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In the Name of God, the Beneficent & the Merciful

The Night of Qadr-Level 1- 1st Year

Topic Overview: Praying to God, Introducing Dua al-Kumail, Staying Awake on the Nights of Qadr, the Story of the Martyrdom of Amir al-Mu’minin (Peace be upon him)

Number Program Schedule Duration (Minutes) 1 Warm-Up/Craft and Coloring: The Prayers of Children 30 2 Beginning: Qadr 10 3 Story: The Martyrdom of the Kindest Father 15-20 4 Play: Staying up During the Night 15 5 Group Activity: Speak your Heart to Your Imam 10-20 6 Clip: Laylatul-Qadr and the 19th of Ramadan 6 7 Prezi: Praying to God and introducing Dua al- Kumail 20 8 Poem: Qur’anic Mystery and Story of Little Zahra 5-10 9 Take Home Activity: Explaining the Nights of Qadr (Parents) and Coloring - 10 Conclusion/Dua al-Faraj 5 - The Entire Program 120-140

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N U M B E R

Context Duration Objective Procedures-Supplies Needed

1 Warm up/ Craft and Coloring: The Prayers of Children The instructions for the craft is given at the end of this file A few coloring pages are included at the end of this file. Cut a black poster-board in narrow slims and glue it around the paintings as a frame. You can also use a poster-board or recycle a cardboard for the back of the paintings for more reinforcement.

30 Minutes

1. Since the children arrive at different times, it is recommended that before the start of the official program a craft that is related to the theme of the program is planned for the those who come earlier. 2. Familiarize children with the concept of praying to God 3. Familiarize children with the occasion of the martyrdom

1. Colored or white poster-board 2. Googly eyes/doll eyes 3. buttons, pearls or (any small decorative accessories for the clothes of dolls) 4. Colored pencils or markers 5. Glue stick

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of Imam Ali (PBUH)

2 Beginning: Salaam, my dears! How are you all doing? Once again, we have gathered, in this beautiful month, on a very Holy night which is better than 1000 months, that we will later talk about what that means and what is so special about this night! Now who can tell me, what is this night called? Yes, it’s the night of Qadr (or the night of attack on Imam Ai (AS) or the Martyrdom (Shahadat) of Amir al-mu’minin (PBUH)). My dears, on this night God sent one of the Surah’s of the Holy Qur’an, who knows the name of that Surah? Yes, its Surah al-Qadr. Now who ever has memorized this surah, can start to recite along with me, and whoever doesn’t fully know it yet, it’s not a problem, just try to repeat it after everyone else.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم الروح و المالئکۀ تنزل ﴾3﴿ شهر ألف من خیر القدر لیلۀ ﴾2﴿ القدر لیلۀ ما أدراك ما و ﴾1﴿إنا أنزلناه فی لیلۀ القدر

﴾5﴿ الفجر مطلع حتى هی سالم ﴾4﴿ أمر کل من ربهم بإذن فیها Behold, We revealed this (Qur'an) on the Night of Qadr. (1) And what do you know what the Night of Qadr is? (2) The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. (3) The angels along with the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord with all kinds of decrees. (4) All peace is that night until the rise of dawn. (5) (NOTE: The translation is given to help the mentor. It’s best to recite the Qur’an in slow measured rhythmic tone and all the participants should recite as well. So, it can be like a Quran class.) My dears, does anyone know the meaning of this Surah or know what this surah is about?

