Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 1 Table of Contents Page 1. Message from the Department of Taleem 3 2. Introduction to the Syllabus 4 3. Part 1 - Basic Religious Knowledge 5 a. Islam 5 b. Articles of Faith 6 c. Pillars of Islam 9 4. Part 2 - Memorization (Hifz) 12 a. Salaat: Arabic with Translation 12 b. Introduction to the Holy Quran 19 c. Hifz e Quran (Selected Chapters for Memorization) 33 d. Ahadith (for Memorization) 33 e. Selected Revelations to the Promised Messiah (as) - 36 Tadhkirah f. Common Prayers 36 g. Prescribed Prayers by Hazrat Khaliftul Masih V (aba) 39 5. Part 3 - Prescribed Books of the Promised Messiah (as) 40 6. Part 4 - Links 41 MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 2 Message from the Department of Taleem In the Name of Allah, The Gracious, The Merciful, Dear Khuddam Brothers, Assalamo Alaikum Warahmatullahe Wabarakatahu, The Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 that is being shared with you in the following pages focuses on a few specific areas of religious knowledge, mainly the following: 1) An introduction to Islam as a religion and certain basic religious concepts. 2) Essentials of Namaaz for your learning and practice, a selection of chapters from the Holy Quran, Ahadith and prayers. 3) Books of the Promised Messiah (as). The syllabus has also been divided into three different levels, each comprising of a selection of items from the components above to cater to khuddam at different stages of their journey in terms of their religious knowledge, practice and awareness. These simply exist as a measure of the minimum level of learning and knowledge a khadim is expected to have attained as a benchmark for evaluating ourselves and consistently moving forward on their path of religious learning. May Allah enable us to learn and benefit from the teachings compiled within this syllabus and may this prove to be an effective instrument in our individual and collective spiritual growth this year. Ameen. Jazakallah Ahsanuljaza Wassalam Haris Khan Muhtamim Taleem Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Australia MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 3 Introduction to the Syllabus The syllabus has been divided into three levels. Details on what each level comprises of from each of the key knowledge areas are as below: Level 1 Sections to Cover Part 1 Complete Part 2 (a) - (b) Complete Hifz e Quran (Selected chapters for memorization) - Chapter 99 (Al Zilzal) to Chapter Part 2 (c) 114 (Al – Nas) Part 2 (d)-(g) Complete Part 3 Complete Level 2 Sections to Cover Part 1 Complete Part 2 (a) - (b) Complete Hifz e Quran (Selected chapters for memorization) - Chapter 87 (Al-A’la) to Chapter Part 2 (c) 114 (Al-Nas) Ahadith - all ahadith for Level 1, plus Ahadith 1-5 (Arabic & Translation only), from the Part 2 (d) book "Forty Gems of Beauty" by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin MA, RA. Part 2 (e) - (g) Selected revelations to the Promised Messiah (as) - Tadhkirah Part 3 Complete Level 3 Sections to Cover Part 1 Complete Part 2 (a) - (b) Complete Hifz e Quran (Selected chapters for memorization) - Chapter 78 (Al-Naba’) to Chapter Part 2 (c) 114 (Al-Nas), and First 17 Verses of Surah Al- Baqarah with Translation. Ahadith - all ahadith for Level 1, plus Ahadith 1-10 (Arabic & Translation only), from Part 2 (d) the book "Forty Gems of Beauty" by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin MA, RA. Part 2 (e) - (g) Selected revelations to the Promised Messiah (as) - Tadhkirah Part 3 Complete MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 4 PART 1 Basic Religious Knowledge a. Islam Introduction All praise belongs to Allah, who enabled us to become Ahmadi Muslims. We believe, like all other Muslims, in the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (saw), who founded the great religion of Islam under guidance from Allah. We are, however, fortunate to have accepted the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, the Reformer of the present age, as instructed by the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (saw). He had foretold the appearance of this grand Reformer (named Messiah and Mahdi) for the revival of Islam in the latter days. In 1889, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian, the Promised Messiah (as), under Divine guidance, founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at. Its main objective is to re- establish the original purity and beauty of Islam. The experience of being members of the Jama`at has brought about a wholesome change in our characters and strengthened our faith in Islam. Before we discuss the religion of Islam and the mission of the Promised Messiah (as), let us try to understand what is meant by ‘religion’ and why there are different religions in the world. What