Bellfield’s 2021 Remote Haj & Eid al-Ghadir Competition

Bellfield College 29 – 31 Rossmore Avenue West Rossmore NSW 2557 Ph: 02 9606 2666 Email: admin@bellfield.nsw.edu.au Tuesday, 27 July 2021

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Bellfield’s 2021 Remote Haj & Eid al-Ghadir Competition Living a Flourishing Life: From your Home to the World

Dear parents and carers, Asalamu ‘alaykum.

With the unfortunate COVID-19 lockdown, our annual Haj Camp for this year has been cancelled. Yet, in the spirit of the timeless virtues and exemplary role models associated with Haj and Eid al-Ghadir, the IHSAN Department would like to offer our K-12 students the opportunity to partake in Bellfield’s Remote 2021 Haj & Eid al-Ghadir Competition titled Living a Flourishing Life: From your Home to the World. The competition is optional and will run for students and families in K-12.

Students will choose from ONE of three options (listed on the next page) and families are encouraged to complete the project together. All projects must be linked to the competition’s theme of living a flourishing life (your relationship with God, yourself, nature and others). As this is a virtual competition, submissions will be photos and videos. Prizes will be awarded for each grade.

Submission due date: Wednesday 4th August 2021

Prizes -

One prize for each grade.

Prizes will be awarded for creative portrayal of at least one Haj station and linking to the theme of living a flourishing life.

Winners will be announced on Thursday 5th August 2021.

Submission details To submit an entry to the competition, please email azza.ibrahim@bellfield.nsw.edu.au: 1. Full name 2. Grade 3. Selected option from the three provided and the topic or Haj station the work focuses on 4. Attach photos of your completed entry (photos limit: 5) OR the video file (Video preferred max. 1 minute) Example: 1.

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Mohamed Reda Yr. 2 Option 1: Collage (Haj station: Tawaf [circumambulation around the Ka’ba]) Attached collage file

We look forward to seeing and showcasing your illuminating and creative 2021 Haj entries, God willing!

Warm regards, The IHSAN Department

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Choose ONE of the following three options Junior School For all options, link your work to the theme of living a flourishing life (relationship with God, self, nature and others) and highlight one aspect of the theme in your work.

Option 1 - Create a collage or mixed media artwork of one of the Haj stations (see the next page for descriptions of the stations).

- Size: no larger than an ordinary poster (A1) for a collage/painting or 30x30cmx30cm for a sculpture.

Option 2 - Imagine you have just finished your Haj and want to tell your friend about your time.

Create an over-sized postcard of your “trip” to Haj with a design on one side and message on the other.

- Size: Between an A5 (minimum) and A4 (maximum) page; use cardboard to give it strength. Message should be minimum 75 words and maximum 150 words.

Option 3 - Imagine you have just come back from your Haj and want to remember your time.

Look at pictures online or talk to a Haji (pilgrim) to create a photo album of your “trip” to Haj. Draw or paint four images and add short captions that talk about your trip.

- Size: Images should be the size of a standard photo (15cm x 10cm) and can be displayed on one page, on a poster or in a booklet (be creative!). Captions should be a maximum of three sentences.

Senior School For all options, link your work to the theme of living a flourishing life (relationship with God, self, nature and others), highlight at least one aspect of it in your work and showcase how you or others can achieve or have achieved a flourishing life.

Option 1 - Create a brochure inviting people to Haj (do not just copy one from the internet).

Think about: What will they do? How will they travel? What will it cost? What are the benefits?

- Size: A4 page folded into half or thirds.

Option 2 - Interview someone who has been to Haj and create a video based on that (remember to get their permission to share their stories with the school). Focus on one aspect of Haj that combines physical, e.g., a station, and spiritual, e.g., personal impact story. Video can be just yourself or include others.

- Video length: 1-3 minutes

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Option 3 - Perform and video a small skit or play about Haj. Focus on one aspect of Haj that can be physical, e.g., a station, or spiritual, e.g., personal impact. Be serious but add some fun and humour. Involve at least one other person than yourself.

- Video length: 2-4 minutes

[NOTE: this Haj map is a rough illustration of the key Haj stations and does NOT necessarily represent ALL the Haj rituals in exact sequential order].

Haj stations Muslims must follow several important rituals while on Haj and these relate to a number of stations: 1. Ihram and intention (incl. the talbiyah call) – Ihram relates to the state of purity and equality before God (Allah) that Muslims enter before going on Haj. To symbolise this state, male pilgrims wear two lengths of white cloth; female pilgrims wear ordinary clothes.

2. Tawaf (circumambulation around the Ka’ba; includes 2 cycles of prayer behind the station of Ibrahim) – The act of circumambulating the Kaʿbah seven times is called ṭawāf. It is one of the essential acts of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah. The word ‘ṭawāf’ means to turn, or walk around something. Everything in the universe, from the tiny atoms to the planets in the galaxies, are in a state of ṭawāf. In the atom, electrons turn around the nucleus, with a dizzying speed in a fixed orbit. They rotate as they worship the Creator that created them. When the cameras capture aerial images from the Kaʿbah of millions of Muslims doing ṭawāf, in unison, to our Creator, Allah, it is truly a beautiful sight to behold and makes us ponder over the beauty of the law-and-order Allah has created in the universe.

3. Safa and Marwa – Pilgrims next run between the hills of Safa (serenity of mind) and Marwa (chivalry in action, i.e., virtue of courage) seven times. This represents the relentless struggle of Lady Hagar, Ibrahim’s wife, for water for her son Ismail. Muslims believe that Ismail struck his foot on the ground and this caused a spring of water to

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gush out. This spring is called Zamzam and pilgrims today frequently take its water with them when they return home.

Plains of ‘Arafat (literally means knowledge) – Pilgrims uphold another major phase of the Hajj. They travel to the plains of Arafat, where they stand, or near the Mount of Mercy, from noon until dusk, praising Allah. This is the climax of Haj and Muslims believe this rite represents what it will be like on the Day of Judgement when all of humanity will be judged by Allah according to their intentions and actions.

Muzdalifah (‘Proximity’; pilgrims stay under the night sky) – Pilgrims spend their night at Muzdalifah, where they collect pebbles in preparation for their return to Mina. They throw these pebbles at three pillars called Jamarat, which represent the Devil.

Mina (‘to awaken an aspiration’, ‘to hope for’; stoning of the three posts) –When we talk about the acts of Ḥajj, we usually hear the story of Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿa) and his son, Prophet Ismāʿīl (ʿa). Once, Prophet Ibrāhīm saw a dream in which he was sacrificing his son. He saw the same dream many times, and realized it was a command from Allah. When he informed his son about his dream, Prophet Ismāʿīl said they should follow the command of Allah and agreed to the act. Together, father and son set off for the sacrifice. They travelled to the plains of ʿArafah, a short distance from Mecca. There they spent the night in prayers. The following afternoon they travelled to the town of Mina where the sacrifice was to take place. On the way to the appointed place, Shayṭān tried to trick them into abandoning the mission three times, but each time the father and son chased him away by throwing pebbles at him. It is for this reason that to this day, Muslims who travel to Mecca for Ḥajj stay in tents in Mina and throw stones at three pillars. If you have ever been for Ḥajj or seen pictures of Mina, there are rows and rows of white tents and pilgrims spend their time worshipping Allah in them.

Taqseer: After the stoning of the Devil, animals are sacrificed to commemorate the story of Ibrahim and Ismael. After this, all male pilgrims shave their head or cut their hair on the day of Eid al Adha while female pilgrims perform taqseer.

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