10 Minutes

1. Seeking means to the Holy Qur’an to illuminate our hearts that is means to salvation. 2. Becoming familiar with surah al-Qadr and its meaning. 3. Familiarize children with the fact that the nights of Qadr are very different than the other nights of the year. And these nights are a great blessing in which God showers His mercy upon his sincere believers. 4. Becoming familiar with the

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Dear God in, this surah says: We have sent the Qur’an to the Holy Prophet-May God’s blessings be upon him and his dear family, on the night of Qadr. The night of Qadr is a great and valuable night. It is different than any other nights, which one can’t even understand how valuable this night is! On this great night, the angels come from the heavens to the earth and they come and go from the heavens to the earth. The angels on this night bring important news from God for the Imam of our Time, and the Imam of Our Time also prays for people. In short, this night, is a night in which many people from different parts of the world stay up from night to morning and speak to God. They ask God to forgive what they’ve done wrong and make them enter Heaven. My dear kids, it’s very well, that you might have seen your mom or dad, who have woken in the middle of night and were busy praying or making dua. God likes his servants to talk to Him, request good things from Him and try their best to do good things. Therefore, the night is a great time to be alone, meaning to be alone talking to God, without anyone being there to bother you; and one can pray and make dua. That is why the night of Qadr is an ideal and great night to do this. Besides the nights of Qadr, the nights of Friday are special for making dua. Therefore, many believing people on the nights of Friday either at their houses or at mosques recite one of the beautiful dua’s that Imam Ali (PBUH) has taught us; which is called dua al-Kumail. Which one of you has ever heard of dua al-Kumail? (Wait for responses) Dua al-Kumail is a long dua, which we have learned it from Imam Ali (Peace be upon him) and in this dua we ask God very good things. It’s right that we are still young, and can’t recite that dua, but we still can draw or color something and promise to God to be good kids, make our parents happy and don’t bother others. We can even give one of our drawings as a gift to the Imam of our Time and put it in our room; so, whenever we look at it, we are reminded of our kind Imam and ask him to make dua for us when he wakes up at nights for his prayers and dua’s.

meaning behind holding a vigil and praying during the night.

3 Story: The Martyrdom of the Kindest Father My little ones! Tonight, is the night of (the martyrdom of or the night of attack on) the best father in the world meaning the 1st Imam of us Shi’as Amir al-Muminin Imam Ali (Peace be upon him).

15-20 Minutes

1. Referring to a narration by the Prophet: “ انا و ”علی ابوا ھذه االمھ

1. Becoming familiar with the skill of storytelling and

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Would you all like for me to tell you a story about this kind Imam? It was the 20th day of the month of Ramadan. Sadness and sorrow had overtaken the city of Kufa (which is in Iraq). It was as if all the streets of the city, the sky, the ground, and all wanted to cry. Two nights ago, meaning the night of the 19th of Ramadan in the Mosque of Kufa during the morning prayers, a very bad and evil person, had wounded the first Imam of the Shi’as Imam Ali (AS) with a poisonous sword. It was for two nights, that Imam Ali (PBUH) was seriously injured and was resting at home due to the struck of that sword. Imam Ali (PBUH) who was known for his bravery and strength was given the title Asadullah which means the “Lion of God”, now however he could not even stand up. Yet, in front of the house of Imam Ali (PBUH) was very busy. Many people who loved Amir al-Mu’minin -the leader of Believers (AS) were gathered in front of his house and were worried and upset. Among the people gathered in front of the house were many kids. Kids who had come alone, but all had a cup of milk in their hands and would say that they have brought milk for their father. They would say that they had heard the doctor say that milk is good for Imam Ali (AS) and it would help his wound to get better; that is why they brought a cup of milk, so Imam could drink it and get better, they loved their father. One of the elders asked: Are all of you the children of Imam Ali (AS)? One of the kids replied: we are all orphans and have lost our fathers. For example, my own father was killed in a battle. But we never have felt that we don’t have a father, because Imam Ali (AS) likes me like a father, and I love Imam Ali (AS) as well. That man asked: What did Imam Ali (AS) do for you all, that you like him just like a father? One of the kids replied: My dad was martyred in a war; and so, I have become an orphan, and become alone left without a father. I was sad that I had lost my dad and that none of the other kids would play with me. One day when I was in the street, the kids were playing, and they didn’t play with me again. It broke my heart. I sat in a corner, placed my hands on my face, placed my face on my knees and started crying.

