Al-Hikmah Times - The Islamic Education Foundation of New Jersery

AL-HIKMAH QUARTERLY
NEWSLETTER WRITTEN
BY STUDENTS FOR
STUDENTS.
Newsletter staff:
V O L U M E
1 ,
I S S U E
Sr.Auroba Shihab
Editor in Chief:
Omar Kawam
1
A 3): Because I have a lot of education in my background and I
would like to share it in an Islamic school and better serve the
Zainab Khan
Ibraheem Othman
Ahmad Dargal
Aleena Khan
Sarah Elkordy
Nora Mustafa
Entertainment:
Ibraheem OthmanTariq AlNsour
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Our Junior Hajj
2
The Search for
Faith
3
A Time for Giving
3
The Poets
Corner
4
Our Young Writers
5
5
Activities &Events
6
A 2): Children are kinder
here and more willing to
listen. However, students in public
schools are more used to school rules. I
believe that the education is on the
same level, but the teachers here are
more dedicated and care more about
the children.
Q 3): Why did you choose to work
Muslim community. Though I do
not have any reason against public
school.
Q 4): What is your main goal
for this year?
A 4): My main goal is to help the
teachers achieve their goals and
What’s it all about? By: Omar Kawam 6th
Welcome to our first issue
of our quarterly newsletter in the
school year. We are proud to let you
know that the Al-Hikmah newsletter
is written by students for students.
Here are some of the goals we set out
to accomplish this year. Firstly, we
would like to get as many students
involved in writing for the newsletter
by adding their own pieces of work,
opinions, questions etc, and become
a vital part of our school community.
Q 5): What are some faults you
see in the school and would like to
fix?
A 5): The problem is that the stustdents are not always following the
rules which results in time being
wasted.
A 6): Reading clubs (reading and
drama for lower grades), (reading
and public speaking for upper
grades), sports, Model UN, Mock
Trial, father-son basketball, motherdaughter cooking, math night for
upper grades, and I am also open to
any suggestions.
Q 2): Regarding your
teaching experience in a
public school, how can you
compare it to teaching at
Al- Hikmah?
Afrah Loskor
By:Ibraheem Othman
Q 6): What extra curricular activities do you have in mind?
A 1): I have a Masters from
Rutgers University in Elementary Education. I also
have NJ Supervisor Certificate.
Arwa Elhawat
2 0 0 9
in Al- Hikmah School and not in potentials and work in a more professional setting.
a public school?
Q 1): What is your educational background?
Reporters:
D E C E M B E R
Meet Our New Principal
Sr. Heba Abdo is the new Al- Hikmah Elementary School Principal for
the new school year. Sr. Heba has
experienced teaching before in a
public school and got a Master’s in
Elementary Education from Rutgers.
If you wish to know more about Sr.
Heba, then read on!
Coordinator:
Entertainment
Al-Hikmah Times
Sr. Heba seems very enthusiastic
about her work at the school. She
has many great ideas to improve
the school’s environment that will
enhance the level of education in
our school. She had already
hosted a Reading Night for lower
grade students which was a great
success. Both parents and children were extremely happy about
it.
Her main goal is to work for the
students of Al-Hikmah.
Secondly, we would like to bring
you the latest news regarding our
school’s events and activities.
Lastly, we would like to entertain
the students by putting riddles,
puzzles, and other things as well
the articles themselves. The theme
for this issue is to cover the beginning of the school, the new staff
who joined our school family, as
well as Hajj Day Project. We
would like to wish everyone a
wonderful school year. Inshallah
it will be a year filled with good
grades and students achieving
their highest goals. Please look
forward to a great newspaper,
which was mostly written by
members of Al-Hikmah Young
Writers’ Club, that was recently
formed by Sr.Auroba and the
many wonderful writers of AlHikmah School.
Al-Hikmah Annual Junior Hajj
By: Arwa Elhawat & Zaianab Kahan
For most students Eid Al-Adha has a very special taste every year all because we look forward to practice the junior Hajj at Al-Hikmah
gym. Everyone enjoys coming to school in the
morning dressed in white to
perform the Junior Hajj rituals. Sr. Reda and Sr. Sumaia, the two teachers behind this great educational
project, were happy to meet
with us to tell us why they
do this project every year.
learn from participating in the Junior
Hajj Day?
that she performed the Hajj in the exact
same way her child had learned it at Al-
A3: We want all the students to feel the same
Hikmah School.
way the pilgrims in Hajj feel as they perform
had prepared her for the real Hajj because
the rituals. e also want the students to under-
we made sure that every step of the real
stand
the
great
meaning of Hajj. It
is one of the five
Performing the rituals
Hajj had to be perfect- modeled, and practiced in the best way.”
