuatu yang terjadi tanpa izin dan kehendak Allah, maka kembalikan kepada Allah SWT agar semua persoalan dapat terselesaikan. Dengan peristiwa ini, saya dapat mengambil pelajaran tentang pentingnya berhat-hati dan selalu mawas diri dalam segala situasi, kondisi, dan keadaan. Secanggih apapun sebuah system yang dibuat oleh manusia (seperti camera CCTV yang ada di bus) tetap mengandung banyak kelemahan dan tak dapat diperbandingkan dengan sistem yang dibuat oleh Allah SWT. Ternyata di kota metropolitan seperti London pun masih ada manusia berhati mutiara yang selalu siap membela kebenaran dan berempati kepada yang tertindas. Sebuah keniscayaan yang ditunjukkan oleh Allah SWT kepada siapa yang ia kehendaki. Yang terakhir, bahwa sunnah Rasulullah SAW tentang anjuran bepergian dengan paling tidak berdua (jamaah) adalah sesuatu yang sangat penting untuk dipraktekkan terlebih dewasa ini.
Alhamdulillah, setiap peristiwa dalam hidup adalah peringatan dari Allah SWT.
Monday, 5 July 2010
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Cheating in Islamic Perspective
Cheating in Islamic Perspective
Being anxious to take examination is naturally sensible. However, if such anxiety causes someone to do cheating, then it is becoming nonsense.
What is cheating?
Cheating in general is understood as taking a particular note/notes to get it copied when the exam is being taken. It is also defined as copying other's without any permission. this is called as CHEATING. The act of cheating is merely done by weak person especially in his faith. He might forget that Allah keeps watching him in any circumstance.
When a student intends to do cheating, he is trying his best to get escaped from the watch of anyone in the exam room. The cheating action starts when he feels that it is safe enough for him to get his notes out of his pocket or his purse. Nevertheless, his state of pretending is no doubt causing him almost breathless.
This action was indeed similar to what The Holy Prophet SAW used to say to the nearest meaning that:
الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ
'righteousness is goodness of behavior, while sin is a thing that makes you anxious and you don't like if anyone else knows' (HR. MUSLIM, 4633).
Is cheating meaningless?
If only we accept this opinion saying that cheating is something hollow and therefore assume it as tiny sin, then it is good to ponder the beauty of Ibnul Mu’taz:
خلِّ الذُّنوبَ صَغِيرَها وكَبِيرَها فَهْوَ التُّقَى
واصْنَعْ كماشٍ فَوْقَ أَرْ ضِ الشَّوْكِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرَى
لا تَحْقِرَنَّ صغيرةً إنَّ الجِبَالَ مِنَ الحَصَى
“Leave sinful action either it is tiny or major, then it is righteous… Be a person walking on the ground where it is full of thorns, certainly he will be very careful of what he could see… never ever undermine tiny sins, for even a mountain consists of pebbles “
However, if we pay closely attention the issue of cheating, indeed in Islam cheating is horrible and absolutely a fundamental subject matter. Rasulullah SAW (peace and blessing be always upon him) in his ahadits once warned us as his ummah to the nearest meaning that:
مَنْ غَشَّنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
“Whosoever does cheating, he is not from us” (HR Muslim, No. 146).
Once Abu Bakar RA. (peace be upon him), the greatest companion of the Holy Prophet SAW said:
كُنَّا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ ثَلَاثًا الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللَّهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ أَوْ قَوْلُ الزُّورِ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسَ فَمَا زَالَ يُكَرِّرُهَا حَتَّى قُلْنَا لَيْتَهُ سَكَتَ
Once upon a time we are beside the Holy Prophet of Allah SAW, the He said, Should I inform you major sins which are the prime sins? He repeats this question up to three times. “Associate Allah with any partner, disobeys parents, and swears other than Allah or telling lie” In that time, he lied down and then he sat. He repeated his words again and again until we said if only he was silent. (HR Muslim No 126).
It could be said that the act of cheating is one of the deceptive witnessing. Basically, a cheater is a person who is not able to answer the questions in the examination. Isn’t it a good result achieved through deception? That means the grades written in the transcript are therefore a deceptive achievement. Indeed he has made a deceptive witness to anyone that comes across to read his grade transcript!
Written by
Ust. Muhammad Abduh Tausikal
Translated by
Muhammad Ruslin
Member of Muslim Community
Brighton
UK
Being anxious to take examination is naturally sensible. However, if such anxiety causes someone to do cheating, then it is becoming nonsense.
What is cheating?
Cheating in general is understood as taking a particular note/notes to get it copied when the exam is being taken. It is also defined as copying other's without any permission. this is called as CHEATING. The act of cheating is merely done by weak person especially in his faith. He might forget that Allah keeps watching him in any circumstance.
When a student intends to do cheating, he is trying his best to get escaped from the watch of anyone in the exam room. The cheating action starts when he feels that it is safe enough for him to get his notes out of his pocket or his purse. Nevertheless, his state of pretending is no doubt causing him almost breathless.
This action was indeed similar to what The Holy Prophet SAW used to say to the nearest meaning that:
الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ
'righteousness is goodness of behavior, while sin is a thing that makes you anxious and you don't like if anyone else knows' (HR. MUSLIM, 4633).
Is cheating meaningless?
If only we accept this opinion saying that cheating is something hollow and therefore assume it as tiny sin, then it is good to ponder the beauty of Ibnul Mu’taz:
خلِّ الذُّنوبَ صَغِيرَها وكَبِيرَها فَهْوَ التُّقَى
واصْنَعْ كماشٍ فَوْقَ أَرْ ضِ الشَّوْكِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرَى
لا تَحْقِرَنَّ صغيرةً إنَّ الجِبَالَ مِنَ الحَصَى
“Leave sinful action either it is tiny or major, then it is righteous… Be a person walking on the ground where it is full of thorns, certainly he will be very careful of what he could see… never ever undermine tiny sins, for even a mountain consists of pebbles “
However, if we pay closely attention the issue of cheating, indeed in Islam cheating is horrible and absolutely a fundamental subject matter. Rasulullah SAW (peace and blessing be always upon him) in his ahadits once warned us as his ummah to the nearest meaning that:
مَنْ غَشَّنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
“Whosoever does cheating, he is not from us” (HR Muslim, No. 146).