(I and Ali are the fathers of this Ummah). In this story, we want the kids to become familiar with the kindest father in the world and be aware that the children of the city of Kufa were willing to give their own milk for the well-being of this kind father. A milk that was their only meal of the day. 2. Becoming familiar with the Imam of Our Time (AJ), that he is the kindest father of our time, and creating an emotional bond

how to appeal the kids’ attention.

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As I was crying, I felt a kind hand patting my head. When I brought my head up, I saw a man smiling at me. I gave my salaams to him, and that kind man responded back and asked my name. I told him my name, and I asked his name as well. That man said: I am Ali ibn abi Talib. I was very happy. I told him: I know you. You are Imam Ali (AS), the Prophet’s follower and friend who is the bravest of everyone else. You are our leader and Imam. That brave hero who went to war against the enemies of God. Imam Ali (AS) said kindly: who has taught you these things? I said sadly: my father. He taught me everything, but he is no longer alive. And since I don’t have a father, other kids won’t play with me. Imam Ali (AS) told me: Get up my son, let’s play together. I stood up. Imam Ali (AS) wiped off my tears with his blessed hands, just like a kind father. Then we started playing. We were having so much fun that all the other kids came near us and told Imam Ali (AS): Can we play with you guys? Imam Ali (AS) who was very kind said: Yes of course! Then he pointed towards me and said: Remember everyone! From now on, do not bother your friend, don’t mock him and play with him. All the kids said: We will do that. Then my friends and I along with Imam Ali (AS), we played for many hours. That is when I realized that Imam is not just strong, but he is also very kind and loves kids. After we played, Imam Ali (AS) came with me to my house. On the way back to my house, we spoke with each other. I told Imam Ali (AS), that after my father’s death, my life has become very hard, and sometimes we don’t even have anything to eat. When we got home, Imam Ali (AS) said goodbye to me; but I asked him: can I see you again? The Imam said: God willing we will soon see each other again. After he left I said in my heart: Dear God! Can I see my father again? Dear God, I mean Imam Ali (AS), who loves me just like my father…When I got home, I told my mom, brother and sister what had happened. I told them how kind and great Imam Ali (AS) was. It was night, and again we had nothing, but pieces of dry bread. My brother, sister and I had to stay hungry again. But all the sudden we heard a sound. It was the sound of a knock on the door.

with his eminence.

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But who could it be, at this time of the night? I went to open the door. Once I opened the door, I saw the loving and bright face of Imam Ali (AS). Thank God! My dua was accepted! The Imam kept his promise and had come to see me. I shouted happily: Mom! Mom! Imam Ali (AS) has come! Imam Ali (AS) has come! My mother wore her scarf and said: Please tell him to come in! Imam Ali (AS) entered the house. With him he had a bag. My brother and sister gathered around the Imam. The Imam gave my mom the bag he had with him and said: This is yours. My mother thanked him. She opened the bag and said: Thank you dear God! She was very happy. My mother said: See my children! The Imam has brought us lots of food. Bread, dates, meat and milk. My mother started cooking, and the Imam started playing with my sister, brother, and me till the food got ready. Imam Ali (AS) sat around the table with us, and just like my father even better than my father fed my brother, sister and me. After the meal, Imam Ali (AS) patted, my brother and sister and me on the head, said goodbye and left us. We were all full, happy, and went to sleep in hopes of seeing this kind father again. From that day on, every few days Imam Ali (AS) would come to our house with food and would play with us. Until, today that I heard he got wounded at the mosque and the doctor has said that milk is very good for Imam Ali (AS). That is why I brought a cup of milk for my dear father-Imam Ali (AS). But when I came here and saw all the other orphans that have brought milk for Imam Ali (AS), I realized that the Imam (AS) was a father for many else. A kind father for all the kids. Now my dears! Tell me: do you all love Imam Ali (AS)? …Yes, we do love him, and love him very much. Who can tell me why?... Because he was very kind and was like a father for the kids. It’s true that right now Amir al-Mu’minin- the leader of believers is not amongst us, and it was during these nights that he was martyred and left those people and kids who loved him so much. But know this my dears, that if we talk with him, he will hear us. And if we are in need of his help and dua, he will help and make dua for us. Let’s not forget that our Imam is so kind that he even showed kindness to the person who martyred him. No one in this world can be found other than

