Translated by: Vahid Pourtajrishi
As we know, mosques had played key role in all social aspects including political, cultural and religious fields since the first years after appearance of Islam. Mosques could foster the required faithful, active and literate forces for the Islamic society who are ready always to sacrifice their life for Islam and Muslims community. The enemies of Islam had recognized these bases of Islam and their key role to separate the Muslim youth from them and clergies by creation of seductive hobbies. That’s why creation of a comprehensive programme is required to link our children, younkers and youth with mosques more than past. Then, it is compulsory for the teachers, Imams of the Mosques and the other elements of cultural education system to try more in this way by emphasising on the original Islamic sources such as Quran, Nahjul Belaqeh, Sahifeh Sajjadieh and the prophet’s manner and behaviour in order to educate the children and youth according to these patterns. I explain the most important recommended methods to absorb youth and younkers to the mosque in below:
1) Active communication between the Imams of mosques and their neighbour schools. This issue includes presence of the Imam in the Jama’ah Salaat of the schools at least once a week to organize the relationship between the students and Imams. Inviting the Imams of the Mosques to participate in the meetings of schools such as the conferences which are held by presence of the parents and teachers in order to take a lecture in these ceremonies. Also we can invite Imams to give the rewards or gifts to the prominent students.
2) Execution of ceremonies, celebrations and conferences in mosques. Schools can use the space and facilities of the mosques to hold their seminars and conferences by coordination with the mosques and Imams.
3) Teaching the mosques servants and board of trustees of the mosque to be good tempered in communicating with children. Awfully, some of the mosques servants’ behaviour is not suitable enough with children. This issue will cause to irritation of children and younkers of mosques and this is because of having not enough knowledge about clergies.
4) Inviting children, younkers and youth to participate in the mosques affairs. This issue will cause to motivate them into mosques as their home. Obviously, they use maximum capability to do the given task to him in mosque in this condition. Hence, it is necessary to give the mosque activities to them under supervision of the Imam and board of trustees. Some of the suitable tasks which could be given to younkers and youth to do are: library management, Azaan, Iqameh, Quran reading, prayers, shoes keeping, sound systems manager, planning and execution of the ceremonies, decoration and celebrations and etc (regarding to the specialities of youth and younkers)
5) Glorifying the prominent students in the mosques is another good case. Getting a gift from the Imam and the manager of school could be as an important encourager for students.
6) Azaan is the slogan of Islam and indicates the prayer time. It’s good to use children and youth for saying Azaan in mosques as consolidator of their relationship with the mosques. We can teach them to say Azaan correctly in words and accent in order to foster liable and worthy forces for the mosques.
7) One of the important factors in attraction of children and younkers to mosque is existence of devout friendship between Imams and them. Presence of Imam before prayer time in mosque in order to talk to youth and younkers could play an important role in attracting them into mosques. Sometimes if an Imam talks to a young man or listens to his words, it can change or turn his attributes and life direction totally to a right way. Keeping the face to face communication with youth and younker is a significant factor in attracting them to the mosques.
8) Those mosques which have some donations and separate income can prepare some meal boxes or packs in the name of themselves and send them to schools in coordination with their deans.
9) It is recommended to Imam to invite the children or grandchild of his praying followers to theirs mosque. Even if each follower brings one member of his family, the presence of children and youth will be eminent.
10) Peers groups could hold their formal and informal meetings in mosques in coordination with their schools.
11) Execution of the various matches also is an efficient method for attraction of children and youth to the mosques. Some matches such as: Ahkaam (Religious rules and principles), Quran, Nahjul Belaqeh, Hadith (the worthy words of the grand Islamic leaders), calligraphy works, painting, sport and etc.
12) We can remind the conformation and notifying the students of the timetable of running cultural activities of mosques. The Imams of mosques and the board of trustees from each mosque have to announce these programs to students in coordination with the teachers and the board of managers of the schools.
13) Executing scientific, religious and fun trips for youth and younkers by the Imams of Jama’ah, the board of trustees of mosques in coordination with schools in order to attract students to mosques and religious education.
14) Absorption of charities and donations in order to organize the cultural activities of mosques.
15) Planning and programming for encouraging those children and youth who are regular in going to mosques helps to change these children to the future permanent worshippers of the mosques.
16) Use of the new method of propagation: we usually use of speech as the first mean of propagation. Although nobody can reject the efficiency of taking a useful lecture and speech, but children are not interested to attend the long time and boring lectures and we have to use the other methods. Even sometimes a movie is more efficient rather than a speech.
17) Fast reading the Salaat is another way for attraction of youth and younkers to the mosques. It is recommended to Imam to do just compulsory parts of Salaat and postpone the (recommended but not compulsory) parts of Salaat till after end of prayer.