Once Abu Bakar RA. (peace be upon him), the greatest companion of the Holy Prophet SAW said:
كُنَّا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ ثَلَاثًا الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللَّهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ أَوْ قَوْلُ الزُّورِ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسَ فَمَا زَالَ يُكَرِّرُهَا حَتَّى قُلْنَا لَيْتَهُ سَكَتَ
Once upon a time we are beside the Holy Prophet of Allah SAW, the He said, Should I inform you major sins which are the prime sins? He repeats this question up to three times. “Associate Allah with any partner, disobeys parents, and swears other than Allah or telling lie” In that time, he lied down and then he sat. He repeated his words again and again until we said if only he was silent. (HR Muslim No 126).
It could be said that the act of cheating is one of the deceptive witnessing. Basically, a cheater is a person who is not able to answer the questions in the examination. Isn’t it a good result achieved through deception? That means the grades written in the transcript are therefore a deceptive achievement. Indeed he has made a deceptive witness to anyone that comes across to read his grade transcript!
Written by
Ust. Muhammad Abduh Tausikal
Translated by
Muhammad Ruslin
Member of Muslim Community
Brighton
UK
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Spring is just starting
Spring is just starting
Subhanallah, I seek refuge to Almighty Allah from Evil.
Just a couple of days, spring starts. The temprature, though remains unpredictable, is much warmer than in winter time. Any type of flowers are starting to blossom. Those flowers are extremely colourful which beautify gardens and parks here and there in Brighton and Hove. Some of them are yellow, some are pinks, purple, whites, and reds. These marvelous flowers spread fresh free-fragrance to each and every passer by. The trees start to grow their leaves. Some of them starts to blossom before their leaves grow. The rests just begin to grow its green peak. Such a great blessing of the Almighty Allah which people in general ignore to understand.
Allah says in Qur'an Al karim: ' verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there is a sign for th people of understanding'. When the spring comes, it is one of the bounties of Allah SWT to the mankind. The temprature goes down to the degree which is friendly and lovely to human being. This is also a special bounty of the Almighty Allah. If in winter time, people need to warm themselves up by switching heating system on at homes or when they want to go out, they need to cover all their bodies with proper jacket,socks, and gloves, spring gives them ease from taking care of this sort of stuffs. Again how kindful Allah is. So much and uncountable ever bounties have been provided by the Almighty Allah to mankind however they are ignorant to Allah as their ONE LORD.
A lot of people acknowledge the beauty of the spring, the beauty of the mild weather in spring, the beauty of the gardens and parks during this season with marvelous flowers they grow so much so that they come out with their beloved partners, family members, friends or colleagues just to enjoy how this grace is specially gifted to them. Astaghfirullahaladzhim, they go out with fitnah. Mini skirts, shorts, tightpants, lower V-blouse are starting everywhere as far as our eyes can see as Muslim. When you low your gazes, you will see white legs and butts, Naudzubillahi min dzalik.If you raise your gazes, you will find your eyes full of unlawful scenes.Summa naudzu billahi min dzalik. Then I come to contemplate how worst this civilization is about. I question to myself. Have they ever pondered from Whom this beauty comes from? What is the purpose of the almighty Allah to alternate seasons during the year? Have they ever come across to think of the reason why the Almighty Allah change the state of weather, temperature, humidity, until the state of trees from green to yellow then fall and again green, and of course the state of themselves as human beings?
If only people ever know the messages sent down by Allah through these alternations, then they will find the answers to their Lord, the Lord of the mankind, Allah Subhana huwa taala. They will find themselves helpless before Allah SWT. The people will find themselves full of fears to Allah the only Entity to Fear of. They will never think of trangressing the commandment of Allah, the Almighty. They will absolutely submit themselves to the wishes of Allah SWT intead of their delusive wishes since they will come to understand that all things in these wolrdly lives which we can perceive by our senses are delusions. To be honest, these are all potential in each and every second of this life getting us away from the way of Allah, from the way which Allah promises the ultimate triumph of mankind in this world and hereafter.
wallahu a'lam,
Ruslin
Member of Muslim Community
Brighton and Hove
East Sussex
England
Subhanallah, I seek refuge to Almighty Allah from Evil.
Just a couple of days, spring starts. The temprature, though remains unpredictable, is much warmer than in winter time. Any type of flowers are starting to blossom. Those flowers are extremely colourful which beautify gardens and parks here and there in Brighton and Hove. Some of them are yellow, some are pinks, purple, whites, and reds. These marvelous flowers spread fresh free-fragrance to each and every passer by. The trees start to grow their leaves. Some of them starts to blossom before their leaves grow. The rests just begin to grow its green peak. Such a great blessing of the Almighty Allah which people in general ignore to understand.
Allah says in Qur'an Al karim: ' verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there is a sign for th people of understanding'. When the spring comes, it is one of the bounties of Allah SWT to the mankind. The temprature goes down to the degree which is friendly and lovely to human being. This is also a special bounty of the Almighty Allah. If in winter time, people need to warm themselves up by switching heating system on at homes or when they want to go out, they need to cover all their bodies with proper jacket,socks, and gloves, spring gives them ease from taking care of this sort of stuffs. Again how kindful Allah is. So much and uncountable ever bounties have been provided by the Almighty Allah to mankind however they are ignorant to Allah as their ONE LORD.
A lot of people acknowledge the beauty of the spring, the beauty of the mild weather in spring, the beauty of the gardens and parks during this season with marvelous flowers they grow so much so that they come out with their beloved partners, family members, friends or colleagues just to enjoy how this grace is specially gifted to them. Astaghfirullahaladzhim, they go out with fitnah. Mini skirts, shorts, tightpants, lower V-blouse are starting everywhere as far as our eyes can see as Muslim. When you low your gazes, you will see white legs and butts, Naudzubillahi min dzalik.If you raise your gazes, you will find your eyes full of unlawful scenes.Summa naudzu billahi min dzalik. Then I come to contemplate how worst this civilization is about. I question to myself. Have they ever pondered from Whom this beauty comes from? What is the purpose of the almighty Allah to alternate seasons during the year? Have they ever come across to think of the reason why the Almighty Allah change the state of weather, temperature, humidity, until the state of trees from green to yellow then fall and again green, and of course the state of themselves as human beings?
If only people ever know the messages sent down by Allah through these alternations, then they will find the answers to their Lord, the Lord of the mankind, Allah Subhana huwa taala. They will find themselves helpless before Allah SWT. The people will find themselves full of fears to Allah the only Entity to Fear of. They will never think of trangressing the commandment of Allah, the Almighty. They will absolutely submit themselves to the wishes of Allah SWT intead of their delusive wishes since they will come to understand that all things in these wolrdly lives which we can perceive by our senses are delusions. To be honest, these are all potential in each and every second of this life getting us away from the way of Allah, from the way which Allah promises the ultimate triumph of mankind in this world and hereafter.
wallahu a'lam,
Ruslin
Member of Muslim Community
Brighton and Hove
East Sussex
England
Bepakaian tapi telanjang?
Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal
Belajar Islam - Muslimah
Saat ini sangat berbeda dengan beberapa tahun silam. Sekarang para wanita sudah banyak yang mulai membuka aurat. Bukan hanya kepala yang dibuka atau telapak kaki, yang di mana kedua bagian ini wajib ditutupi. Namun, sekarang ini sudah banyak yang berani membuka paha dengan memakai celana atau rok setinggi betis. Ya Allah, kepada Engkaulah kami mengadu, melihat kondisi zaman yang semakin rusak ini. Kami tidak tahu beberapa tahun mendatang, mungkin kondisinya akan semakin parah dan lebih parah dari saat ini. Mungkin beberapa tahun lagi, berpakaian ala barat yang transparan dan sangat memamerkan aurat akan menjadi budaya kaum muslimin. Semoga Allah melindungi keluarga kita dan generasi kaum muslimin dari musibah ini.
Tanda Benarnya Sabda Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam
Dari Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu ‘anhu, beliau berkata bahwa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,
صِنْفَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ لَمْ أَرَهُمَا قَوْمٌ مَعَهُمْ سِيَاطٌ كَأَذْنَابِ الْبَقَرِ يَضْرِبُونَ بِهَا النَّاسَ وَنِسَاءٌ كَاسِيَاتٌ عَارِيَاتٌ مُمِيلاَتٌ مَائِلاَتٌ رُءُوسُهُنَّ كَأَسْنِمَةِ الْبُخْتِ الْمَائِلَةِ لاَ يَدْخُلْنَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلاَ يَجِدْنَ رِيحَهَا وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا لَيُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا
“Ada dua golongan dari penduduk neraka yang belum pernah aku lihat: [1] Suatu kaum yang memiliki cambuk seperti ekor sapi untuk memukul manusia dan [2] para wanita yang berpakaian tapi telanjang, berlenggak-lenggok, kepala mereka seperti punuk unta yang miring. Wanita seperti itu tidak akan masuk surga dan tidak akan mencium baunya, walaupun baunya tercium selama perjalanan sekian dan sekian.” (HR. Muslim no. 2128)
Hadits ini merupakan tanda mukjizat kenabian. Kedua golongan ini sudah ada di zaman kita saat ini. Hadits ini sangat mencela dua golongan semacam ini. Kerusakan seperti ini tidak muncul di zaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam karena sucinya zaman beliau, namun kerusakan ini baru terjadi setelah masa beliau hidup (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240 dan Faidul Qodir, 4/275). Wahai Rabbku. Dan zaman ini lebih nyata lagi terjadi dan kerusakannya lebih parah.
Saudariku, pahamilah makna ‘kasiyatun ‘ariyatun’
An Nawawi dalam Syarh Muslim ketika menjelaskan hadits di atas mengatakan bahwa ada beberapa makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun.
Makna pertama: wanita yang mendapat nikmat Allah, namun enggan bersyukur kepada-Nya.
Makna kedua: wanita yang mengenakan pakaian, namun kosong dari amalan kebaikan dan tidak mau mengutamakan akhiratnya serta enggan melakukan ketaatan kepada Allah.
Makna ketiga: wanita yang menyingkap sebagian anggota tubuhnya, sengaja menampakkan keindahan tubuhnya. Inilah yang dimaksud wanita yang berpakaian tetapi telanjang.
Makna keempat: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya. Wanita tersebut berpakaian, namun sebenarnya telanjang. (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240)
Pengertian yang disampaikan An Nawawi di atas, ada yang bermakna konkrit dan ada yang bermakna maknawi (abstrak). Begitu pula dijelaskan oleh ulama lainnya sebagai berikut.
Ibnu ‘Abdil Barr rahimahullah mengatakan, “Makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun adalah para wanita yang memakai pakaian yang tipis yang menggambarkan bentuk tubuhnya, pakaian tersebut belum menutupi (anggota tubuh yang wajib ditutupi dengan sempurna). Mereka memang berpakaian, namun pada hakikatnya mereka telanjang.” (Jilbab Al Mar’ah Muslimah, 125-126)
Al Munawi dalam Faidul Qodir mengatakan mengenai makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun, “Senyatanya memang wanita tersebut berpakaian, namun sebenarnya dia telanjang. Karena wanita tersebut mengenakan pakaian yang tipis sehingga dapat menampakkan kulitnya. Makna lainnya adalah dia menampakkan perhiasannya, namun tidak mau mengenakan pakaian takwa. Makna lainnya adalah dia mendapatkan nikmat, namun enggan untuk bersyukur pada Allah. Makna lainnya lagi adalah dia berpakaian, namun kosong dari amalan kebaikan. Makna lainnya lagi adalah dia menutup sebagian badannya, namun dia membuka sebagian anggota tubuhnya (yang wajib ditutupi) untuk menampakkan keindahan dirinya.” (Faidul Qodir, 4/275)
Hal yang sama juga dikatakan oleh Ibnul Jauziy. Beliau mengatakan bahwa makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun ada tiga makna.
Pertama: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis, sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya. Wanita seperti ini memang memakai jilbab, namun sebenarnya dia telanjang.
Kedua: wanita yang membuka sebagian anggota tubuhnya (yang wajib ditutup). Wanita ini sebenarnya telanjang.
Ketiga: wanita yang mendapatkan nikmat Allah, namun kosong dari syukur kepada-Nya. (Kasyful Musykil min Haditsi Ash Shohihain, 1/1031)
Kesimpulannya adalah kasiyatun ‘ariyat dapat kita maknakan: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya dan wanita yang membuka sebagian aurat yang wajib dia tutup.
Tidakkah Engkau Takut dengan Ancaman Ini
Lihatlah ancaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Memakaian pakaian tetapi sebenarnya telanjang, dikatakan oleh beliau shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “wanita seperti itu tidak akan masuk surga dan tidak akan mencium baunya, walaupun baunya tercium selama perjalanan sekian dan sekian.”
Perhatikanlah saudariku, ancaman ini bukanlah ancaman biasa. Perkara ini bukan perkara sepele. Dosanya bukan hanya dosa kecil. Lihatlah ancaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam di atas. Wanita seperti ini dikatakan tidak akan masuk surga dan bau surga saja tidak akan dicium. Tidakkah kita takut dengan ancaman seperti ini?
