KULLIYYAH OF EDUCATION

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GOOGLE FORM FOR REGISTRATION:

https://forms.gle/itFGzuodXc1UV6Qf6

ADAB VIDEO PROJECT FOR A SEJAHTERA COMMUNITY: 
THE NARRATIVE

1) Meaning and Importance of Adab
It was reported that the wise mother of Imam Malik bin Anas (711 – 795 A.D) used to dress him up before his lessons and tell him this: “Go to Shaykh Rabi’ah and learn from his manners (first) before his knowledge.”

Imam Zakariya al-Anbari, a leading 15th century Muslim scholar from Egypt, once said: 
“Knowledge without adab is like fire without wood, and adab without knowledge is like a spirit without a body.”
“…one of the keys to purifying the heart is to adorn oneself with good morals [and good adab…]” These were the words uttered by Ayaz Siddiqui, a Muslim writer and scholar in the making.
Such is the importance of adab in our entire corpus of knowledge, development, and civilization as a Muslim society. Without adab, the Muslim ummah and the Muslim soul become spiritually dented and deficient.

But what is adab, you might ask? 

Adab is an act or behaviour of showing respect to others. It goes beyond mere greetings given to friends and strangers in the hallways, across the room, by the elevators, in the classroom, at the canteen, or in the library. It encompasses all the good things that we Muslims must do, like holding the door for someone to enter, slowing down our cars for pedestrians to cross, not using offensive words when speaking, asking for permission to use someone else’s belongings, keeping good care of university facilities, not interjecting while others are talking, doing enough reading before coming to class, not posting messages in upper caps, not engaging in cyberbullying, paying attention and participating in class, and finishing a task after starting it. These are just some practical examples and indicators of good adab. There is, in fact, a huge range of acts and behaviours that demonstrate what good adab is.    

Adab comprises not just good character and manners, but also positive feelings, that are the fruit of spiritual culture (R.A. Nicholson, 1868-1945). As such, it has an inner aspect to it (i.e., feelings) that is reflected outwardly through good character and manners (the outer aspects). Adab is very closely connected to our akhlāq. It is the product of spiritual cultivation that manifests itself in respect or reverence shown towards oneself and others, self-control or self-discipline, self-correction, refined manners and ways of thinking and doing, erudition and service, spiritual comportment, propriety and correct behaviour. In essence, adab includes all that is good—every noble characteristic, act, habit, or trait. 

In the Malay language, the essence of adab is better elucidated in words such as sopan santun, kesusilaan, hormat menghormati and perilaku. Whether we live in an Islamic society or in a plural society like Malaysia, showing proper adab is clearly demanded of each one of us as stipulated in one principle of our Rukun Negara, that is, “Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan”. So each Malaysian in our society is expected to understand, embrace, carry and uphold this virtue.  

2) The Erosion of Adab from Our Society: What Do We do About It?
Are you one of those people who feel disturbed when you see the absence of proper adab in your social environment? Do you get a little angry when you see someone throwing out a cigarette butt or other pieces of garbage from their car window as they drive by? Do you feel a bit upset that people no longer thank others for the services received, or use the words “please” or “may” when requesting for something? Are you perturbed by the fact that people cut queues without regard for others and no longer stand in line and wait patiently for their turns? Do you find it sad that students no longer greet their teachers or lecturers outside of the classroom? Do you feel uneasy when your classmates talk loudly and noisily in the classroom while waiting for the lecturer to arrive? And when the lecturer arrives and gives salam, yet nobody answers? 

Do these questions often linger in your mind: "What is happening to our society? Where are our manners? What happens to respect and good akhlaq? Where is our adab that used to be our pride?”   

Amid these moral concerns, the thriving question is, “How can we bring adab back into the moral fabric of our society? How can we make others see how adab defines us, how it beautifies our lives, and how it makes our existence meaningful?”

For us to achieve harmony and sejahtera (well-being) in our society, bringing back the sprit of adab in every individual member is imperative, especially among young persons, who are critical agents of the sejahtera society movement. We must bring the young generation back to the proper understanding of adab and its importance, and we must do it effectively in spite of the challenges inherent the present era.
So this Adab project is an effort towards this objective.
 
3) Aim of the Adab Video Project
If you are a young person concerned about the erosion of adab from our society, then this project is for you!
This video project aims at gathering the perspectives of our young adults/students, such as yourself, on what they understand about adab—that is, their perceptions and interpretations of it—through a short video presentation that is entered into this competition.
Our ultimate goal in organizing this competition is to create a greater awareness of adab, its importance and myriad manifestations among young members of our society, given the overwhelming concern that adab and good akhlaq are sadly diluting and being neglected in Muslim societies all over the world. 

As educationists, we hope to understand your perspectives and worldviews of adab so we can make well-informed decisions and systematic plans in our current education and curricula so that they are more effective in cultivating the necessary values that will help build personalities and individuals with good adab.

4) Components of the Adab Video  

A. Content---the content may contain/include the following:

•  Students’ perspectives and understanding of adab, and how it may be demonstrated or practiced in different aspects of their lives;
•  A comparison of adab across cultures and religions;
•  A demonstration of how adab can be taught to young children or young adults;
•  A contrastive analysis of good and poor adab;
•  An interpretation of a Qur’anic or Prophetic teaching on adab;
•  Anything at all related to adab and its inculcation in formal or informal settings.

B. Length---about 2 minutes

C. Format 

•  Motion graphics
•  Live action
•  Animation

5) Prizes

•  1st Prize ---- RM 1500.00 
•  2nd Prize --- RM RM750.00 
•  3rd  Prize --- RM 500.00 
•  Seven Consolation Prizes (RM 300.00 per video)

6) Notes to Interested Participants
We are looking for winners with a zest for the education of adab for our youths—those who do not just champion the importance of adab through this competition, but who will later work with us to bring adab back into the moral fabric of our society. 
We hope to bring the ideas and messages from your videos to a greater height in an effort to create awareness and educate our young generation about adab.
May this effort be accepted as part of our contribution to rebuilding our society on a fine moral foundation, and more importantly, may it be accepted by Allah (S.W.T) as part of our worship of Him.

7) Video Submission
The videos are to be submitted via a Google Form. The submission should come complete with a video description, stating clearly its content and objectives.

8) Criteria of Evaluation
SUBJECT MATTER

• the ‘adab’ theme is well-addressed
• content is accurate and relevant 

STORYTELLING

• idea depicted compelling
• evokes viewer imagination
• attention to detail

STYLE

• evidence of personal originality
• technique of presentation

IMPACT

• able to evoke emotion
• engages viewers
• increases viewer motivation

AUDIO/VISUAL/TECHNICALITY

• Production
• Focus
• Lighting
• background 
• audio
• music

CREATIVITY

• able to convey idea/message/thought in an original and imaginative way

OVERALL QUALITY

• stands on its own with a full, complete story
• has a ‘wow factor’ effect

GOOGLE FORM FOR REGISTRATION:

https://forms.gle/itFGzuodXc1UV6Qf6