Imamat: The 12 Imams

Activity by Teaching Young Muslims

Imam means leader. We have 12 Imams. The Imams are chosen by Allah. They never do anything wrong, even by mistake. Allah has sent the Imams as guides to help us understand the Qur'an and show us how to live and behave in the right way. The Imams obeyed the words of Allah in every single way. They are the perfect people to guide us and help us to behave in the right way.

Activity: The Qur'an and the Ahlulbayt
Connect two key rings to each other and label them accordingly. No matter how hard you pull, you cannot separate the two rings. In the same way, the Prophet and his family the Ahlulbayt are connected to the Qur'an. They cannot be separated - we need to follow both. The Qur'an gives us instructions on how to behave and the Ahlulbayt are our teachers who show us how to follow Allah's rules in everything we do.

Activity: Follow the Leader
When someone is the leader, everyone copies and follows them. Our Imams are the only perfect leaders. They always do what is right and obey Allah, so we must always follow them. The Qur’an tells us what Allah wants us to do and the Imams show us how to behave in a way Allah loves.

Activity: The Imam Says
Played like 'Simon says' with the children only following the instructions when 'The Imam Says'. The Imams sent by Allah only listen and do what Allah has said. They always obey Allah.

Activity: Hot And Cold
Hide an object for the child to find by listening to and following instructions. When the child is far from the hidden object use the phrase cold and as he nears finding it state from warm to hot.
The Qur'an and Imams are our guides. They give us all the instructions we need to 'atiullah', obey Allah. We must listen to and follow them, so that we know what to do.

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Ashura Amaal

A'maal Sticker Chart
Younger children may use a sticker per recitation whereas slightly older ones could use the stickers for the Surah Ikhlas and a tasbeeh for the Salawaats.

A'maal Dhikr Square
Colour in the hundred grid Dhikr Square as a tracker to help you recite one hundred Surah Ikhlas throughout the day

Older Children:

Surah al-Ahzab Worksheet

Surah al-Ahzab is recited in the Ashura A'maal. The worksheet allows children to gain an understanding as to why this chapter may have been recommended. They will need an English translation of the Qur'an to locate certain verses and learn about the high position of the Holy Prophet (S)

Salaams on Imam Husayn (as)

Download Ziyara Card

Other Resources

A'maal sheet produced by Towards Jannah

Muharram Workbook ages 4-6 

Muharram Workbook ages 7-9

Workbook: Knowing the Ma'sumin: Imam Husayn (a) by Academy for Learning Islam

Surah al-Ahzab Worksheet

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Karbala Landscape

Materials Needed:

A4 sheet of sandpaper

Foam shapes

Have the children make a picture of the landscape to include: The hot sun, Euphrates river, fewer tents of Imam Husayn's camp away from the river, and those of the enemies close to the waterbank.

Can be used as a visual reminder to emphasis the importance of saying salaam to Imam Husayn (as).

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The Heroes of Karbala

A hands on way to learn the family tree of the heroes of Karbala.

Write each member on a mini post it note, colour coded by siblings. The children can sort the families and arrange accordingly onto an A3 sheet. The notes can be reused for practice and as a game to help recall by removing various names for the child to place correctly. A larger version can also be used as a whole class exercise or wall display by using regular post it notes. 

 

Do the family tree exercise together step by step.

1. Who brought us the message of Islam?
Let's put Prophet Muhammad at the top, in the middle of the page.

2. Did he have any children? Who?
Let's put Bibi Fatima underneath the Prophet.

3. Who did Bibi Fatima marry?
Let's put Imam Ali next to her.

4. Did they have any children together?
They had 2 boys and 2 girls

What was their first child called?
Let's make a new line underneath and put Imam Hasan at the beginning.

5. Who was born after Imam Hasan?
Let's put Imam Husayn next to him.

6. Who were Imam Husayn's sisters?
Let's put Bibi Zaynab and Umme Kulthum in the same line.

7. Now let's look at their children.
Imam Hassan had a boy called Qasim. You will hear about him in the story of Karbala.
Let's put him underneath Imam Hassan.

8. Do you know the names of Imam Husayn's children?
Let's put them all underneath 

9. Bibi zainab had two boys who were also in Karbala.
Let's put Aun and Muhammad under Bibi Zainab.

10. When Bibi Fatema died, Imam Ali married Ummul Banin.
Let's put her on the other side of Imam Ali

8. They had a son called Abbas.
Let's put him underneath the name of his mother Ummul Banin.
Abbas was Imam Husayn's little brother.

Use the family tree to question and check understanding of the relationships between each member.

Take off the labels and have the kids practice again, saying out loud the names on the cards to help them form the connections.
A black and white version can also be printed to check understanding without colour coding.

Review Questions:

Who was Imam Husayn’s mother and father?
Who was Ali Akbar’s father?
What are the names of Bibi Zainab’s sons?
Who were Imam Husayn’s sisters?
Who was Qasim?
Who was Hazrat Abbas’ mother?
Who was Imam Zainul Abideen’s father?
Who was Bibi Sakinah’s uncle in Karbala?
Who was Imam Husayn’s grandfather?
Who was Bibi Zainab’s mother and father?

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Fruit Experiment

Learning Objective:
- to understand that Imam Husayn showed us to stand for the truth
- to become familiar with the Quranic ayat, 'be with those who are truthful’ 9:119 
- to learn the Arabic vocab word ‘Sadiqeen’, truthful

Quranic Verse:
Koonoo ma’as saadiqeen, be with those who are truthful’ 9:119

Materials Needed:
Various fruits

Activity:
Ask one child to leave the room. Tell the others about the experiment. 
'When I show you the apple you must all say its an orange!' 
Call the other child in and go through the various fruits asking the children to name each one.
Does the child who left the room say the apple is an orange because all the children do so?!

Explain that it is brave to go against what everyone else is doing/saying.
You must do/say what’s right even if no-one else will.
Talk through examples – times when it’s hard to say the truth etc

Download complete lesson plan: Standing for the truth

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