Welcome Message
LNS NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 1 AUTUMN TERM 2014
British Museum
LNS hosted its first careers evening on
Tuesday 4th November for Years 9—
11. The evening commenced with a mo-
tivational talk by Saira Majid (Mosiac
Mentor of the Year 2013), followed by
small group consultations between stu-
dents and different female profession-
als. Students met professionals from a
range of backgrounds (dentistry, coun-
selling, lawyer and so on) and had an
opportunity to discuss routes into the
profession, expected salaries, working
hours etc. The event proved to be very
successful and enlightening for all par-
ticipants.
Jazakallah khair to Ust Poppy for ar-
ranging this event and to all the profes-
sionals who attended.
As part of Art and Design class, ear-
lier this term we organised an inspi-
rational trip for KS3 students to visit
the Islamic World exhibition at the
British Museum in central London.
We spent the day looking at histori-
cal pieces based around Islamic Art
and Design. Year 7 focused on re-
searching the geometric shapes and
patterns in Islamic Design. They also
looked at colours, shapes and de-
signs. The students also completed a
worksheet that was based around
On 11th October in the after-
noon we held an Eid al Adha
party in school. Students
were allowed to come in non
-uniform and many had
bought in snacks for every-
one to share. We ordered
Pizzas for everyone and sang
nasheeds.
Careers Evening
We held our first Meet &
Greet on 1st October at
5:00pm. Mums come to-
gether and socialised over a
cuppa. The Headteacher and
the parent governor Shahida
were both present. The
mums have created a
whatsapp group “Friends of
LNS”. If you are interested in
getting involved or would
like to attend the next Meet
& Greet please email us.
Eid Party
what we saw. Overall it
was an enjoyable and in-
teresting trip. MashAllah
all the students behaved
very well and I had great
support from Ust Doaa and
two parents Veena Lamari
and Shahida who gave up
their time to come along
on the trip.
Ust Nazia
Mothers Meet & Greet
Assalamu alaikum Parents and Friends!
We have had a long and busy first term at LNS. There have been
many new projects and initiatives started this year which would
not have been possible without the support and dedication of the
staff. Jazakallah to all staff and volunteers for your time and effort.
I would also like to give a special thanks to the prefects for the
hard work and commitment they have shown this term!
Inside this issue:
Eid Party 1 British Museum Trip 1 Mothers meet and greet 1 careers evening 1 Pearls of Islam 2 Black History month 2 Coffee republic trip 2 House of Parliament trip 2 Ibadah competition 2 Open Evening 3 Article about Lady Nafisa 3 Natural History Museum 3 Westminster Abbey trip
Prefects 2014—2015 YR 8 - Ariza Motin - Zara Sarwar YR 9 - Athiya Azard - Zaynah Ahmed -Rahima Kooshin YR10 - Haniya zaka -Rahima Bhally - Taiba Naeem Librarians -Aqsa Khan -Rahmaroon
For their topic on franchises, Year 10
business studies class went on a trip to
Coffee Republic, Hounslow. They were
given a 20 minute talk on why the owner
set up this brand of a franchise opposite
the successful brand Costa. They listened
to all the steps involved in making a suc-
cessful franchise from how to undertake
market research to the unique selling
point of the Coffee shop. The girls were
truly inspired and asked many questions.
Coffee republic trip -24/10/14
This term Year 10 learnt about how de-
mocracy works in the UK in Life Skills
lessons and Year 11 were learning about
how the EU is set up and run. Both
classes had an opportunity to visit Parlia-
ment for a thoroughly informative guided
tour. The students visited both chambers
(although were not allowed to sit in any!)
“I found the trip really interesting and
very informative. It was a great oppor-
tunity to actually be able to see inside
the Houses of Parliament” (Year 10
Maryam Saleem)
We would like to welcome many new stu-
dents to LNS. It is lovely to see LNS grow-
ing and our bonds of sisterhood expand-
ing.
Sajida Syeda Asma Abdullahi
Hafsa Adaed Faduma Farah
Asha Mohamed Naima Mohammed
Hafsa Ali Jood Jamjood
Hiba Butt Iman Elmellas
Rahima Kooshin Ayan Shire
Khadeeja Syeda Tahera Syeda
LNS students have been very warm and
welcoming to the new girls and everyone
has settled in well and made friends.