18) The libraries of mosques have to be improved by fulfilment of the useful books and the list of these books has to be given to the schools. If the teachers and managers of schools are confirmed about this list, they can refer their students to use these libraries for writing essays or doing researches.
19) Expansive propagation about pray (Salaat) and its philosophy: many of younkers and youth dont know why we have to pray and worship. The philosophy of pray has to be explained by suitable methods to the students by theirs teachers, schools dins and Imams of mosques.
20) Role of parents in motivating their children to pray is significant. They have to believe to pray in theory and practice to show their children the significance of this issue. Linkage between our children and God by praying is perhaps the only way to keep them safe from new harmful social phenomenon such as addiction to narcotics, suicide and etc.
21) Advising children to pray is recommended to parents. If our kids are habituated to pray since childhood, then it will be easy to worship in future.
22) Presence of the managers, teachers and dins of school in Jama’ah Salaat of the mosques could encourage their students to pray. Those respectful teachers who take their additional lectures or educational course in mosques, of course are following the Grand Prophet of Islam’s advices.
23) Domineering and continuously advising does not have conformity with juvenility era and is boring to them. It is demonstrated in psychology that many of educations are done by watching. Hence, introducing the effective patterns to our children such as connecting them to the faithful families and friends can be helpful in attracting them to mosques.
24) Preparation of the required and suitable facilities such as AC, shoe rack, clean washbasin and toilets, enough photo, clean carpets and etc can attract children and youth to mosques.
25) The Grand Prophet of Islam recommended us to consult with youth. It’s good to use them in the board of trustees of our mosques and let them to play their role beside of the old members of these boards in execution of the mosques affairs. They have definitively the ability of doing the given tasks.
26) Creation of social groups in relation with Salaat such as theatre, anthem and etc and holding ceremonies in mosques and among the worshippers could link students to mosques.
27) Introducing Salaat to children, younkers and youth as a determinant factor in relaxation and mental health of our children. Emphasis of Quran on Salaat and worship and etc, all encourage our children to attend mosques and making this relation stronger.
28) Inviting to Salaat and praying has to be softly and with good temper. Any kind of remonstration is damned in inviting to Salaat and worshiping.
29) Parents have to forgive their children’s natural mistakes because of their age. We couldn’t expect our kids to do their religious tasks completely. This positive behaviour can encourage them more into doing the religious rites.
30) On time encouragement of children and youners could be effective in attraction them to mosques. If we can encourage and give them a gift among the worshippers of mosque, it can attract more them to mosques.
31) Installation of the narrations and the worthy words of our leaders and especially from the Grand Prophet of Islam about Salaat and its rewards in the corridors of schools can make students more familiar with religion and Salaat.
32) Holding the Taklif Ceremony is another way to attract younkers and children to Salaat and worshiping. Taklif ceremony is necessary to be held in families and schools for students.
33) Programming for holding the worshiping celebration for students in mosques and coordination with Imams of mosques for advising students in order to create closeness feeling to mosques in them.
34) Inviting the peers group by younkers could be very effective in attracting the others to mosque and Salaat. If our younkers can do this, it will be very creative.
35) Making our younkers and mosques incense and fragrant could have positive effects on their spiritual education.
36) According to our narrations and worthy words from our grand religious leaders which recommend us to wear our best clothes when we go to mosques, it will be very significant to teach our children and younkers this point.
37) Introducing the jurists and theirs thought to our younkers and encouraging them to choose their jurist and follow him. It is very effective in their spiritual education.
38) Researching about praying by younkers and youth cause to create more notion in them and helps them to move into Salaat and doing their religious tasks. The abstract of the mentioned researches could be given to the interested people in mosques or schools.
39) The cultural related means to mosques such as books, discs, movies and etc should be used by managers of schools and Imams of Jamaah.
40) Holding discussions and free talk meetings for students about philosophy, influences and the secret benefits of Salaat and worshiping by the favourite faces among our younkers and youth.
41) Divulgence of historical stories and events about Salaat by the managers and dins of schools and the Imams of mosques.
42) Describing the ways of more attention to Salaat and praying, especially in youth era by the school managers and Imams of mosques.
43) Participation of Imams in sportive and social activities such as mountain climbing, trips and etc in order to empower the mosque-school relationship.
44) Preparing the books basket about Salaat (by attention to their age) in the various ceremonies and giving gifts to them in mosques
45) Preparing some gifts and giving them to those children who attend mosques
46) Preparing some books about Salaat in order to give to the winners of the religious matches.
47) Evocation of the sweet memories about mosque, Salaat, Jama’ah Salaat, Azaan and etc as a cultural match between younkers could be amazing.
48) Defining some responsibilities for younkers and youth in managing mosque, and giving some responsibilities to students to do as the mosques companions and programming in order to glorify them.