The Travel Postcards

Port of Tang

gier, Morocco

Assalamualaikum, I am Syamsuddin from Morocco, Let's be fr can share ideas and thoughts together on th I am headed to Mecca for Hajj. I must admit for the first time. Excited, worried, and anx plans, I put my trust in Allah s.w.t. Aftera;ll, H everything. As Rasulullah had said, 'Tie your c I am leaving Tangier, my home. I have painted like the painting? Tangier is located at northw immaculate white houses around the brightly why Tangier is called the White City of Moro Did you know that this place used to be a ho that tangerines got their name from my with you, so take a look at those extra pape Today, I ate swordfish tagine before I set o favourite food? Do write to me at syamsud P/S: A place 370 kilometres away, 885 years old Great Mo

riends. I am starting on my travels, and we his journey. I am sad to be separated from my parents xious, but with the right intention and proper He is Al Wakeel, the Guardian over camel, then put your trust in Allah..\" here for you the port of Tangier. Do you western Morocco. Can you see the coloured fishing boats ? This is occo. ome for SPIES ? Did you also know y home, Tangier? I have so much to share ers I have included. off. It is a famous dish here. What is your [email protected]. osque calling me, guess where is my first stop?

MOROCCO FACT FILE haMsoirtocacllo! The Sea, The Mountains, The Desert Tangier geography Morocco is located in the northwest corner of Africa. Morocco It is surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. There is the Sahara desert, the largest hot desert in the world, in the far south of Morocco. There are also the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Isn't it just amazing how Allah has created a mountain range at the edge of the largest hot desert in the world? This world which He has made for us is truly a wondrous place! Life at morocco Most large mammals have disappeared due to overhunting and climate change, due to man's actions endangered the barbary lion animals Because the Barbary Lion is just so Barbary Macaque majestic, it is made the official national Cuvier's Gazelle animal of Morocco. Can you still find it in the wild in the Atlas Mountains? Sadly, why no. These beatiful animals have gone extinct in the wild due to overhunting. Overhunting Too much deforestation As His Khalifah, it is our job to be fair to all of how to help? Allah's creations. 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

THE ALSO KNOWN AS RUB'UL HIZB ISLAMIC ‫رﺑﻊ اﻟﺤﺰب‬ STAR Did you know that the Islamic star is made of two overlapping squares, in the shape of an octagon? 8-pointed star Wfinhdertehitso Flag of fmtvpioInetaorQdermiinsYsnauyeiaotnurdesaokus1deienfanhjdtnutsaaihottzdtvnaeueoehdrmkasid.zitscesnaeTbiyovmhrey.iusfidoonOosnyerurittpiosrhzuuheueiuQspsons.ctwue8toatrh-dhaneen. Morocco SoiMtinsnnhtgalehayeanr8Osryp-fiNpocnlarooEetguihncn.hetotHeairruidosenfw5ltssarteyusgavtssrhaee.airrns,s Of Stars The Islamic Star her flag now. and Flags was used as the Flag of Morocco GthUisEmiSsy.SInwwehixliltctlheecltltoeyuorn!utriyn in year 1248 until 1666. Naorewd, tfhieeldflawgitohfaMgorreoecncfoivies pointed star Geometric Shapes In Islamic art, we use geometric patterns, such as squares, stars, circles. We do not use Have you ever seen a picture of the figures of Petronas Twin Towers in KL, taken people or from above? You will see each humans. This is tower shaped in an 8-pointed star. why you don't see figures of friday Look around you, and see if It is living things in you can spot such designs on everywhere our mosques. carpets, buildings, ! ornaments.

How to Make A BOAT Build the port of Tangier right in your bathroom with these paper boats. How fun it will be to make an origami boat so easily and float it! Use a rectangular Fold in half piece of paper. Fold downwards. in half, then open. 2 1 Fold corners Fold uppermost into centre layer upwards. Do the same to line. the back. 3 4 Continue on the next page...