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our kind Imam who showed kindness to even to his enemies. We can also be kind like him, we just have to ask him and love him. We must keep another thing in mind that his 11th son, who just like himself is very kind, and loves children and his followers-is the Imam of our Time. Meaning that right now he lives on this earth and if we ask him and pray for him we can feel his kind hands on our head and be happy that we have such a kind father.

4 Play: Staying up During the Night Scene: Home Narrator: It was the month of Ramadan. Everyone was fasting. Little Zahra who was six years old, and by the permission of her mom she fasted for half of a day. Only a few nights had passed since the start of the month of Ramadan, when Zahra’s mom said: Mother: My dear Zahra! This afternoon I will be resting for a bit, because tonight I will be staying at the mosque. If you want, you may also stay at the mosque with me for a few hours as well. Little Zahra: Mom, why!!What is going on tonight? Mother: My dear! Tonight, is a very great night. It’s a night, when our dear God, revealed the Qur’an, our Holy book which is the word of God for its servants to the Holy Prophet (PBUH & HP). The Kind Angel: (Recites the 1st verse of Surah al-Qadr) Narrator: Little Zahra thinks to herself as what did her mom meant when she said that tonight is a special night? That is why she asked her mom with curiosity:

15 Minutes

1. Repeating, and explaining the meaning of surah al Qadr, repeating the whole surah, and to teach this content in a different way, in a form of a play. 2. To perform the play, first try to read off the play like a story. Then try to perform it for yourself then ask the kids to choose a role to perform.

1. Narrator and characters: a girl, a mother, a kind angle (for reciting the verses from surah al-Qadr).

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Little Zahra: Mom! What do you mean, how big is tonight? Mother: My little one, God says in surah al-Qadr, you do not know how great the night of Qadr is! It’s better than thousand months. The Kind Angel: (Recites the 2nd verse of surah al-Qadr) Little Zahra: Mom! What will we be doing in the mosque tonight? Mother: My dear! On the night of Qadr we pray, recite the Qur’an, and make dua. And God orders its angles to come down to the earth to accept the dua’s that are right for us. While He does not accept the dua’s that He thinks is not right for us, instead He will grant us other good things that we may not even think of. Or He will accept our dua’s when He thinks is the right time. The Kind Angel: (Recites the 4th verse of Surah al-Qadr) Little Zahra: Do you mean that since tonight is the night of Qadr, all our dua’s will be accepted? Mother: Yes, my dear, Dear God will send good health and happiness until morning for His good servants. The Kind Angel: (Recites the 5th verse of Surah al-Qadr) Narrator: Zahra could not wait any longer! She was very happy that God has placed such a great night. Therefore, she decided to go to her room and rest. Because she also wanted to stay tonight at the mosque along with her mom for a few hours. She was thinking about what would happen tonight, when she gradually fell asleep.

5 Group Activity: Speak your Heart to Your Imam

10-20 Minutes

1. Because kids at this age have a great

1.Pieces of paper, pen or pencil

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Ask kids to quiet down, and then ask them to think to themselves, what would they like to do if the house of Amir al-Mu’minin-the Leader of Believers was nearby and what would they like to say to their Imam? While the kids are busy you may simultaneously play an appropriate clip. Mentors can write on the behalf of those kids who are unable to write. If anyone among the kids will be soon traveling to the Holy shrine, you can ask them to throw their letter into the shrine and explain to them where all these letters will go to. If they are not traveling, then tell the children that the Imam is aware of what is in their heart.

imagination, this game will get their attention. 2. creating this deeper bond with Imam and can talk with his eminence.