is religion? Besides the religion of Islam, many other religions exist in the world such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and others. Most of them have existed for a very long time. In fact, as we learn from history, the world has never been without religions. All the well- established religions of the world have the following features in common: They were founded by the Messengers of Allah and their teachings were based on the revelations from Allah. They define a purpose of human life: to achieve nearness to Allah and to understand one’s duty towards one’s fellow-beings. To attain this purpose, they present a set of beliefs, acts of worship and rules of conduct governing social and moral behaviour. MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 5 We may conclude, therefore, that: Religion is a divine system of beliefs, acts of worship, and rules of conduct that enable human beings to achieve nearness to Allah and lead a peaceful life. Why do the teachings of various religions differ? If all the religions are from the same God, then why do their teachings differ so much from one another? There can be two sources of differences between various religions: a. After Noah’s (as) time, it seems likely that people dispersed to different parts of the world, which were far apart. The means of communication were so poor that a prophet in one part could not communicate his message to the rest. Also, the development of the human mind varied from one area to the other. The All-Wise God, therefore, sent a Prophet to each nation with a teaching best suited to the needs of that nation. b. As time passed, the teachings of various religions could not remain in their original form. In some cases, the followers of these religions themselves introduced changes in their originally revealed books. Need of a universal religion As time passed, the human race began to advance. More and more countries began to be inhabited and means of communication between them began to improve. Through mutual contact, people of different countries began to appreciate the need for a universal religion. Also, as noted above, the adulteration of original teachings caused the need for fresh guidance from God Almighty, who is the Original Source. God Almighty responded to the need of a universal religion by sending His final and perfect message to mankind through the Holy Prophet, Hadhrat Muhammad (saw). Thus, the final great religion, named Islam, was founded as a Universal religion, about six hundred years after Jesus Christ as. (Adapted from 'Introduction to the Commentary of the Holy Qur'an by Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad,Khalifatul Masih II (ra) What is Islam? Islam is an Arabic word which means: Obedience and Peace. Islam thus means complete submission to the will of God and to be at peace with all the creatures of God. In other words, the fundamental purpose of Islam is to bring back mankind to its Creator and to improve the quality of human relationships. It follows, therefore, that: Islam is the only religion whose very name tells its believers what to do and how to do it. Islam provides a complete code of life. Its teachings explain in detail how to coordinate beneficently all the human faculties and the bounties provided by Allah, our Creator. The main sources of Islamic teachings are the Holy Qur’an and the Traditions (Hadith) of the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). MKAA Annual Taleem Syllabus 2017-18 6 b. Articles of Faith The six Articles of Islamic Faith mentioned in the above tradition are as follows: Belief in Allah (One God) Belief in God, the Creator and the Master of the Universe, is common to all religions. But the Islamic name ‘Allah’, in Arabic, applies only to One God and to no one else. Islam advocates belief in the absolute Unity of God in its entire purity as its very foundation. Oneness of God means that He is the God of all people on the earth: past, present and future. Islam stresses the need to have firm belief in various attributes of Allah, the Creator and the Controller of the Universe. He is the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Gracious, the Merciful. He is the Master of the Day of Judgment. The Holy Qur’an refers to over one hundred names of Allah, signifying His various attributes. Belief in the Angels of Allah Angels are a form of spiritual beings created by Allah to perform various assigned duties. There are numerous angels. They are bound to obey the commands of Allah. Unlike human beings, they have not been given the choice to do either right or wrong. In the Holy Qur’an, angels are frequently referred to as malak and rasool which, in Arabic language, means power and messenger, respectively. These literal meanings indicate the nature of various duties of the angels.