An Nawawi rahimahullah menjelaskan maksud sabda Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: ‘wanita tersebut tidak akan masuk surga’. Inti dari penjelasan beliau rahimahullah:
Jika wanita tersebut menghalalkan perbuatan ini yang sebenarnya haram dan dia pun sudah mengetahui keharaman hal ini, namun masih menganggap halal untuk membuka anggota tubuhnya yang wajib ditutup (atau menghalalkan memakai pakaian yang tipis), maka wanita seperti ini kafir, kekal dalam neraka dan dia tidak akan masuk surga selamanya.
Dapat kita maknakan juga bahwa wanita seperti ini tidak akan masuk surga untuk pertama kalinya. Jika memang dia ahlu tauhid, dia nantinya juga akan masuk surga. Wallahu Ta’ala a’lam. (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240)
Jika ancaman ini telah jelas, lalu kenapa sebagian wanita masih membuka auratnya di khalayak ramai dengan memakai rok hanya setinggi betis? Kenapa mereka begitu senangnya memamerkan paha di depan orang lain? Kenapa mereka masih senang memperlihatkan rambut yang wajib ditutupi? Kenapa mereka masih menampakkan telapak kaki yang juga harus ditutupi? Kenapa pula masih memperlihatkan leher?!
Sadarlah, wahai saudariku! Bangkitlah dari kemalasanmu! Taatilah Allah dan Rasul-Nya! Mulailah dari sekarang untuk merubah diri menjadi yang lebih baik ....
Baca artikel selanjutnya "Syarat-syarat Pakaian Muslimah yang Sempurna"
***
Penulis: Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal
Artikel http://rumaysho.com
Belajar Islam - Muslimah
Saat ini sangat berbeda dengan beberapa tahun silam. Sekarang para wanita sudah banyak yang mulai membuka aurat. Bukan hanya kepala yang dibuka atau telapak kaki, yang di mana kedua bagian ini wajib ditutupi. Namun, sekarang ini sudah banyak yang berani membuka paha dengan memakai celana atau rok setinggi betis. Ya Allah, kepada Engkaulah kami mengadu, melihat kondisi zaman yang semakin rusak ini. Kami tidak tahu beberapa tahun mendatang, mungkin kondisinya akan semakin parah dan lebih parah dari saat ini. Mungkin beberapa tahun lagi, berpakaian ala barat yang transparan dan sangat memamerkan aurat akan menjadi budaya kaum muslimin. Semoga Allah melindungi keluarga kita dan generasi kaum muslimin dari musibah ini.
Tanda Benarnya Sabda Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam
Dari Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu ‘anhu, beliau berkata bahwa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,
صِنْفَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ لَمْ أَرَهُمَا قَوْمٌ مَعَهُمْ سِيَاطٌ كَأَذْنَابِ الْبَقَرِ يَضْرِبُونَ بِهَا النَّاسَ وَنِسَاءٌ كَاسِيَاتٌ عَارِيَاتٌ مُمِيلاَتٌ مَائِلاَتٌ رُءُوسُهُنَّ كَأَسْنِمَةِ الْبُخْتِ الْمَائِلَةِ لاَ يَدْخُلْنَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلاَ يَجِدْنَ رِيحَهَا وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا لَيُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا
“Ada dua golongan dari penduduk neraka yang belum pernah aku lihat: [1] Suatu kaum yang memiliki cambuk seperti ekor sapi untuk memukul manusia dan [2] para wanita yang berpakaian tapi telanjang, berlenggak-lenggok, kepala mereka seperti punuk unta yang miring. Wanita seperti itu tidak akan masuk surga dan tidak akan mencium baunya, walaupun baunya tercium selama perjalanan sekian dan sekian.” (HR. Muslim no. 2128)
Hadits ini merupakan tanda mukjizat kenabian. Kedua golongan ini sudah ada di zaman kita saat ini. Hadits ini sangat mencela dua golongan semacam ini. Kerusakan seperti ini tidak muncul di zaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam karena sucinya zaman beliau, namun kerusakan ini baru terjadi setelah masa beliau hidup (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240 dan Faidul Qodir, 4/275). Wahai Rabbku. Dan zaman ini lebih nyata lagi terjadi dan kerusakannya lebih parah.
Saudariku, pahamilah makna ‘kasiyatun ‘ariyatun’
An Nawawi dalam Syarh Muslim ketika menjelaskan hadits di atas mengatakan bahwa ada beberapa makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun.
Makna pertama: wanita yang mendapat nikmat Allah, namun enggan bersyukur kepada-Nya.
Makna kedua: wanita yang mengenakan pakaian, namun kosong dari amalan kebaikan dan tidak mau mengutamakan akhiratnya serta enggan melakukan ketaatan kepada Allah.
Makna ketiga: wanita yang menyingkap sebagian anggota tubuhnya, sengaja menampakkan keindahan tubuhnya. Inilah yang dimaksud wanita yang berpakaian tetapi telanjang.
Makna keempat: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya. Wanita tersebut berpakaian, namun sebenarnya telanjang. (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240)
Pengertian yang disampaikan An Nawawi di atas, ada yang bermakna konkrit dan ada yang bermakna maknawi (abstrak). Begitu pula dijelaskan oleh ulama lainnya sebagai berikut.
Ibnu ‘Abdil Barr rahimahullah mengatakan, “Makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun adalah para wanita yang memakai pakaian yang tipis yang menggambarkan bentuk tubuhnya, pakaian tersebut belum menutupi (anggota tubuh yang wajib ditutupi dengan sempurna). Mereka memang berpakaian, namun pada hakikatnya mereka telanjang.” (Jilbab Al Mar’ah Muslimah, 125-126)
Al Munawi dalam Faidul Qodir mengatakan mengenai makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun, “Senyatanya memang wanita tersebut berpakaian, namun sebenarnya dia telanjang. Karena wanita tersebut mengenakan pakaian yang tipis sehingga dapat menampakkan kulitnya. Makna lainnya adalah dia menampakkan perhiasannya, namun tidak mau mengenakan pakaian takwa. Makna lainnya adalah dia mendapatkan nikmat, namun enggan untuk bersyukur pada Allah. Makna lainnya lagi adalah dia berpakaian, namun kosong dari amalan kebaikan. Makna lainnya lagi adalah dia menutup sebagian badannya, namun dia membuka sebagian anggota tubuhnya (yang wajib ditutupi) untuk menampakkan keindahan dirinya.” (Faidul Qodir, 4/275)
Hal yang sama juga dikatakan oleh Ibnul Jauziy. Beliau mengatakan bahwa makna kasiyatun ‘ariyatun ada tiga makna.