6 Clip: Laylatul-Qadr and the 19th of Ramadan Mr. Bat and Layatul Qadr! https://youtu.be/kTpJLRDVQjw 19th Ramadhan special… https://youtu.be/3eWhZsjuYB8

Each about 2 Minutes

1. Mr. Bat tells a story about how special the nights of Qadr are. 2. Story about the night Amir al-Mu’minin was struck while praying

1.Speakers, projector, projector screen and laptop

7 Prezi: Praying to God and introducing Dua al- Kumail

https://prezi.com/mzrydsl33plv/komel/ Image 2&3: My dear kids, dear God who is the most compassionate, has given us many blessing so we can use them the right way and even help others with these blessings. One of the good characteristics of the dear God, is that He wants us to ask Him good things, so He can give them to us. They call our wants from God: making Dua! and making dua is a very good thing. When we make dua we tell God: O' dear God, we love you, we know you’re very kind, and will answer our dua's and prayers.

20 Minutes

1.Theology, and becoming familiar with the concept of praying to God 2.Becoming familiar with the supplication of Kumail and explaining the content of this supplication.

1.Projector, speakers, laptop, and projector screen

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Image 4: For us to always remember God and ask Him for help; He has created interesting things, so when we look at them we remember Him. Now, please listen to this beautiful poem: Look at the sun Look at the sky Look at the bird it's flying so high Look at the stars Shining so bright In the middle of the night oh look there's a shooting star Do you ever wonder who created this? & Who created that? ALLAH CREATED EVERYTHING! Verse 2 What about that tree So beautiful and green Can you see the wind Brushing those leaves? Look at that fish Swimming away In the beautiful ocean Under the waves Do you ever wonder who created this? & Who created that? ALLAH CREATED EVERYTHING!

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Yellow pink flowers With a buzzing bee Isn't it amazing how honey comes from bees? Oh look there's elephant Washing his feet So many beautiful animals look and you'll see Do you ever wonder who created this? & Who created that? ALLAH CREATED EVERYTHING! Beautiful plants So many different shapes White fluffy clouds That send down the rain Can you see the rivers? Can you see the mountains? Can you see the spider, Weaving its web? Do you ever wonder who created this? & Who created that? ALLAH CREATED EVERYTHING! Alright now tell me if you have any questions about the poem or tell me what you all understood of

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the poem? (These points should be bolded for kids: The Great God is our creator, the creator of this earth, sky, animals, plants, and…From all this order, sequence and beauty we can be reminded of God and thank Him for all His blessing and mercy) now this made us all remember the dear God better, and better understood the signs that He created. Slide 5: Now who can tell me how our relationship should be with the dear God? Can we even have a relationship with God? Talk with Him? What should we ask Him?

Yes, why not! We can easily build a close relationship with God; talk with Him just like a close and kind friend. We can easily talk our hearts to Him and ask for His help. But maybe each of you talk and act differently with each of your friends. So not only can we talk and pray to God in our own language; Image 6: But we can also learn the right way to speak to God from the guides that He has sent for our guidance. Image 7: Our beloved Imams had special dua’s and prayers, some of them has been written and handed down to us to read. Or even some of these dua’s have been taught by our Imams to their friends for them to read and they have talked about the good effect those dua’s had. By praying we attract the attention of dear God to ourselves and tell Him that we are in need of His kindness. All these beautiful dua’s makes us to know more about the dear God and it also shows us the best way to make prayers to God. Image 8: One of those very beautiful dua’s, is the dua al-Kumail, that I am sure many of you heard of its name. This dua is mostly read on the nights of Friday and it’s a dua that Imam Ali (PBUH) taught to his close friend Kumail. Image 9: By reading this dua we get to know dear God much better, understand how kind, great and powerful God is, and how easily we can talk to Him, get closer to Him, and how much He loves us. In this dua we tell dear and the great God, how small we are before Him and how much

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we are in need of His help. We say we love Him very much, know that He is our only God, and we always like to get closer and know Him better. But sometimes it is possible that we make mistakes and ask for His forgiveness. We say that we do not like to make mistakes and sin, so we ask Him, to help us no longer make those mistakes and just do things that are good and rewarding.