Pull the sides Fold front layer out and flatten. up to top. Do the same to 5 6 the back. Pull the sides outwards and Gently pull the top parts of the model flatten outwards, making a 7 boat shape. Flatten well to 8 crease all folds Open out 9 slightly, forming a boat shape 10



HOW TO BREAK THE CODE Tangier used to 1.There is a secret message in this Ali, letter. Heads up. To nice, and so 2.To decode , write down the third turned in an letter in the first word and then the piece of wor third letter after every punctuation teacher, is a mark. The punctuation marks in the letter are the comma (,) and the full general I d stop(.). My neighb 3. The third letter in the first word has _ _TTHHEE MMEESSSS been written out for you. I IS SPYING ALLOWED IN ISLAM? In a war, spying is allowed. This tactic was used by the Prophet during the battles he fought. Spying is a method to get information about the enemies. This will help in winning a war. Can you spy on other Muslims' private lives? No, that is haraam.

o be a safe place for international spies omorrow I will be having a test. Teachers are are the other students. About two weeks ago, I n assignment. My belief is that it is the best rk I have ever written. Malik, my English an excellent teacher and I enjoy his class. In do better in language classes. I better end now. bour is knocking on my door now. Until later. - Me _ _SAAGGEE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ !

Great Mosque of Tlemcen, Algeria



Tlemcen is in northern Algeria. I am sitting in an amazing building here, which I have painted for you. Hope you can see a little of the beautiful Moorish architecture here. This is The Great Mosque of Tlemcen. It was built almost 900 years ago! Imagine you are a builder of a mosque which has Muslims praying in it for almost 900 years. I hope we will also get the chance to make something which can last for hundreds of years, so that we get many bonus rewards even after we die. I will end here now. Do write to me at [email protected]. Another 500 km eastwards. Where the Mountains peak. Where is my second stop?

Assalamualaikum my friend, How have you been? It has been a few weeks of journey. I am finally stopping for a rest at Tlemcen, Algeria I wish I can stay a bit longer here, but there is a travelling group which I can join. They are leaving in a few days' time, so I must leave together with them. Although I left Tangier alone, I must find companions soon. As the Prophet had said, \"If the people knew what I know about traveling alone, then nobody would travel alone at night.\" I have performed Solat Istikharah to decide if I should follow this group. I don't know what lies ahead. Since I have done my istikharah, I shall put my trust in Allah s.w.t. He is my Guardian and the One who keeps me safe.

ALGERIA KNOWN AS ‫اﻟﺠﺰاﺋﺮ‬, ALGER LA BLANCHE ‫( اﻟﺠﺰاﺋﺮ‬Aljazair): In Arabic, it means 'The Islands'. There used to be several islands near the bay, which are now already connected to the shore. Algérie la blanche: In French, it means Algiers the White. Look at the picture above: the whitewashed buildings can be seen almost rising from the sea. TLEMCEN Algeria has a very rich history. For more than 300 years, it was under the Ottoman rule. Then, the French colonized Algeria for more than 100 years. FREEDOMAlgeria gained in 1962. The flag of Algeria has two Algerians celebrate the equal bars, green and white. Independence Day with The crescent moon and the MAP OF ALGERIA flag hoisting, parades five-pointed star are a symbol and concerts. of Islam. Algeria is also known as the HAVE YOU FOUND OUT WHICH COUNTRY HAS Country of A AN EIGHT-POINTED STAR IN ITS FLAG? LOOK Million Martyrs AT AZERBAIJAN! What is a martyr? A martyr is someone who faces pain and suffering ‫ﺷﻬﻴﺪ‬ and ends up losing his life while working hard for Martyrhood Allah's sake. In Islam, martyrs or syuhada are those who Why does Algeria have many martyrs? die while fighting in the path of Allah. In fighting for independence from the French, many Muslims who die due to a pandemic, or from lost their lives in the Algerian War. They were childbirth/pregnancy, from a fire, or from martyrs because they fought for their homeland. drowning - Rasulullah said that these people die as syahid. What is special about dying as a syahid? Guaranteed jannah (paradise) Saved from punishment in the grave Wear a crown