Islam,
Q5: How do you feel when you watch
the students perform their Hajj rituals?
which means that
A5: We feel very happy because our ef-
every
pillars
of
Muslim
forts are helpful to the students, as they
Q1: What is the purpose of
“Junior Hajj” in our
school?
should know about
learn more about our religion and see them
it. We let the stu-
excited as well.
A1: To teach the students
dents
about the importance of
every year in this
Hajj. It is like a practice
school in the same
perform
it
Q6: Did all these years of Hajj practicing create a bond between you and Allah?
Hajj. We believe the best way to perform any-
way that the pilgrims in Mecca do. There are
thing is to model and practice it. We want the
many things to learn from the meanings of
A6: Yes, a big bond as we are helping in
students to learn Hajj in the best and easiest
Hajj that cannot be learned all at once in just a
conveying the message in a practical but
way.
classroom. This is also helpful to the parents,
fun way!
because not all the parents know the rituals of
Q2: How many years has the Junior Hajj
project been going on in the school and how
many years have you been organizing it?
A2: Both: From 1996. It has been 14 years,
Alhamdulil Allah. Sr. Sumaia: Though, I have
been helping in organizing it for the past 8
Hajj.
Q7: Have you ever been to the real
Hajj? If so, how many times?
Q4: Do you think the students have bene-
A7: Sr. Sumaia: No, unfortunately, but I
pray to Allah to go soon.
fited from the Junior Hajj and are they
ready for the real Hajj?
years. Sr. Reda: I have been organizing and
A4: Yes, we especially believe the 4th, 5th, and
taking responsibility for this project all these
6th grade students are ready for the real Hajj.
years.
Q3: What do you want us, or the students, to
Sr. Reda: Yes, one time, and I’m looking
forward to going again.
Interviewers: “Thank you for answering
our questions and thank you for working
so hard to bring Hajj rituals to our school.
Sr. Reda: “I remember this one year when one
Have a Happy “Junior Hajj Day and
of the mothers returned from Hajj. She said
Eid!”
Performing the Rituals of Hajj
By: Nora Mostafa, 5th
Hajj is a blessing. It is also one of the five pillars of Islam. Hajj is a central duty that’s roots
start at Prophet Abraham. It brings people from all places and joins them together and makes them all
equal, rich or poor, black or white, in this one spot. Doing hajj in Mecca is a privilege. On the first day
of the hajj, people sweep out of Makah toward Mina. People normally pray and meditate, like prophet
Mohamed (pbuh). During the second day people leave Mina for the plain of 'Arafat for the "the standing," the central rite of the hajj. Just after sunset, the mass of people proceed to Muzdalifah. On the third
day, everyone moves from muzdalifah to mina. There they throw the pebbles that they collected in muzdalifah at white pillars that represent the devil. Soon they slaughter sheep. After this they are permitted
to shed their ihram by, for men, shaving their hair, for women, cutting a part of their hair. Now they can
celebrate Eid!
On the Path of Great Muslims
By: Sarah Elkordy, 5th
“A Journey from Worshiping Fire to Worshiping Allah”
Who Created It?
Salman Al-Farisi was born in
Esfhan,Persia, which is now Iran.
Him and his people were fire worshippers. He felt that this was not
right, and that there was a better
and truer belief. One day, he
passed a church, and after observing it, he thought Christianity was
better, and converted. He listened
to and followed a monk(priest).
Salman soon found out that this
man took charity for himself.
When he died, they crusified him,
and showed Salman a better monk
whom he followed. When the
monk was dying, Salman asked
who to follow. The monk told him
of a man who lived in Mosul,Iraq.
Salman served and followed this
monk until he was dying. Salman
asked the monk the same question,
and he told him of a man who
lived in Nasibeen. Again Salman
served and followed this man until
just before his death when he advised Salman to follow a monk in
Ammouriyya,Turkey. Salman found and
followed this monk until his death bed.
When Salman asked, the monk told him that
there were no more true Christian believers.
