Our ILM students left school on last Friday after Asr in the company of Sheikh Waseem and all the other Ilm teachers to attend their first ever ILM camp at Masjid Al-Sahabah in Seymour.
The journey started with the recitation of traveling and evening du'as, followed by the recitation of durood (salawat to the Messenger of Allah, saw). Upon arrival, the girls were hosted inside the main house and the boys in the masjid. Students and teachers all prayed in congregation, followed by the recitation of Surah Al Waqiah and a talk by Sheikh Zain. After dinner and congregational Isha prayer, everyone listened to the recitation of Surahs Al-Mulk and Al-Sajdah, followed by the evening azkaar and talk by Sheikh Waseem on the sunnah way of sleeping. The students were then given the opportunity to enjoy the camp fire with their teachers and friends under the bright light of the moon and shining stars on the beautiful blue sky.
The next morning, students prayed Tahajjud and Fajr salah in congregation followed by a talk given by the Imam of the Masjid Al-Sahabah Sheikh Shahid Shah, about respecting one’s parents, and general way of living life as a Muslim. Students recited Surah Yaseen and morning azkaar, prayed Salatul-Ishraq and prepared delicious breakfast for the team.
The boys then went to the park while the girls went out for a walk, played on the trampoline, and looked around the farm animals. The roles were later changed when the girls went to the park and boys remained behind, exploring the farm house and playing soccer with their peers. After Zuhr prayer, the boys started preparing for a BBQ while girls baked brownies and made salads.
We were honoured to listen to the bayan of Sheikh Waseem’s sister visiting from Pakistan who spoke on the following hadith of the Prophet (saw): "It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Sa’eed bin Abu Hind that his father said: “I heard Ibn ‘Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Two blessings which many people squander: Good health and free time.’” – Sahih (Darussalam). She greatly elaborated on this hadith and explained it in depth with stories which were heart-touching. Her talk was a great reminder for our students and emphasized on wo important aspects of life – our health and free time. Students were given the opportunity to ask the Alimah (female scholar) questions.
Furthermore, we were all honoured to listen to the bayan by great scholar Sheikh Mohammad Ilyas from Turkey who spoke about “the importance of living a righteous life”. Once more, this was a very important topic to discuss with the students. Sheikh Mohammad also made heartfelt du'as.
Finally, students enjoyed a BBQ, salad and brownies with lots of laughter and joy. After Asr prayer, it was time to pack up and say our farewell to our gracious host who asked “when are you coming back” and please come again or stay another night here." She, too had a wonderful time in our company and enjoyed the laughs around the trip.
Throughout the day, our students were reminded about the sunnah way of living, eating and sleeping. The camp was a great way to teach students the value of "ikram" – serving others and sacrificing for others. Feedback received from participating students has been overwhelmingly positive: "The camp was amazing. When are we going next time? Can we go more often? Can we stay longer?" Alhamdulillah!