Every culture or community generally has their heroes; those chosen few extraordinary individuals who saw things differently and lived extraordinary lives. They may have displayed exceptional courage, skill, or wisdom, in the face of unimaginable trials or adversities that they subsequently overcame. And undergoing such obstacles successfully earned them the praise of their communities and enabled them to be promoted as the ‘heroes of their time’ and they were cherished and admired for generations to come.
Similarly, in Islam we have our own heroes too. However, it’s not just a handful of people but an entire ‘generation’ of heroes; who accepted the oneness of Allah SWT, and sacrificed everything they had and stood firm, believing in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) when his own relatives wouldn’t. These real heroes upheld the ultimate truth despite undergoing unimaginable hardship and struggles. We know of these heroes as the noble Companions of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) or the Sahabas, may Allah SWT be pleased with them all.
In Surah Al Baqarah, Allah says:
فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ ٱهْتَدَوا۟ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِى شِقَاقٍ ۖ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Translation:
“So if they believe as you have believed, then they are rightly guided; but if they turn away, then they are only in dissension, and Allah will suffice you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” (The Holy Quran, 2:137)
In this ayat, Allah SWT clearly mentions that anyone who believes in Him just as the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his companions did, is rightly-guided. This shows the great importance of the Sahabas that should be placed in our lives as our potential role-models and heroes; especially in today’s world where anyone and everyone can be an ‘influencer’ on social media and divert our attention away from our true purpose.
Keeping this thought in mind, Al Manarat Islamic School came up with an exciting way to have our students internalize the lives and ways of the blessed Companions. A school-wide competition called Echoes of the Faith was launched and students of all grades (1 to 12) participated in it. Each student was initially assigned a Sahabi or a Sahabiya, and they were tasked with researching about their assigned companion’s life in general, including their character and conduct, their sense of dressing and social behaviors, their interactions within the Muslim community, their conduct on the battlefield, etc. The main objective of this task was to allow the students to gather enough information on their assigned companion so that they actually start to emulate them in their own lives. At the end of their research and discovery, the students were invited to present their learnings through a live presentation to a panel of judges. The competition was judged on the basis of a scoring rubric that assigned a score for each student’s: communication skills, the depth and quality of research, their chosen attire for the day, any visual aids or props utilized to strengthen their presentation, as well as noted the duration of each presentation.
On the day of the presentations, our students took the judges on a journey back into the Islamic history! Every student shared inspiring stories of the noble companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) with a lot of creativity, passion, and love. On one hand there were some beautifully crafted charts accompanied by heartfelt presentations, and on the other hand there were students equally mesmerizing in their original dresses and props, all showcasing their admiration and respect for these legendary role-models. Throughout this competition, both the students and their parents learnt a lot about the lives of the noble companions and how they could bring about change in their own lives while emulating their favorite Sahabi or Sahabiya. After two rounds of intense competition amongst the students, several winners were chosen and inshaAllah they’ll be awarded prizes as part of the awards ceremony due later in the year.