However, the monk said that he had heard
that a prophet would appear in Arabia, and
advised Salman to follow him. The monk
gave him three signs to tell about this man.1:
The man accepts and eats from gifts. 2: He
does not eat from charity. 3: He has a seal of
prophethood on his back between his two
shoulders. Salman asked caravans that were passing by. Finally, one told him he knew
about a man and could take him
to Madina. When they got there,
the man betrayed Salman and
sold him to a Jewish man. Soon,
Prophet Muhammad PBUH
heard about Salman’s long
search and freed him. In Madina
Salman learned about the
Prophet and kept watching him
closely when he saw the two
signs, and to make sure that was
the prophet, he asked if he could
see the seal. It was there. Soon,
after learning and being with the
prophet, he converted to Islam,
and became a great Sahabe,
spreading Islam. The Prophet
PBUH entrusted Salman in
many things especially in the
military affairs and described
him as a man of great knowledge in both religions Christianity and Islam.
2nd Grade Gift of Giving
By: Aleena Khan
“Guarding Your Tongue”
Once, the master of Luqman (as) told him to
slaughter a sheep and bring to him the best
portions. Luqman (as) slaughtered the sheep
and brought the tongue and the heart. His
master told him to slaughter another sheep
and bring the worst portions. Luqman (as)
slaughtered another sheep and again brought
the tongue and the heart. The master was
surprised and asked, “how can these two
limbs be the best and the worst?” Luqman
(as) replied, “If these two limbs are used
correctly, then they are the best, but if they
are used incorrectly, then they are the worst.
Prepared by: Ayisha Chowdry
From the book of thasheelul ahadeeth wal
akhlaaq
By: Jamiatul Ulama (South Africa)
The second graders
have been learning
about communities
and community helpers in their Social
Studies Unit.
To help members of
the Islamic community who are in need,
the second grade led Al-Hikmah students to a toy drive!
Just before Eid, the second grade teachers had the students participate in the toy drive to bring joy to needy
Muslim children. Their goal was to teach our students to
learn the importance of sharing and charity in our religion.
Al-hamdulillah, all second grade students were excited to
donate toys for the needy children. The results were great
and the toys collected took part in placing smiles on the
faces of Muslim children in need, mostly Iraqi and Afghani refugees in the US. Jazakum Allahu Khairan!
“Second
Grade Toy Drive was a great success!”
By Afrah Loskor , 6th
Who created the sky so blue?
Who created the Earth and the
Moon?
Who created the trees that grow?
Who created the rivers that flow?
Who created the plains so vast?
Who created the cheetah so fast?
Who created the dirt so dry?
Who created the tiny fly?
Who created the bumblebee?
Who created you and me?
Who created the sea so clear?
Who created courage and fear?
Who created the clouds so white?
Who created the day and the
night?
Who created the humans so smart?
Who created the lemon so tart?
Who created the colorful macaw?
There is only one answer to all
this:
Allah
The Status of Prayer
According to a hadeeth narrated
by Mu’aad bin Jabal,The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “
Shall I not tell you of the head
of the whole matter and its pillar
and top” I (Mu’aad) said, “Yes,
O Messenger of Allah.” He said,
“The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer and its
Top is jihad” (Narrated by AlTirmidhi).
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
also said: “Islam is built
On five: the testimony that there
is no god but Allah and
That Mohammed is His slave
and Messenger, establish prayer,
paying zakat, performing pilgrimage to House, and fasting
Ramadan” (Narrated by AlBukhari).
The Poets’ Corner
By: Naba Sadiqulla 6th
By: Yasmeen Khan 4th
By: Aya Mustafa 4th
Day &Night
Fall! Oh Fall!
School
The sky is so
You’re my favorite season
You make me happy for no reason
high,
But here I come to let you fly
All the leaves that you shed
School is for fools
Birds flying here and there,
Orange, yellow, brown and red
And that’s no joke
Through the clouds
in different flares
Because there’s lots of rules!
Here come the stars
Like we can’t swim in pools
Looking for the perfect light
the sun likes to glow
Through the day the sun likes
We can’t stand on stools
So remember that
to stay,
Through the night
school is for fools
out comes the
And that’s no joke!
Moon, so silent
Like a balloon floating
So quietly without a sound
Fall! Oh Fall!