Image 10: We say that we know, no one else other than God is close to us, is aware of our hearts, knows everything about us, and has given us many blessings. We tell God that we know He has kept us away from bad things and made good things to happen to us. That is why we want from Him to make good things happen to us and help us to do good deeds with all parts of our body for only His sake. Then we tell God, that You are the one who told us to make dua and pray, you are the one that has promised to accept our dua’s and make our wishes come true. So, O the one who becomes satisfied quickly, accept my dua’s, because I don’t have anyone except You.

So, Amir al-Mu’minin taught this dua to who? Yes, to one of his close friends with the name of??? Kumail So now that all of us together read a part of dua al Kumail, we all feel great and we know more about our beloved God and we understood how our Imams prayed and made dua and taught us all how to pray.

8 Poem: Qur’anic Mystery and Story of Little Zahra The story of little Zahra and the book of destiny One the night of a long day A girl named Zahra Was reading stories of angels From one of her favorite books Which her mother had bought When she was still very little

5-10 Minutes

1.Becoming familiar with the culture of poetry and literature regarding a religious setting 2. Encouraging them to memorize religious

1. For a good performance, the mentor needs to show excitement and have an expressive tone.

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Zahra was waiting For her father to come And to count her the story Of angels and lights As she kept waiting for her Father to come, she heard A little noise from the window of her room She stood up and went To the window and she saw An angel was waiting in the cold And wanted to come in She opened the window And let the angel in And while the tired angel Finally got in the room He thanked little Zahra For her kindness and love Little Zahra was curious To know who the angel was And why he had come To her room on this night ‘Peace be upon you Oh angel, My name is Zahra and I am Waiting for my father to come

concepts in a form of a poem.

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And to tell me a story. Can you tell me who you are, And why you came to visit me ?’ ‘Peace be upon you little Zahra’ replied the angel with a smile ‘My name is Al Qadr And I came here today To tell you a little more About the story of my name’ ‘I am angel from the sky that visits every child on the night of their first fast during the month of Ramadhan And since today was the first time You fasted all day long Allah has sent me to visit you And to hand you a gift Which you will keep forever and ever’ And from behind his back, The angel handed Zahra a book Which had written on it : ‘The story of little Zahra written by herself’

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The girl stared at the book, And while she realized its pages Were all empty and blank She looked at the angel and said : ‘This book is empty, dear angel It has nothing written on it Nor does it have any drawing’ The angel smiled at Zahra And said to her in a soft voice This book is not an ordinary book Little Zahra, for it represents Your life and destiny It is not a book that you will read Rather it is a book that you will write The angel continued Its talk and said: ‘Each one of us has one, And with ours smiles and Tears, we write on it every day’ Little Zahra stood up And took a pen from her desk And with a gentle stroke

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Started writing on it. Some were there others were not God was there, when others were not But to her surprise The pen did not write And the book remained blank Zahra stood up again And on an old piece of paper Tried to use the pen again The pen was working fine, And with much confusion She shared her concern With her new angel friend ‘Dear angel, this book is somehow strange in nature. My pen writes on paper But it doesn’t on this book. If I am the writer of this Book of destiny, Why does my pen stop Every time I write on it ? The angel smiled at Zahra again And told her the secret of this book