Yr 7 and Yr 9 visited Hounslow Library
on the 15th of October for a talk by
writer Rupert Colley covering various
topics related to Black History. They
were given an insight into American In-
dependence, the slave trade, revolts and
abolition of slavery in the UK and the US.
The talk also covered prominent figures
such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther
King, Malcolm X and Barak Obama.
Black history month-Library Trip
House of ParliamentTour-1/12/14 Netball Competition
LNS took part in their first competitive
netball match against Ayesha Siddiqa
school, Southall on Wednesday 12th No-
vember. Students were highly enthused
from start to finish and were ecstatic with
their win! The final score was 6-5 and
both teams played incredibly well!
Well done Team LNS!!Ust Poppy
Pearl of Islam Visit
New students October is Black History Month and the
Pearls of Islam came to LNS to teach the
students about famous black Muslims,
both historical and current. The stu-
dents learnt about Baraka, Ameena Mat-
thews and other inspiring women. It was
an interesting presentation which ended
with everyone singing nasheeds! We
hope they can come back again soon.
Annual Ibadah competition 2014
This term saw our first LNS Ibadah
competiton to mark the 10 special days
of Dhul-Hijjah. Students formed teams
and undertook a rigourous ibadah
scdule for 7 days, earning points for
tahajjud, nafl prayers, Quran reading
and so on. The winning team (The Mus-
limah Swag) consisted of Musna, Iman,
Rahma,Hibaq and Athiyah have their
name engraved on the LNS shield.
Westminster abbey visit -23/10/14
Natural History Museum/ Ice Skating Trip—9/12/14 We would like to warmly wel-
come Ust. Shebana (Life Skills and Eng-lish Support teacher), Ust Saima (Islamic studies teacher), Ust Khadija (Islamic Studies teacher) Ust Sadia (Admin and ICT teacher) to our team! Sister Fatima (Admin volunteer). We hope you enjoy being part of LNS!
‘I really enjoyed lighting the candle and sitting in the pews where only the choir boys are allowed to sit.’ Tahera Syeda Y11 ‘The building was unique and its history was spectacular.’ Maryam Mohamud Y11
New Staff
Open Evening-11/11/2014
Who was Lady Nafisa - Interesting read
Usually, when western Muslims speak of women and
Islam, we speak of the rights and opportunities Islam
afforded women in the economic, social and political
realms long before similar developments occurred in
Christendom. There is nothing wrong with such a narra-
tive and it helps to normalize Islam to people in the west,
both converts and others who are seeking to better un-
derstand a sometimes controversial world religion.
Hence, we will begin by mentioning some famous Mus-
lim women, whose exploits reflect the lofty social status
Islam afforded to women. The accomplishments of
women among the Companions of the Prophet, in this
regard, are well-known. Khadija’s financial and moral
support to the Prophet and his mission were critical to
the success of the fledgling Muslim community. Aisha’s
learning and leadership gave her a standing in the early
community that rivals that of her male contemporaries.
Umm Salama’s wisdom and decisiveness broke the im-
passe that confronted the believers at Hudaybiya.
Nusayba’s heroic defense of the Prophet, peace upon
him, during the height of the Battle of Uhad, is legendary.
Hafsa, the daughter of Umar bin al-Khattab, at the time of
her father’s death, was entrusted with the protection of
the standardized rendition of the Qur’an, considered by
some to have been the greatest trust ever vouchsafed to
anyone in the history of the Muslim community.
For the end of term trip, KS3 and KS4 went to Natural History Museum for an interesting work-shop related to Science. KS3’s workshop was ti-tled, ‘Colour of Nature’ where students learned about all the different colours we find in nature and why colour is important. They had hands-on activities to do after the talk. After the workshops, everyone took to the ICE! Ust jahanara also joined the students! Despite the knocks and bumps, everyone thor-oughly enjoyed the trip. Jazakallah to all the teachers for taking the stu-dents.
We held our first open evening
of the year which was attended
by numerous families. The eve-
ning started with a presentation
by the Head teacher about LNS
and its vision followed by a Q &
A session. Jazak Allah to Mulki
(Y7) and Hibaq (Y9) who pre-
sented their work to the par-
ents. Prefects led small groups
of parents on a school tour
which included seeing some
experiments in the new Science
lab. Light refreshments were
served in the Main Hall which
were generously prepared by
parents. It was a great opportu-
nity for staff, prospective par-
ents and students to mingle. All
in all a very successful open
evening!
