There are a multitude of Quran classes going on these days. If you are one of those who would like to initiate one among your social circle, here are five tips you might find handy:
Etiquette of Invitation
Whether you are inviting via telephone or in-person, do ensure that you simply clarify the date, day, time and venue – and leave it at that. Many a times, well-meaning ladies ask directly whether the invitee would come or not – and they do not take no for an answer. Understand that your invitee might need to make a few adjustments in terms of baby-sitting, care of elderly parents or parents-in-law etc. before she steps out. Your persistence will do nothing but put off your invitees. Of course, after one invitation, you can send a mass SMS on the eve of the event as a reminder.
Play space needed
There are many mothers who do not want to miss out on a good Quran class. Hence, they take along their kids with them – and plop them in front of the host’s television. It is a sorry sight to see mothers studying the Quran in one room and children watching television without any supervision in the other. Set up a small space in the same room or an adjacent one with toys, books and small snacks that can keep the young ones busy. This is an ideal time for one of the participants to narrate a story from the Quran to them as well.
One-dish, please
Ideally, Quran classes need not have a tea towards the end. However, if you would like to have a small, informal session over tea, try to make it a one-dish. It can take a very heavy toll on one’s budget to have tea parties with snacks every week. Request every invitee to bring along a small snack that will not create too much of a mess. If you are a participant, offer to help with the serving and the cleaning up.
Do not linger
Once the session is over, leave. Do not hang around, waiting for your host or the lady who has conducted the session to be free so that you may have a friendly chat with her or discuss some personal problem. Understand that she may have other commitments as well. If you do have something important to discuss individually, take some time from her and set up an appointment for a later date.
Realistic “home” work
Some Quran circles give homework – this is perfectly alright but this work must be along practical lines. If memorisation of a short Surah is being given as homework, then further reading from Seerah and Fiqh books must be designated for later weeks. Also, do not be too rigid about the homework – it is understandable that some will be able to do it, and others will not. Making it a true “classroom” scenario will only be counter-productive.
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