THE SAHARA THE FENNEC FOX TIMGAD, A UNESCO DESERT COVERS IS THE OFFICIAL SITE, WAS BUILT ALMOST 2,000 MOST OF ANIMAL OF YEARS AGO! ALGERIA. ALGERIA YET ALLAH SUCH LARGE EARS YOU SAFE FROM GIVES SO MUCH HAVE! ALL THE BETTER EARTHQUAKES TO KEEP COOL AT THE AND BURIED IN THE OIL AND GAS SAHARA DESERT = TO THE PEOPLE SAHARA DESERT! WELL PRESERVED SNOW FELL ON THE SAHARA DESERT IN 2018 You could Raenaddw,ayilmol ubaezQeudaewn!sdtililoymnloe,ouarren! build me here in 2018! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ALLAH DJAMAA EL I DID NOT DJAZAÏR KNOW THAT! MOSQUE HAS THE TALLEST MINARET IN THE WORLD 3RD LARGEST MOSQUE IN THE WORLD

Courtyards in Traditional Mosques FEATURES A courtyard has the following features: 1 A large central area in a mosque which has traditional Muslim architecture 2 Surrounded by a passageway on all four sides 3 Passageway is made of arches You might be wondering, “What is the purpose of leaving such a large area in the middle of the mosque?” Well, the courtyards were built for following reasons: 1. For Performing Wudhu (Ablution) 2. For large crowds A fountain is built in the middle of the courtyard Having large open space allows more people to for people to perform Wudhu before solat. People offer solat in proper rows (soff). can use the fountain to drink too. Don’t you think it will be so much fun to run around in such courtyards, without disturbing those who are praying inside the mosque? Still, even if there is no courtyard, we must enjoy going to the mosque, because Rasulullah S.A.W. said, “The most beloved of places to Allah are the mosques…” FUN FACT! Can you guess which mosque has the largest courtyard in the world? The Badshahi Mosque in Pakistan has the largest courtyard among all the mosques in the world. Do you know that the courtyard can fit 100,000 worshippers during Eid prayers? Isn’t that AMAZING? Can you spot the fountain located in the courtyard?

What is Moorish Architecture? Moorish architecture is a special mix of different types of architectural styles. The Muslims from North Africa and Syria were very creative. They were the ones who put together different types of art e.g, Arabic words written beautifully, with plant motives. No animal or human figures were used, as Islam does not allow that. Being creative does not mean that you have to make something entirely new. It can also be a mixture of different ideas put together. Can you think of something creative you have seen lately? Anyone thinking of Nasi Lemak Burger? How do we know if it is Moorish Architecture? Look out for these elements in a building, Pillars Horseshoe arches Domes Beautiful plaster work Large Open Courtyards GREAT MOSQUE OF TLEMCEN Top Moorish Architectural sites. The Great Mosque of Tlemcen in Algeria was built in 1. Mezquita -Cordoba, Spain Moorish architecture. This exceptional building has been standing and used as a mosque for almost 2. Alhambra - Andalusia, Spain ONE THOUSAND YEARS (WOW!). It was built by Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin. Imagine how many rewards 3. Castle of Gormaz -Gormaz,Spain he has collected all this while even after he has passed away. What good thing would you like to 4. Kutubiyya Mosque -Morocco leave behind for people? 5 Can you find horseshoe arches, pillars and domes in 5. Bahia Palace -Marrakesh, Morocco the picture of the Great Tlemcen Mosque below? 6.Almohad Kasba Mosque- Morocco Try to spot Moorish architectural elements in these buildings when you get a chance to visit one.

Mount Zacc

car, Algeria

Assalamualaikum my friend, How have you been? Much has happened thes I'm glad I did the Solat Istikharah. My travel co Tauhid (theologist). I call him Zubaydi. Another much from them while we travelled. Hopefully knowledgable as them too. Something tragic happened when we arrived fell ill. We stayed for almost 2 wee When we finally moved on, the Qadi started f So, Zubaydi went back to Miliana to attend to be accepted by Allah s.w.t and count as his go I am sad, because I really enjoyed their compa continue my journey. I am now travelling with for you a view of Mount Zaccar near Milian that mountains look blue in the distance? I won My plan is to go to Algiers and wait there for challenging travel when we go down the slope Do write to me at [email protected]

se past few weeks. ompanions were great. One was an expert in was a Qadi (judge). I got to learn so y, one day I can be as at a small town called Miliana. Both of them eks to wait for them to get better. feeling ill again. As Allah willed, he passed away. o the funeral. May his work of being a judge ood deeds. any. However, I must move forward and a group of merchants. I managed to draw na. It was beautiful. Don't you think it's amazing nder why... r Zubaydi. It will be a es of the Zaccar mountain. com. Till then...