We can’t use any cool tools
Each one knows how
One by one fall to the ground
The trees are so tall and bare
But cheer up don’t be in despair
Children oh children hear the call
Fall is coming after all
Time to go out and play
All wake up! Don’t waste a day
Our Young Writers
Friends and Friendship was the topic for the 2nd graders to write about. Here
is what one student wrote:
“My Best Friend”
My best friend is named Yousuf. Yousuf and I are always together. He is
very nice to me, we always play and share with each other. He is funny
and loves pizza. Yousuf is tall and has one brother and sister. We have a
lot of things in common like glasses. He wears glasses and I am getting
glasses. We are both very smart and read Goosebumps books.Yousuf and I
love to play Wii. We play gym everyday together.
By: Mohammed Alqudah, Sr. Abeer’s 2nd
Sr. Safa’s class wrote about their feelings on the first day of School.Here
is how one student felt:
My First Day of School”
Guess what! I made a new friend on my very first day of school. I
was still nervous though. I was new to second grade and going to a
new school named Al-Hikmah. I made friends and I loved my new
teachers. By the end of the day I had a great time! I told my mom
about my great day and about how Al-Hikmah is the best school
ever.
By: Mazin Elshareif, Sr. Safa’s 2nd grade
The Fuzzy Ball Surprises/ Writing from a Different Perspective
In their writing class, the Fourth graders were given fuzzy, ball-shaped pom pom and
asked to use their imagination to write about their experiences if they were any other
objects rather than humans. By recording what they might see, hear, smell, taste, or
feel they came up with the most amazing surprises.
“ My Life as an Apple”
By: Yusuf Tariq-Shuaib 4
th
For a long time I was a happy little apple hanging on a tree until one
day a man picked me and put me into a basket. I felt sad because I was leaving my
mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. I was loaded into a truck with hundreds other apples. Then I was shipped to a grocery store and put in a crate. A woman picked me
up with a few other apples and bought us. I went on another trip but this time I was
in a car. The ride was bumpy. When it was over, the woman put me inside a lunch
box with other things and closed it then handed it to her son. When the lunch box
opened I saw a boy who took me out and started juggling me like I was the ball of a
clown. Then the nasty boy decided to eat me all to the core. He threw the rest of me
into the garbage. The cleaning lady picked all the garbage including me and dumped
us into a big container. I smelled a stinky fish, and a banana peel was on top of me.
The last thing I remember was that I was taken by a big truck to a far away place
where my journey ended. This is the sad story of my life but, hey it’s a life of a little
apple like me.
Aaisha Khalique, 4th
Fall Leaves
Fall is so wonderful
Making the green leaves colorful
Fall is finally here,
Leaves are falling far and near
Though the trees are dry and bare
But it’s a joy we all share
The gusty wind blows
Not a single new plant grows
Leaves fall to the ground
so quiet with no sound
Every plant will soon die
And we will all say bye
Winter is on its way
And we will be bored all day
School Activities & Up Coming Events
By: Principal Sr. Heba Abdo
Did you know that scientists used to think that people were born with a certain amount of intelligence and that this intelligence, or IQ,
would determine how much each person could learn? Now scientists understand that people are born with certain abilities but that intelligence is actually based on the experiences that you have, not only the abilities that you are born with.
That is why it is so important that our activities here at Al-Hikmah School actually help you to become smarter people insha Allah!
So far this year, we have had a lot of experiences to help you learn about the world around you
and we are planning for many more in 2010 insha Allah.
Our first event this year was our Reading Night. This special event was all about enjoying
books with friends and families. Special Thanks to Sr. Auroba, Sr. Saba, and Sr. Veronica for
making all of the decorations and activities! Our guest readers, Afrah Loskor, Sr. Suzy Ismail,
and Sheikh Muhammad Qatanani did a great job and all of our children loved their readings!
Hajj day this year was also a hit thanks to the hard work of the Islamic Studies department led
by Sr. Reda & Sr. Sumaia and our guest Hajj Leaders, Sheikh Muhammad Qatanani, Br.
Walid Hamza, and Br. Hatem Mahmoud.
We also had our first school-wide Eid field trip to the NY Hall of Science and Chelsea Piers
in Manhattan. This field trip was all about having fun while learning about new things! We
are really proud of how well our children behaved and how many new things they were excited to learn about. It was also great for us
to go to one of the most important cities in the world. Thanks to all of our teachers and parents who joined us and helped to make this
trip the best Eid Field trip in Hikmah history (so far).
Upcoming Winter Events include: Father-Son Basketball, Mother-Daughter Culinary Night, Hijrah Day, and Islamic Day.