CONTACT DETAILS:
Lady Nafisa
Independent
School for Girls.
Banklabs House,
33 - 41 Cross Lances
Road, Hounslow.
TW3 2AA.
Telephone:
020 8570 0033
Email:
Website:
www.ladynafisa.org
Have you seen our Face-
book page?
It has all the latest informa-
tion and showcases student
work. Take a look and ‘Like’
us!
www.facebook.com
Lady Nafisa School
Other women were known for their great linguistic prowess. In more recent times, we
can mention the example of Aisha Ismat bint Isma’il Taymur, who passed away in
Egypt in 1902. Educated in both the linguistic and religious sciences, she became one
of the leading literary figures of her time. A master of Arabic, Turkish and Persian, she
embodied the Egyptian-Ottoman culture that dominated Egyptian intellectual life
during the latter half of the 19th Century. She published lengthy collections of poetry
in Arabic and Turkish, wrote for many of the leading literary magazines of her day
and was a staunch advocate for female education. Although she was not known for
her religious poetry, she was known to be a woman of great piety.
As Muslims, we cannot limit our appreciation of women to their social, economic and
political accomplishments. Many women throughout the history of our community
are famous for their devotional acts and the high spiritual stations they attained. Ra-
bia al-Adawiyya is well-known in this regard, however, there are many others who
are largely unknown. One such woman is well-known by name, but most Muslims
know very little about her life. She is Sayyida Nafisa. The daughter of al-Hasan bin
Zayd bin al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Talib, she was born in Mecca in 145 AH. She grew up
in Medina, but spent her later years in Egypt where she is buried.
Sayyida Nafisa was a scholar of repute, having memorized the Qur’an and mastered
the exegetical sciences. It is said that Imam al-Shafi’i, whom she greatly respected,
studied hadith with her after his arrival in Egypt. She was most known for her devo-
tion and piety. She fasted perpetually, prayed the entirety of the night, constantly re-
cited the Qur’an and frequently wept out of fear and longing for God. She performed
thirty pilgrimages to Mecca. She was also blessed with considerable wealth and spent
freely on the sick, poor and downtrodden. She was also a financial supporter of Imam
Shafi’i during his time in Egypt.
Sayyida Nafisa was associated with many great blessings. Once, she was left to care
for the invalid daughter of her Christian neighbors who left their house to go to the
marketplace. When she saw the bedridden child she began fervently praying for her
cure. No sooner had she finished her prayer did the young girl regain the use of her
limbs and was able to walk to the door to greet her parents upon their return. The
entire family then became Muslims.
At the end of her life she fell ill. Her attendants beseeched her to cease fasting for the
sake of her health. She replied, “For thirty years I have fasted asking Allah that I meet
Him while I am fasting. Am I to break my fast now [while I am close to the meeting]?
Never!” She recited Sura al-An’am during the still of that night until she reached the
verse, “They will have the Abode of Peace in the presence of their Lord, while He is
their loving protector, because of the righteous deeds they used to do (6:127).” She
then uttered the Testimony of Faith and quietly passed away.
As we celebrate International Women’s day let us celebrate this aspect of femininity.
Islam certainly advocates for a balanced social order where there is space for the con-
tributions of men and women. However, its primary purpose is to prepare human
beings to succeed when we meet our Lord. Ultimately, we are living for the Hereafter,
not this world.
In this regard, as we strive to accomplish the worldly objectives demanded by our
social, economic and political situations, let us never forget that there are overarching
otherworldly objectives that we should never lose sight of. Let us celebrate the likes
of Sayyida Nafisa and other great women who reminded us so powerfully of those
otherworldly objectives. Let us further consider that perhaps the best way we can
celebrate their lives is to aspire to live as they lived.
http://www.newislamicdirections.com
SPRING TERM Important Dates
Tuesday 6th January 2015
- Beginning of Spring Term.
School starts 8:20am
4/02/15 -sponsored walk
12/01-16/01/15– Y11
Mock exams
20/01/15– Y11 Controlled
assessment