MLWOOOUHKNYTBTALHUIENES AND WHY THE SKY LOOKS BLUE A COLOURFUL WORLD Allah created the world in vibrant colours. Allah also made our eyes able to see many more colours than animals such as rabbits, cats, fish. Allah tells us in the Quran: And (He subjected) for you whatever He has created on earth of varying colours. Surely in this is a sign for those who are mindful. - Surah An-Nahl verse 13 IS WHITE REALLY WHITE? White light is not actually white! It is made up of many colours such as red, green, yellow and BLUE. BLUE LIGHT = SHORT WAVELENGTH DIFFERENT AIR PARTICLES COLOURS HAVE DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS Blue light has a short wavelength. Because of this, it easily bumps into particles in the air, and gets scattered everywhere. Other colours eg red, yellow and green, have longer wavelengths, can easily 'avoid' the air particles and don't get scattered. This is why we see the sky as blue, and distant mountains as blue too. We are seeing the blue light that is scattered. The further the mountains, the more blue the mountains appear

SOLAT ‫ اﻟﺼﻼة‬1 Why is it important? Why is solat so special? SOLAT is the way we talk to Did you know that all other Allah. It is how we remember commands such as fasting and giving zakat, were given Allah. to our Prophet through the angel Jibreel a.s., but Solat is By remembering Allah, we will so special that our Prophet went up to the Arasy (above stay away from bad things the heavens) to receive the command from Allah s.w.t. and doing bad actions. directly? Thyoeuremaurest5dporaeyveerrsydthaayt. Allah s.w.t. is MOST pSoitsiTtiaown abrerfuoqreinstahleamfinal GENEROUS. He reduced 50 times solat a day to only 5 times a day, and He STILL gives 50 rewards! RTKoe-i-tnWmcaWg-ouKlIvsikednane,ahattrdurdohbaoecaeuTlnedrhh'araiter!hnefocKctrliiogontngeheoto:sf fand

SOLAT ISTIKHARAH 2 TO DECIDE Have you ever faced a decision which is very difficult to make? Sometimes two choices seem equally good and we cannot decide. The more we ask people for advice, the more confused we get. So what should we do? Allah has given us a powerful tool to ask for Allah’s guidance. That tool is Solat Istikharah. Dua after solat istikharaeAdhxAAleSalsacfcokthyitplesAolaAeyiriultosollmrsawwnl2pMahatahlrhhtelrkuowHoaoaaesfstaipkttolomttlomuarihinssKtsaaetw,ththArnktgrhbeesoleeooeenliar.awwisgotrhadttod.tidhydnrtHveuaoeghidnseccnue.tieydlosHiot.odnihovbeuTuHeenhireaskt.iehsmrnA?ntbeithgo,saefohkprwolstoutrestwtoy.ou. ‫َو ِإ َﻓ ِْﺈناﻧﱠﻟاﻠﱠُﻛَﻟ ُْﻨﻚﻬﻠﱠ ﱠَُﺗَوﻬﻢ َا ْﱠﻘﺖِإﻢَْﻗﻓ ِﺪﺎِْﺗإَُﺪنﻧُْرﱢْﻗْرﻌ ُﻠﻛَُﺪَﻲوﻟَِْﻓﻨُْرﻢﺎأَﻻََُهَوﻲْأََأَْأَﻟِﺖاﺳﺻِﻓﱠَِْْوﻟﻗﻓْنَﺘﺮﺳِﺗََﻲِﻣﺄْﺪَﻲﻓﺨَِْﻲﻟﺨَﻌُﻫُرَْﻴﻌَُﻪﻠوﻴَ َﺎَﻋََﺬََﺮﻳَوﻋُﺮَُواﺎﻢﻚَﺎَِﻋﺗَﻋﱢِﺷَاأﻨﱢﺟََِﺣﺎﺴِْﺟكﻌﻣْﻴِْﺮﱠﻗﻷﻠََِﻲنﺑﻲِﻞَُِْﺒْهﻞُﻦﻣﻢُِِأَﻌَﺔوَﻟَأَِﺮوﻫَﺚْﻠَْاﻓََْﻣوأﻋَﻣَِﺬْﺎْﻲﻤَﺮْﻛَِاﺮﻣِﻻَﺷﺎِﻗﺻﻀﺛُاﺮَِﺮأَﺒﱞيِﻠَﺮَِﻚيﱠنْﻢِﻷْﻋﻟَِﺔﻓيََوْﻠَََﺛُِوﻨﺑوَﻣآﻚأَأآﺎَُﻲﱠﻢَْﺮﻢِاﻣِرﺟِْﻲﺟﻟْ ِﻠِأﺳﺮﻓََِِﻠوََْْﺧَِرﻌﺘَأﻪَﻋِكْﻪﻧْﻴْْﻲيﻨﻘِِﻟِﻈﺮٌ ُﺿِﻪﺪَِﻴدِﻟﻨِﺖُرﻲﻳِﻢ ِﻨﻲﻲََِﻓﻋكﻴﺑِﻲِﻓﻼﱠﺑِِِﻪﻪ َُموُﻘﻲ َاْﻣﺪﻟِْدََرﻌ ُﻳﺗﻐِﺎ ِﻨُﻴ َِﺷﻮﻚﻲ ِﻲب‬ WHICH SCHOOL TO GO TO? The one The one which doesn't give much which has homework nice and comfortable uniform