Pertama: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis, sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya. Wanita seperti ini memang memakai jilbab, namun sebenarnya dia telanjang.
Kedua: wanita yang membuka sebagian anggota tubuhnya (yang wajib ditutup). Wanita ini sebenarnya telanjang.
Ketiga: wanita yang mendapatkan nikmat Allah, namun kosong dari syukur kepada-Nya. (Kasyful Musykil min Haditsi Ash Shohihain, 1/1031)
Kesimpulannya adalah kasiyatun ‘ariyat dapat kita maknakan: wanita yang memakai pakaian tipis sehingga nampak bagian dalam tubuhnya dan wanita yang membuka sebagian aurat yang wajib dia tutup.
Tidakkah Engkau Takut dengan Ancaman Ini
Lihatlah ancaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Memakaian pakaian tetapi sebenarnya telanjang, dikatakan oleh beliau shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “wanita seperti itu tidak akan masuk surga dan tidak akan mencium baunya, walaupun baunya tercium selama perjalanan sekian dan sekian.”
Perhatikanlah saudariku, ancaman ini bukanlah ancaman biasa. Perkara ini bukan perkara sepele. Dosanya bukan hanya dosa kecil. Lihatlah ancaman Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam di atas. Wanita seperti ini dikatakan tidak akan masuk surga dan bau surga saja tidak akan dicium. Tidakkah kita takut dengan ancaman seperti ini?
An Nawawi rahimahullah menjelaskan maksud sabda Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: ‘wanita tersebut tidak akan masuk surga’. Inti dari penjelasan beliau rahimahullah:
Jika wanita tersebut menghalalkan perbuatan ini yang sebenarnya haram dan dia pun sudah mengetahui keharaman hal ini, namun masih menganggap halal untuk membuka anggota tubuhnya yang wajib ditutup (atau menghalalkan memakai pakaian yang tipis), maka wanita seperti ini kafir, kekal dalam neraka dan dia tidak akan masuk surga selamanya.
Dapat kita maknakan juga bahwa wanita seperti ini tidak akan masuk surga untuk pertama kalinya. Jika memang dia ahlu tauhid, dia nantinya juga akan masuk surga. Wallahu Ta’ala a’lam. (Lihat Syarh Muslim, 9/240)
Jika ancaman ini telah jelas, lalu kenapa sebagian wanita masih membuka auratnya di khalayak ramai dengan memakai rok hanya setinggi betis? Kenapa mereka begitu senangnya memamerkan paha di depan orang lain? Kenapa mereka masih senang memperlihatkan rambut yang wajib ditutupi? Kenapa mereka masih menampakkan telapak kaki yang juga harus ditutupi? Kenapa pula masih memperlihatkan leher?!
Sadarlah, wahai saudariku! Bangkitlah dari kemalasanmu! Taatilah Allah dan Rasul-Nya! Mulailah dari sekarang untuk merubah diri menjadi yang lebih baik ....
Baca artikel selanjutnya "Syarat-syarat Pakaian Muslimah yang Sempurna"
***
Penulis: Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal
Artikel http://rumaysho.com
Monday, 29 March 2010
Learning Arabic? Is it important?
Learning Arabic? Is it important?
Allah says in the holy Qur’an to the nearest meaning that “ And Allah has made Alqur’an easy for us to learn”. Look, what does it mean to us as the believers? Do you think Allah was just joking to us by saying this? The answer is NO. Allah SWT is indeed seriously wanting us to learn Qur’an properly. To learn Qur’an means to understand how to recite and to get insight of it. In what way? It is absolutely required to understand Arabic as a medium to reach that END. Getting to know Qur’an literally and comprehensively is demanding.
Just to refresh our mind as true believers, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be always be upon him) once said in ahadits to the nearest meaning: ‘the best amongst you is those who learns Qur’an and teaches it’. The implication is that responsibility of each of Muslim is to learn in order to be able to teach Qur’an. In a broad sense, it is the right of Qur’an towards the believers to learn and to propagate It in any circumstance and to anyone. But it is the first priority to believers since this call was first addressed to the believers at the time of companions.
Today, majority of the people who indentify themselves as MOSLEM value English excessively higher than any language especially comparable to Arabic. This is the fact as a renowned preacher in England and Europe, Sheik Muhammad Al Jaihany once in the noble gathering said that nowadays many people were dying of English. He appointed that most Saudian or Middle East youngsters were exceptionally proud of being able to speak English rather than being Arabic speakers. He made an example how an eminent Islamic scholar in Saudi Arabia was very proud of sending his son to England to study. This is just one case. A lot more cases here and there in the Muslim world prove this awfully sadly news. May Allah safeguard us from such an irritable thought. What about us as azzam or non-Arab speaker? It is more or less similar. We feel inferior and therefore we put ourselves as second-grade when we learn Arabic rather than English. This is absolutely naïf. How can Islam as a solely TRUE civilization develop if such inferiority remains in the heart of the MOSLEM? How can we win over western civilization if we value our civilization lesser than theirs? A lot more such questions need to answer in actions.
This lesson demands us as Muslim to ponder the importance of Arabic over the other languages in the world. The value will come to us if we try our best to get rid of our worldly perspectives about Qur’an and Arabic. Our motivation should start with full conviction of the promise of Allah, the Most merciful and the Most benevolence. Allah never denies His promise. Our conviction should be built on the fullest sincerity for The Almighty Allah’s sake, and then the door of understanding will gradually be opened. Why not open at once? One might ask this silly question. Again, Almighty Allah knows best that his creation called human being is extremely weak. Therefore, the door of understanding especially for Holy Qur’an is opened step by step according to level of sacrifice of a person. To which level of understanding can he or she reach depends wholly and solely to Allah. But Allah SWT is not blind.
I do believe that the only way to reach a comprehensive understanding of Qur’an is to learn Arabic in the first place. Then learn other requisite components of Arabic for Quranic texts. Never say too old to start to learn Arabic.
Ruslin Tendri
SMK Galang Tolitoli
Allah says in the holy Qur’an to the nearest meaning that “ And Allah has made Alqur’an easy for us to learn”. Look, what does it mean to us as the believers? Do you think Allah was just joking to us by saying this? The answer is NO. Allah SWT is indeed seriously wanting us to learn Qur’an properly. To learn Qur’an means to understand how to recite and to get insight of it. In what way? It is absolutely required to understand Arabic as a medium to reach that END. Getting to know Qur’an literally and comprehensively is demanding.