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‘Yes, this book is one That must be written. And you are right, It is your book, You are its only writer. But the secret of this book Is that it does not need a pen To write on itself. The ink which Will darken the color of its pages Are nothing else than your actions And your thoughts. Little Zahra was confused And did not understand what The angel was saying. ‘Do you mean dear angel that my actions are the story of this book? Do you mean that my behavior will color the pages of destiny? ‘You are right my little friend, your actions are what will fill this book with words. And what you decide to do Will shape the story of your life’ I have another question dear Angel,

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Every book needs a reader, But is there anyone other than me who will read this book? ‘Yes. Just like your babajan reads stories to you at night, Allah gathers all angels in the skies and reads to us The stories of your lives’ And amongst all the books Of destinies that exist Allah only choses few for us To remember and cherish ‘And which are the books which Allah choses to read to you and your angels?’ The angel looked at Zahra And said ‘The books Which tell stories Of kindness and Love’ Little Zahra got excited And asked the angel again : ‘Does that mean dear angel That if I remain kind My story will be read By God to angels?

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The angel smiled at Zahra And while looking at her Innocent eyes said: ‘Yes, my dear Zahra, This is a promise from God Whenever the inhabitants of earth are kind and pray to Allah Allah himself gathers us And tells us to look At at the light of their faces’ ‘Dear Angel, I have one last question after which I will not bother you again, I still don’t know how To be kind, and how to Pray to Allah. ‘What if I think I am doing Something good, but in fact It is not something good’ Said Zahra in a sad voice ‘How do I know what is The best way to be kind So that Allah reads My story ever and ever’

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The angel looked at Zahra And from behind his wings He showed her two lights That shined brighter Than the moon at night He opened Zahra’s hands And gifted her these lights Zahra took each one of them And felt an instant kindness That took over her heart And as she smiled to the angel She asked her new friend The name of these lights ‘These are two lights that God Has sent to you in order to know How to be kind like he wants, How to know Him like He is. One of them is the Quran And the other is the Ahlul-Bayt These lights will not separate Till the day when everyone’s Book will be read to us We angel keep these lights In our wings, for they make us Fly, higher and higher.

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But you should keep them In your eyes, so that they Enlighten every dark Alleys of your life. And If you follow their lights, You will shine on this earth And we will see you from above And will read your book of destiny To other angels and stars. And with these last words The angel bowed down And disappeared in the skies As Zahra went back to her bed Her father finally came To count her stories from her favorite book And as he came closer He realized that Zahra was already Asleep with a book in her hand He soon recognized The book in her hand For it resembled the book An angel had given him

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On the night of his First Ramadhan fast He smiled and her daughter And realized that he was looking At the most beautiful page Of his own book of destiny. Mystery Who am I?/I’m speaking to you my little one When you find out who I am/then tell me soon my name I am one of the Surah’s/from God’s book When the Month of Ramadan came/one of its nights That was bigger than/thousands of nights my dears God sent me/for His Holy Prophet God sent that night/the whole Qur’an So, by reading it/we can always be wise and smart You for sure have heard/the 5 ayah’s that I have I’m guessing you know/my name? did you?

9 Take Home Activity: Explaining the Nights of Qadr (Parents) and Coloring Print the image given at the end of this file. Give the image to the parents, otherwise give it to the kids for them to color at home. Ask their parents or even the kids to explain about the nights of Qadr and convey to their families the things they’ve learned during the program.

------- 1. Maximize their ability in learning and memorization by doing related work at home.

1. Print the image given at the end of the file per number of participants.

10 End/Conclusion and Dua: Well my dears! I hope that you enjoyed the program and you’ve learned new things about the nights of Qadr and Imam Ali (Peace be upon him).