WHEN A MUSLIM PASSES AWAY A STEP-BY-STEP LOOK ON WHAT MUST BE DONE EVERY LIVING THING DIES All living things will die one day. Plants, trees, animals, and humans. Only Allah is Ever-Living. One of His Beautiful Names is Al-Hayy, which means He has a continuous life, with no beginning or end. This is why we must always depend on Allah s.w.t. The One who will never die. He is always there. Allah is enough for you, when you are feeling sad, worried, embarrassed. He will always be there for you. FUNERAL RITES When a Muslim dies, we must do the following for him: Wash the body Wrap the body with a burial shroud Perform the solat janazah Bury the body The solat janazah is a special type of prayer. It is really simple to do and Rasulullah said you will get a huge mountain of rewards. Shall we learn how to do it? SOLAT JANAZAH WHEN YOU HEAR THE NEWS AND YOU CANNOT VISIT 1. Do takbiratul ihram as usual with the intention to do solat janazah Say Innalillah wa inna ilaihi rajiun 2. Do the first takbir, then recite Al Fatihah Say the dua to ask for Allah's mercy and 3. Do the second takbir, then recite selawat on the Prophet 4. Do the third takbir, then recite Allahummaghfirlahu warhamhu. forgiveness for the one who has passed This is to pray to Allah and ask for His mercy and forgiveness for away the one who has passed away 5. Do the last takbir, then end the solat by making salaam as usual ‫اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ا ْﻏ ِﻔ ْﺮ ﻟَ ُﻪ َوا ْر َﺣ ْﻤ ُﻪ َو َﻋﺎ ِﻓ ِﻪ َوا ْﻋ ُﻒ َﻋ ْﻨ ُﻪ‬ There is no sujud or ruku' in a solat janazah.

FIND YOUR WAY It is important to learn how to make good decisions. We must ask Allah to help us make good decisions because He is the All-Knowing. You did it! This looks hard. End Start Please pick up the strawberry along the way! When you cannot make a decision, what should you do? Solat Istikharah, and dua to Allah. You will find your way.

Let's continue to break the code This puzzle is a word search puzzle that has a hidden message in it. 1) Find all the words in the list. 2) Once you find all the words, copy the unused letters starting from the top left corner to the right to reveal the hidden message. 3) The first and last letters have been written for you. top left LIST corner Alligator Bear Elephant Frog Giraffe Goat Lion Meerkat Monkey Panda Penguin PolarBear Stork Tiger Toad G E