Just to refresh our mind as true believers, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be always be upon him) once said in ahadits to the nearest meaning: ‘the best amongst you is those who learns Qur’an and teaches it’. The implication is that responsibility of each of Muslim is to learn in order to be able to teach Qur’an. In a broad sense, it is the right of Qur’an towards the believers to learn and to propagate It in any circumstance and to anyone. But it is the first priority to believers since this call was first addressed to the believers at the time of companions.
Today, majority of the people who indentify themselves as MOSLEM value English excessively higher than any language especially comparable to Arabic. This is the fact as a renowned preacher in England and Europe, Sheik Muhammad Al Jaihany once in the noble gathering said that nowadays many people were dying of English. He appointed that most Saudian or Middle East youngsters were exceptionally proud of being able to speak English rather than being Arabic speakers. He made an example how an eminent Islamic scholar in Saudi Arabia was very proud of sending his son to England to study. This is just one case. A lot more cases here and there in the Muslim world prove this awfully sadly news. May Allah safeguard us from such an irritable thought. What about us as azzam or non-Arab speaker? It is more or less similar. We feel inferior and therefore we put ourselves as second-grade when we learn Arabic rather than English. This is absolutely naïf. How can Islam as a solely TRUE civilization develop if such inferiority remains in the heart of the MOSLEM? How can we win over western civilization if we value our civilization lesser than theirs? A lot more such questions need to answer in actions.
This lesson demands us as Muslim to ponder the importance of Arabic over the other languages in the world. The value will come to us if we try our best to get rid of our worldly perspectives about Qur’an and Arabic. Our motivation should start with full conviction of the promise of Allah, the Most merciful and the Most benevolence. Allah never denies His promise. Our conviction should be built on the fullest sincerity for The Almighty Allah’s sake, and then the door of understanding will gradually be opened. Why not open at once? One might ask this silly question. Again, Almighty Allah knows best that his creation called human being is extremely weak. Therefore, the door of understanding especially for Holy Qur’an is opened step by step according to level of sacrifice of a person. To which level of understanding can he or she reach depends wholly and solely to Allah. But Allah SWT is not blind.
I do believe that the only way to reach a comprehensive understanding of Qur’an is to learn Arabic in the first place. Then learn other requisite components of Arabic for Quranic texts. Never say too old to start to learn Arabic.
Ruslin Tendri
SMK Galang Tolitoli
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Should I use native language to teach language?
After having observed many, many, many ESL and EFL classes, I can tell you that a lot of the best classes I've seen have been done where the teacher uses their native language.
The key, for me, is "Can the students understand?" We say this a lot in our presentations: "Children don't tune out because they are bored, they tune out because they don't understand." (Apapted from the book "The tipping point"). This is one of the reasons we believe in starting super simple, and building up. When children don't understand, they will lose interest, lose confidence, and tune out.
One of our other main beliefs, though, is that to learn the language students need LOTS of input. They need to hear a LOT of English.
So...
My feeling is that you need to make sure to spend time preparing your lesson and thinking about how you are going to introduce the activities, the English for that day, the songs, etc. Figure out the simplest way to communicate your directions in English (with the help of gestures, drawings, etc.). Make the effort to use English as much as possible and really plan what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. (You may want to videotape some of your lessons and watch them to see if the English you are using is appropriate for each class's level).
However, don't feel as if everything HAS to be in English. If you've tried in English but you see students aren't understanding and you can't get think of another way to express the idea, don't hesitate to use your native language. It's really important that students not get lost, not get frustrated by their lack of comprehension.
If you have a great language learning game or activity that would take 5-10 minutes to explain in English, but 1 minute to explain in Russian, explain it in Russian. It is better for the students to have that time practicing English than it is for them to struggle to understand the directions in English.
All in all, make the effort, with planning and analysis of your lessons, to use English as much as possible. But don't feel bad about using your native language to make sure children understand, especially when it comes to things that are really crucial such as rules.
That's my view...anyone else?
Devon
The key, for me, is "Can the students understand?" We say this a lot in our presentations: "Children don't tune out because they are bored, they tune out because they don't understand." (Apapted from the book "The tipping point"). This is one of the reasons we believe in starting super simple, and building up. When children don't understand, they will lose interest, lose confidence, and tune out.
One of our other main beliefs, though, is that to learn the language students need LOTS of input. They need to hear a LOT of English.
So...
My feeling is that you need to make sure to spend time preparing your lesson and thinking about how you are going to introduce the activities, the English for that day, the songs, etc. Figure out the simplest way to communicate your directions in English (with the help of gestures, drawings, etc.). Make the effort to use English as much as possible and really plan what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. (You may want to videotape some of your lessons and watch them to see if the English you are using is appropriate for each class's level).
However, don't feel as if everything HAS to be in English. If you've tried in English but you see students aren't understanding and you can't get think of another way to express the idea, don't hesitate to use your native language. It's really important that students not get lost, not get frustrated by their lack of comprehension.
If you have a great language learning game or activity that would take 5-10 minutes to explain in English, but 1 minute to explain in Russian, explain it in Russian. It is better for the students to have that time practicing English than it is for them to struggle to understand the directions in English.
All in all, make the effort, with planning and analysis of your lessons, to use English as much as possible. But don't feel bad about using your native language to make sure children understand, especially when it comes to things that are really crucial such as rules.
That's my view...anyone else?
