Photo by [Qamar Institute]
Children in the Mould of the Messenger (saw) is the theme of this year’s Jannah Training workshop. The event will be hosted by the Qamar Institute in Athlone in Cape Town on November 27.
According to the Qamar Institute website, the “workshop will have a strong focus on sharing some very easy and practical tools which can be used to aid our children in developing their love for Muhammed (saw) and following him closely”.
Haafitha Fadwa Solomon founded the Qamar Institution for mothers and women who were unable to attend Islamic Institutions on a full-time basis.
The Qamar Institution offers part-time Islamic classes, physically or online, that focus on teaching and understanding the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw).
SMread: Winner of Le Cop Sportif competition to design Bafana and Banyana kits named
Jannah Training Event
Solomon said the Jannah Training workshop was inspired six years ago by Qamar students.
She was approached by mothers who sought to teach what they have learned to their children but did not know where or how to start.
A student suggested she package her lessons and advice and make them available to the public. To make it accessible to anyone interested in learning about the Quran and Sunnah.
However, the name for the event was inspired much closer to home, by a conversation she had with her daughter.
“I was having a conversation with my seven-year-old because we were at this point where things were to be formalised a little bit more in terms of training her to be the best slave of Allah that she could possibly be … I spoke to her about following me more closely in Salah and a few other things … She looked at me and said, mommy why the sudden change? And I said because Jannah’s Training starts at seven. And when I said those words to her, it just stuck with me”.
The first Jannah Training workshop was held six years ago, with a second edition following suit. Due to changes in her family life and doing her own Jannah Training at home with her children, Solomon was unable to put together a brand new workshop.
However, this year she had the opportunity to sit down and brainstorm new ideas. Her friend requested her to do a presentation on the month of Rabi’ al-awwal, the birth month of the Prophet (saw), it was then she had a breakthrough idea for the third instalment of the event.
Reception of Jannah Training
The first workshop was well received in Cape Town. Solomon recalls receiving numerous requests from different provinces in South Africa to host the event in their areas.
Ever since the event has travelled to Durban and Johannesburg, and with the demand, Jannah Training was held online last year for their international audience.
The success of the workshop lies in the tranquil environment created by the like-hearted people that attend the program, as Solomon put it.
An environment where mothers, teachers and caregivers come together to share insight and tools on how best to shape their children, and to teach them Islamic ideals and values, per the Quran and Sunnah.
“I would love our women to know and understand that the younger we start the better. We shouldn’t underestimate a baby who is a few months old … One tool undoubtedly I would share is to try and ensure that there is recitation of the Quran in the home from a young age … [This] will do much for the child as the years go by”.