5 Minutes 1. Concluding and reiterating the overall concepts

1. It is important for this part of the program to be done in a quiet and calm

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As we mentioned, the nights of Qadr are special and have lots of value before God, which we can’t even understand. It’s right that the nights of Qadr are for reciting Dua, Qur’an and praying, and doings these things are hard for kids; and elders can only perform these things. However, this is also a good time for kids to use this opportunity to talk to God and ask their Imam of the Time to pray for them to be good kids, to be able to help their parents, to be kind to others, and other good things. In these nights, we can promise God, that we like to be good kids and we need and want His help. That doesn’t mean we should also stay up from night to morning however if our parents take us to a place where they have a program, it’s good for us to sleep beforehand so we can use the time in this great night. My dears, among the things we mentioned that is good to do in the nights of Qadr was performing Dua. It’s good that before we make dua for ourselves, we make dua for others. Because making dua on behalf of others are accepted faster than making a dua for ourselves. For example, if I make a dua for you during these nights, God will listen to me sooner, then if I sit and just make dua for myself. This is because God likes us to be kind to others, think of others, be able to self-sacrifice, and care more about the wishes of our parents, brothers, sisters, family and friends than ourselves. Now let’s all try and make dua on behalf of each other. Who remembers what we said about what happened in these nights that we are all sad and cry for? Yes, that is right. It’s the martyrdom (shahadat) of one of the best servants of God, the first Imam of us Shi’as, who was wounded while he was praying by a sword by one of the worst people. Which that one strike caused the martyrdom of our kind father, and that is why we are all sad about this incident. Alright, as we said these nights are for making dua, and God will accept our dua’s on behalf of other people. But what if God really likes this one person and he makes dua for us? Yes, his dua will be quickly accepted. That one person that God loves the most in this world is the son of Imam Ali (AS), meaning Imam Mahdi (May God make his return sooner); who is the beloved Imam of Our Time. God really loves him, and this honorable Imam also likes you kids, just like his beloved Grandpa Imam Ali (Peace be upon him).

discussed in this file. 2.creating a heartfelt bond with the Imam of Our Time (PBUH) and praying for the hastening of his return.

environment, while paying utmost attention to the prayers. 2.Starting the dua after reminding the kids about the importance of praying for the reappearance of the Imam of our Time- Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Return) 3. It is recommended that after playing or reciting the dua, that its translations in the local language be recited for the kids as well.

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My dears, the Imam of our Time (AJ) makes lots of dua’s for all of us during these nights. What do you guys think we should do in return? Yes, that is right, we should also pray for him. So now let’s all stand up, face the qibla, and pray for his return. Recitation of dua al-Faraj and standing up out of respect and love for his eminence.

http://film.tebyan.net/film/151746

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0cXoTGnP1jk

In the name of Allah, the Generous, the Kind

O’ God, send your blessing upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad

O’ God, at this moment and every moment Be a guardian, a protector, a leader, a helper

a proof, and an eye for Your representative & proof, Mahdi son of Al-Hassan, Your blessings be upon him and his ancestors

guard him as long as he lives on this earth as a ruler benefit him and bless him with everything You and this earth has to offer

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Needed Supplies:

1. Colored or white poster-board

2. Googly eyes/doll eyes

3. Buttons, pearls or (any small decorative accessories for the clothes of the dolls)

4. Colored pencils or markers

5. Glue stick

6. Scissors

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Print the images of the boys and girls on a poster board. Keep in mind to leave about 2 cm from the lower part of the dolls (legs). The bottom part should be cut smoothly or else the images won’t be easily standing up right. Cut the area of the hand from the fingers to about the elbow, in a way that it can be folded at the elbow. Give the cut-out poster-board to the participants and ask them to color it. They can for example color in the clothes in form of stripes, plaid, polka dots, and ….

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Then using a glue stick, glue the googly eyes in their appropriate place. Then decorate the clothes with things such as buttons, pearls… or any other decorative objects. At the end, write out the participants name on the back of their work. Then just like the given image, fold the image in half in a way that the image can be placed standing straight up. Fold the hands from the elbow as well so it can be as if they are making a dua.

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Take-Home Activity:

Dear parents, please talk with your children about the nights of Qadr and ask them to tell you what makes these nights different from other nights; and ask them what they can do during these holy nights.