Devon
Tips for teaching toddlers
Music is an amazing tool for teaching languages, especially to children. Good songs will bounce around in a learner's head long after their lesson is over. Young learners pick up vocabulary, grammatical structures, and the rhythm of the language simply by doing what they already love to do...sing. In addition, music can serve a variety of functions in your classroom, at home, or even in the car. Music can set a mood. Music can signal a transition from one activity to another (for both the teacher and the student). Music can be a bonding experience. Here are some of the ways I use music in our classrooms here at Knock Knock English. Play music as background music right from the start of the lesson. Just as you take care to make your learning environment visually appealing and stimulating, you should also note the effect that music has on the atmosphere in the classroom. Entering a classroom can be intimidating for people of any age. For children learning a foreign language, it can be particularly daunting. Music can really help to make your classroom warm and inviting. A typical lesson for me starts with Knock Knock Hello playing in the background. It's a very welcoming song that signals to young children that it's English time. I greet students at the door and as they come into the classroom and sit down, they'll usually start singing or humming along. With super energetic classes, I use soothing music in the background at the beginning of class, such as any of the lullaby medleys from the Super Simple Songs CDs, some classical music, or some of my favorite Hawaiian music. With quieter, shier groups, I'll often have upbeat, even silly music playing to start class. Use music to set a tone right from the start of class. Play music to signal transitions to the students. Children react to music in a way that they don't react to anything else. When a song comes on they recognize and like, they'll notice right away. In our classes, we use songs to welcome students to class, to say hello, to lead into circle-time activities, to signal when it's time to clean up or practice ABCs or read a story, etc. etc. etc. The students know exactly what to do when they hear the music and begin singing along right away. And even when we don't play music as a cue, the students are so familiar with the language from the songs ("Clean up", "Make a circle", "Please sit down", etc.) that they respond quickly to the teacher's directions and often begin singing on their own. Play music to signal transitions to the teacher. When I plan my classes, I loosely plan music to accompany the whole class. I use my iPod so I don't need to change CDs during class. Before a 50-minute class, I'll make a digital playlist of about 70 minutes worth of music (50 minutes worth of class-time music plus 4-5 songs to use as back-ups if I need a change of pace). If you don't have a digital music player, all of the Super Simple Songs CDs are arranged to work great in a class playing from start to finish. Each CD starts with a welcoming song, a hello song, an active song, etc., and then finishes with a goodbye song and a lullaby. You can just put the CD on and let it play. When you get to times when you need to concentrate on an activity, you can just turn the volume down and leave the music playing in the background. When I'm lesson planning, I include a gentle welcoming song, a hello song, a get-up-and-move song, a circle-time song, an abc song, a song introducing some vocabulary target for the lesson, a clean-up song, a storytime song, and a goodbye song. Between many of the songs I'll include some gentle background music such as the Super Simple Songs lullaby medleys or some classical music. Plus I'll also include several other favorites I can play if one of the activities I had planned doesn't go over well. When the Hello! song starts, we all start singing. When Hello! finishes and the get-up-and-move song (such as Walking Walking or Seven Steps) starts, we all start singing and dancing with that song. When that is finished and the Make A Circle song starts, we all come together and make a circle. When that song finishes and we are all seated in a circle, some relaxing classical music will come on signaling to me, the teacher, that it's time to start my planned activity, and signaling to the students that it's time for them to settle down and listen to the teacher. When the activity is finished, I'll forward to the next song on my playlist (maybe the Clean Up song or another active song) and that will signal to everyone what the next activity is. Planning your classes with musical cues not only helps the students recognize what is happening next, but it helps you as a teacher move smoothly between activities. Play music to manage the energy level of the class. You never know for sure what kind of energy level young children are going to come to class with. One day, you have a class full of children bouncing off the walls with energy (often on rainy days when they can't go outside to play), the next day the same kids seem like they are moving in slow motion. Music really helps to calm down a rowdy class, or give a class a needed boost of energy. I use the lullaby medleys on all the Super Simple Songs CDs when we want to create a calming environment in class, as well as several of the slower-paced Learn It versions of the songs on each CD. Sometimes, when a class is full of energy, they need to let it all out before settling down, so I'll play super active songs such as Walking Walking, Seven Steps, Count and Move, Hokey Pokey Shake, We All Fall Down, or The Pinocchio. When those songs are finished, most kids are a little tired and ready to settle down and concentrate. Play music to introduce new language. Songs are a great way to teach new language to youngsters. Even when children don't fully understand all the lyrics, they'll be excited to sing. But when you have songs with simple lyrics that kids can dance and do gestures to, the children sing and learn SO quickly. In my classes, we use songs as part of the learning experience for all of the language themes we are introducing in class. If we are learning colors, we'll sing I See Something Blue and/or I See Something Pink. If we are practicing counting, we'll try Five Little Monkeys or Count and Move. If we are practicing likes and dislikes, we'll sing Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream? Whatever the theme, we use songs to help teach the vocabulary in a way you just can't do with other activities. When you are singing and dancing, you interact with the language in so many ways. You are practicing listening comprehension, you are vocalizing, you are interpreting the language with movement... and all in a way that is fun and non-threatening to young learners. When you use songs that can be taught through gestures, very little pre-teaching is necessary. Teachers can seat the students in a circle, teach some very simple gestures, and then play the music while everyone gestures along. Most kids will sing along right away, but even the kids who aren't ready to sing will be able to participate with gestures. Play music to review language. Singing songs is a fantastic way to quickly and easily review language you've previously practiced in class. One of the great things about using music to learn is that people just don't forget songs they have learned. I could sing a few lyrics from a song you haven't heard in 20 years and you would likely be able to sing the next line with no problems. In all of my classes I include a couple of songs to review language we learned in earlier classes. The children love to sing some of their old favorites and it's great to see the amount of language they've amassed. Occasionally, we'll have an all-singing, all-dancing class and sing ALL of our favorites. Music is such a powerful learning tool. If you don't use much music in your classroom, give it a try...it will make an immediate impact. If you do use music, think of ALL the ways you can be using it to make your classroom a warmer, more effective learning environment. | |
| 2. Teaching 2- and 3-year olds (By Devon) |
We've received quite a few emails from teachers and parents looking for advice on teaching 2- and 3-year olds, so I'd like to share some ideas on planning a class for these very young learners.
Before getting into a standard lesson plan, it's very important to understand that children from 2-3 years old have very limited vocabularies in their first languages, and from the age of 2 are generally just beginning to string together utterances of more than one word. As such, your main focus with such young learners is not language production, but language comprehension. You'll want to engage the children in interesting, comprehensible activities while providing them with lots and lots of English input. Don't pressure the children to speak...they will when they are ready.
Knock Knock!
We have the students knock on the classroom door before coming in to join the lesson. This is a small signal to the children that they are transitioning to a new setting with new activities. Signaling transitions really helps young children stay calm while preparing them for something fun and new.
If they are speaking, we'll ask a simple question like, "What's your name?" To make sure they understand the question, I'll point to myself first and say "My name is Devon. Devon." Next I'll point to the student and ask, "What's your name?" Use gestures whenever possible to help make the language understandable.
If the student is not speaking much yet, is relatively new to the school, or is just not in a great mood (may have just woken up from a nap), a friendly "hello" and "come in" works just fine. I recommend having music playing in the background to create a warm atmosphere in the classroom. Knock Knock Hello works well here.
Getting Settled
We like to have an activity set up in the classroom so that when the students enter, there is something that immediately interests them and takes their minds off of any worries they may have. Ideally, this is a tactile activity not requiring speaking, but can be adapted so the children need to listen to the teacher.
For example:
Fishing: Cut out a bunch of fish from different colored paper. If possible, laminate them so they'll last. Put paper clips where the mouths are. Make "fishing poles" a nice round piece of wood (avoid anything too pointy), some string or yarn, and a magnet. When the children come into class, first sit down with them and notice the fish together. Point out all the different colors. ("Look! A blue fish! There's a yellow fish!" Etc.).
