Rabiulawal Exhibition 2023 (Northeast)
- November 29, 2023 12:42 am
29 Rabiulawal 1445H
15 October 2023
Alhamdulillah, in the blessed month of Rabiulawal, amidst the busy flurry of events, the Religious and Cultural Subcommittee in Northeast team pulled off a special “Journey with our Beloved (SAW)” Exhibition at Masjid En-Naeem. Charting the prophet’s life from his birth to prophethood and beyond, the exhibition was largely experiential for the students – both young and old. The main objective was for all to reminisce key incidents of Prophet’s life through interactive activities, and understand him better as Prophet and messenger of Allah (SWT). It is hoped to instil a newfound love and appreciation for him. The exhibition was also open to the public masses who came to the mosque. We will like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the mosque management for the opportunity.
Station 1: His Childhood
At the first station, the students were able to experience our dear Rasullah’s childhood, when he was a shepherd. It was an interactive booth where the “shepherd” would guide “sheeps” (blindfolded students) around the obstacles to safety. The value of responsibility was raised through the exercise and the they were encouraged to relate it back to their lives.
Station 2: Being a Young Merchant
At the second station, students got to experience Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s young adulthood when he was a businessman. A shophouse was set up where students got to role-play as the seller and customer. The booth had ‘money’ and items for the students to handle. They learned how Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was a fair trader, earning his nickname Al-Amin from his Sahabahs. A treasure chest filled with gold coins depicted his success with his trades.
Station 3: Hajar Al-Aswad event
The third station featured the Hajar Al-Aswad Ka’bah event. As Prophet Muhammad (SAW) became a young adult, people looked to him for advice as he was fair and bright. The particular incident involving the Hajar Al-Aswad stone was one such beautiful illustration. To portray this incident, the team prepared infographics, miniature Ka’bah and also an interactive exercise involving a big cloth to enact the incident. The students all were able to acquire the knowledge about the event while interacting with the booth which intrigued their curiosity.
Station 4: Prophethood
Station four focused on how he transitioned into Prophethood. There was yet another interactive booth where the students could go into the life-sized Hira cave and explore. They were each given a task to find the “Iqra” scroll. Adjacent to the cave, artworks by fellow peers were showcased on this important event.
Station 5: His First Hijra
The fifth station is where we recognised a pivotal moment in the prophet’s life – his first hijra – a life-sized Thawr cave was set up to tell the story how the Prophet and his best friend Abu Bakr (RA) were protected by Allah (swt)’s grace. A bird’s nest made up of actual twigs and a spider web spun with cotton were seen. Children were able to enter the cave and experience what it might have been like. Alhamdulillah!
Station 6: Hospitality
Lastly of course, with the help of the parents class, we had the hospitality booth. This was where delicious treats were tasted. Grapes, pomegranates, dates, bread and butter chicken gravy were laid out as a spread. Alhamdulillah!
Station 7: Door Gift
“Take a post-it and spread salaam” – as a key takeaway and encouragement, special post-it door gifts were given.
A student’s feedback:
“I feel that this experience was truly enlightening as I never knew the depth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s past. Thank you to everyone who put in their time and hard work for this year’s Rabiulawal exhibition!”
As we conclude, let us recall a hadith said by Abu ad-Darda (r.a.),
“You will never be misguided so long as you follow the footsteps of the Prophet (s.a.w.)”
In Shaa Allah, let us pursue our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.)’s footsteps and grow the love and care we have for him!