Many more surprises are planned for the Spring insha Allah!
Celebrating the Islamic NewYear
Al Hikmah PTO Eid Night
By: Sr. Saba Alnsour
On Dec. 5 Al Hikmah PTO has held its
first event the Eid Celebration.
The
celebration was a great opportunity to
have our children and their families all
gather to celebrate Eid Al Adha.
MashaAllah, in spite of the bad weather,
more than two hundred people showed
up in our school gym. Both children and adults have greatly enjoyed the
fantastic night and especially the Turkish food and dessert that were catered by Sahara restaurant. Our Children appeared to having lots of fun,
whether from having face painting, Hina design, animal balloons, or just
playing together. Everyone had a blast! Thanks to Al Hikmah PTO for
coordinating this fabulous event for our school community!!! And thanks
to all who participated in this event! Watch for the PTO’s next event, the
movie night, scheduled on December24, 2009. Please mark your calendar
for a great movie about our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
enjoy lots of popcorn and drinks.
By: Omar Kawam, 6th
In observation of the first day of Muhrram which
marks the first day of the Islamic New Year. Our school has held a
celebration on Friday Dec. 18. It was wonderfully arranged by the
Islamic Studies Dept. (Sr. Azza, Sr. Sumaia, and Sr. Reda). This day
goes back in history when our beloved prophet Mohammed (pbuh)
was ordered by Allah (SWT) to migrate from Mecca to Madina, accompanied by his loyal companion Abu Bakr, in search of a safe place
to outspread Islam. He faced different challenges from hiding in cave
Thawr to escaping from his most beloved town, Mecca. He arrived in
Madina with great welcoming and joy from its hospitable people who
supported him in his mission. Upon his safe arrival to Madina, the
believers marked this date as the first day of the New Islamic Year. In
our school this great event was celebrated with a wonderful puppet
play that was greatly enjoyed by the students. The Hijra play, performed by our talented the sixth graders, focused on some of the tribulations the prophet went through on the way to Madina. At the end of
the show the whole school was chanting (Tala Al badru), the same old
song that was first chanted by the believers as they welcomed the
arrival of the Prophet. The students also enjoyed free lunch, snacks,
ice cream, and goodie bags that were generously donated by some
parents and teachers. Wa Kul Aam wa Antum Bkhair.
Fun & Entertainment
By: Tariq Alnsour
Hajj Word Search
By: Ibraheem Othman
Riddles:
a
f
P
e
a
p
h
a
u
s
1.
What belongs to you but is most used by other people?
r
r
G
m
f
i
f
p
f
a
e
g
A
m
i
r
g
l
i
p
2.
If you have me, you want to share me,
but if you share me I don’t exist?
p
i
A
f
l
n
e
u
i
f
a
g
J
i
a
m
a
a
i
a
a
j
G
j
d
s
g
m
a
f
j
a
I
m
z
a
g
n
u
j
j
g
A
a
u
j
j
a
m
f
a
w
R
a
m
r
u
i
s
s
h
a
A
m
p
j
a
m
g
i
3.
HMMM?
If a survivor fought in a war on the borders of Florida and
Georgia, which state did he die in?
4. Pull me out, strike my head, I am now black but once was red.
What am I????
Hajj
Mina
Arafa
Pilgrimage
Safa
Marwa
Muzdalifa
Brownies in a Hurry
Ingredients
Do You Know ?
1. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
2. Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
1 1/3 cups of graham cracker crumbs (1 package)
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips
4 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
1. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment
paper. Butter the parchment paper too. Heat the oven to 350º.
2. Blend 4 1/2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter with a 14ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
3. Stir in 1 1/3 cups of graham cracker crumbs (1 package) and 1
1/2 cups of chocolate chips. Scrape the dough into the pan and
spread it evenly with a fork.
4. Bake the mixture on the center rack until the brownies are
golden and slightly puffy, about 25 minutes. Let them cool
thoroughly, then slice and wrap them. Makes 16 bars.
3. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of
the world's nuclear weapons combined.
4. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens
every year.
5. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times
its own weight and always falls over on its right side when
Intoxicated.
6. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than
left-handed people do.
7. A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
8. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the
Bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
9. The Electric Chair was invented by a dentist.
10. When you die your hair still grows for a couple of months.
A 3: He’s a survivor
he didn’t die at all!
A2: A secret
A1: Your name