Show the children how to fish, saying, "I'm going to catch a yellow fish!" Give each child a fishing pole (make sure to monitor them carefully). Say, "Let's catch a yellow/green/blue fish!" If you are reviewing colors, that should be enough. If you are introducing colors point out the colors for them. Continue until all the fish are caught. Count the fish. Collect the fish. Ask for each color one by one, "Can I have all the yellow fish, please?" "Can I have all the blue fish please?" Don't worry if children don't understand you at first. When they bring their fish to you, note the colors, ("Oooh, a blue fish!") and thank the student.
Sorting activities: Go to your local discount store and buy a bunch of different colored "pom-poms", those small little puffy balls used for crafts. Buy some multi-colored containers or small baskets, one for each color of pom-pom. Have the pom-poms spread all over the classroom. Let the children come in and play with them and then ask them to help you clean them up. Sort them into colors. Count them. Put the purple pom-poms in the purple basket, yellow in yellow, etc. 2-3 year-olds really love sorting and cleaning up, so as long as you mix up the sortables (buttons, straws, beanbags, etc.), you can do this kind of activity all the time. It's great for getting children into class with the simple language of colors and counting.
Matching or puzzle activities: Cut pictures into two pieces and scatter them around the room. Have the students help you put them together. As you do so, introduce the vocabulary. For example, cut pictures of different fruits in half. Place halves all around the classroom. Keep the other halves to yourself. When the children enter, show them you are trying to find the matching piece to one of the halves by just going around the classroom trying to make a match. Once the kids catch on, give them each a half to find a match for.
Passports
Each of the students at our school has a "passport", and at the beginning of class, the teacher asks for "Passports please!" As the children bring you their passports, encourage them to say "Here you are!" Count the passports together. With young students, we are always counting (How many?) and naming colors (What color?). The children are reassured by language they can easily understand. Call each child one by one and let them choose a sticker for their passport. "What color do you want?"
If you'd like to print your own passports, here is a link to the cover and inside for a Super Simple Passport. Print the cover PDF first, then turn it over and print the inside on the back. Or, you can just print the cover and leave the inside of the passport white.
Hello Song
Begin every class with a Hello Song. Any of the Hello songs from Super Simple Songs 1, 2, and 3 work great, but our favorite for the youngest students is Hello Hello! from Super Simple Songs 3. It's very simple and fun, and stresses building confidence.
Active Song
Now is a good time to let the students get up and burn some of their nervous energy, so we like to sing an active song that allows the children to have fun and move around the classroom , like Walking Walking, Seven Steps, Count and Move, and We All Fall Down. You don't need to choose a new song for each lesson. Very young chlidren are reassured by familiar routines, and will be just as excited to sing and dance to Walking Walking the tenth time they hear it as they were the first or second time. You don't need to "teach" these songs...just put them on and go!
Circle Time
Make a circle with all of the students holding hands. Make a BIG circle. Make a small circle. Walk round and round, fast and slow! Bend down low, reach up high. Say "Hello!". Follow by singing Make A Circle. Two-year olds like to play around other children, but are still becoming comfortable playing with other children. Circle time is great for helping children learn to play together and cooperate with each other.
Thematic Language Introduction/Review
At the end of Make A Circle, the students are seated and ready to listen/focus. Now is a good time to introduce or review a language theme. For example, the theme might be emotions (happy, sad, angry, etc.).
We often use picture cards to introduce or review new vocabulary. When possible, real objects are the best way to go in class. When introducing toys, for example, it's much more exciting and interesting for young children to see and feel the actual toys. However, it's not always practical for teachers to bring realia to class. Picture cards can work well as a subsitute, but always look for interesting ways to introduce the cards. Have them hidden around the classroom. Pull them slowly one by one from a colorfully decorated envelope or a mystery box. Think of ways to build curiosity before introducing the items. Never just thumb through the picture cards and start drilling.
Thematic Language Activity
After introducing the language theme for the class, try an activity that allows the children to use, or at least indicate comprehenion of, the new language. Simple crafts and activity sheets are great for keeping the students focused and interested while allowing the teacher to use the target language in a meaningful way. For example, when practicing emotions, we might begin by drawing different faces ("Can you draw a happy/sad face?") Very young children won't be able to draw faces very well, but they enjoy trying and it's a great opportunity for them to begin to learn crayon/pencil skills.
Thematic Song
Sing a song related to the language theme of the class. For emotions, we would sing If You're Happy. It's a good idea to let the song play in the background during the Language Activity so that the students become familiar with it and will be comfortable singing and/or dancing with the song. Remember that language production is not your main goal with very young learners. It's okay if they don't all sing. All the students will enjoy listening and responding through dance and gestures, and you'll soon find them singing without any prompting.
Storytime
Next, story time. We sing our Please Sit Down and Storytime Music which indicates it's time to sit down and be quiet. Ideally, the book is related to the thematic language of that class, but it need not be. Very young learners show a lot of interest in books with flaps or things they can touch, like "Where's Spot?", "Where's Maisy?", or "Good Night, Sweet Butterflies."
Passports
We like to finish class by giving each student a stamp in their passport. Call each student by name, let them choose their stamps ("Which one do you want?" "This one?" "This one?") The returning of the passport is a nice way to signal the end of class. Children can be very sad to see classtime come to an end, but when you give the students stickers or stamps in their passports it eases any disappointment they may feel.
Goodbye song
Any of the Goodbye songs from Super Simple Songs 1, 2, or 3 will work great, but our favorite for they youngest learners is Bye Bye Goodbye from Super Simple Songs 3.
Some things stay the same almost every week...Passports, Hello song, Circle Time, Story Time, Passports, Goodbye song. A certain degree of routine is comforting, and it allows you have some natural interaction with the children. Some of the most useful language we learn in class comes during passport time when I get to interact with each kid one to one. Some things change a little but are still familiar...different songs, different sorting activities, different language themes, etc.
Every once in a while you'll want to totally mix things up. Get online and find some age appropriate crafts that may take a little longer than activities you typically do in class. Forget about the flashcards and all the other activities and have a fun craft day!
Be flexible! If an activity is not working, be prepared to move on to another activity. If an activity is working, don't hurry along to the next activity. You don't have to do everything on your lesson plan!
When teaching 2- and 3-year olds, remember that you are not only their first English teacher, you may be their first teacher of any kind! You have such a great opportunity to help your students form positive attitudes about not only language, but learning in general.
Have fun and Keep It Super Simple!
Copy Rights
Knock Knock English 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
