Introduction
About the Facilitator
Maha Mohammad Al-Saba‘ A‘een is a Lebanese university student majoring in English Literature at the American University of Science and Technology (AUST, Sidon, Lebanon. Alongside her academic studies, she participates during the summer break in Qur’an memorization circles. She gained practical experience that extended over a full academic semester as a trainee at Al-Iman School in the city of Sidon, an experience she describes as rich in lessons and learning.
Learner Context
This learning journey involved a group of female learners whose ages ranged between seven and thirteen years old. The learners were characterized by being relatively new to the Arabic language and by living away from their home country, Syria. During the learning journey, they were residing in Germany. The number of learners initially started at ten and gradually decreased to five.
Introduction to the Implementation Story
The FIRSTedu-ADLX framework was applied in the context of Qur’an memorization. Due to the previously mentioned challenges including the language barrier, the facilitator couldn’t apply all the five domains. She focused on the 1st two domains of the framework(Focusing on the Learner and Interacting within Positive Group Dynamics Domains), and the main effort was directed toward nurturing the learners’ love for the Qur’an rather than focusing on the number of pages memorized.
Learning Outcomes
Main Learning Outcomes
By the end of this learning journey, every learner was able to:
Attitude Outcomes:
Develop a heartfelt sense of love for the Qur’an.
Skills Outcomes:
Recite and apply basic tajweed while reciting Juz’ ‘Amma.
Knowledge Outcomes:
Memorize Juz’ ‘Amma and recite it from Surah An-Naba’ to the final Surah.
Defining the Implementation Story and the Journey Sequence
On November 20, 2025, one of the Islamic education teachers contacted the facilitator to invite her to participate in an online Qur’an memorization circle for Arab female learners residing in Germany. The objective of the circle was to prepare the learners for participation in the “Qur’anic Day” competition, during which each learner would recite one or more parts of the Qur’an according to her ability. The competition was scheduled one week later, on June 21, and was to be held in one of the mosques in Germany.
Roles were distributed among the facilitation team. The facilitator was responsible for listening to recitation, recording attendance and assignments, and conducting revision sessions twice a week in cooperation with another facilitator. The sessions were held three times a week—on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Although the planned duration for each learning session was one hour, the difficulty of memorization and the learners’ weak Arabic language skills often extended the session to one and a half hours, and sometimes up to two full hours.
The facilitator was assigned a group titled “Juz’ ‘Amma 4,” which was one of several parallel groups. Throughout the year, the general supervisor invited the learners to the mosque for evaluation and delivered reminders about the importance of memorizing the Qur’an and the higher purpose of a Muslim woman. The supervisor clarified that this plan was being implemented for the first time.
Despite intense academic pressure at university, the facilitator remained committed to the circle and did not withdraw. She attempted to apply the FIRSTedu-ADLX framework as much as possible. However, she faced several challenges, including frequent learner absence, reliance on reading from the Qur’an or mobile phones during recitation, lack of commitment to the assigned revision load, and the difficulty of verses combined with weak comprehension due to the language barrier. This resulted in feelings of inability among some learners and led to the withdrawal of others. Parental limited follow-up also played a significant role in delayed memorization, in addition to school assignments and the timing of the session after the school day.
The facilitator proposed several ideas to the supervisor, such as creating a private group for her learners, changing the group’s visual identity, establishing supportive digital platforms, holding a meeting with parents, extending the session duration, and categorizing learners according to their abilities. However, most of these suggestions did not reach the implementation stage due to administrative and organizational constraints.
Applying the FIRST-ADLX Domains
Focusing on the Learner
The facilitator sought to activate this domain by consistently addressing each learner by name and using affectionate titles such as “flowers,” “stars,” and “dear ones,” which enhanced feelings of closeness and safety. She ensured that each learner was given her full time and attention during recitation, adjusted memorization plans to suit individual abilities, and engaged in personal conversations with learners about their daily lives and pressures. In addition, she sent each learner a private voice recording of the surah she was memorizing, recited by the facilitator herself.
Interacting within Positive Group Dynamics
This domain was activated through continuous praise, highlighting improvement and progress, and sending friendly motivational messages to the group. The facilitator offered compliments on the learners’ effort, appearance, smiles, and voices during recitation. She also used emoji reactions on Zoom to encourage participation, promoted a friendly spirit among learners, avoided comparisons, and organized fair competitions to raise morale. Each session began with the phrase “Who will take the initiative?” to foster initiative and engagement.
Reviewing Activities Within the RAR Model
The focus on this domain was limited in this experience.
Sequencing within Learner eXperience
This domain was not clearly applied, as the session mainly consisted of welcoming the learners stage, listening to recitation and direct instruction, and then a closure. However, when learners showed signs of boredom, the facilitator used a simple colors-and-emoji activity (energizer), naming a color and inviting learners to race in sending an emoji of the same color, which helped re-energize the session.
Transforming Learning into Performance
Although the circle did not fully achieve this domain, the facilitator consistently spoke with learners about the beauty of the Qur’an, the importance of maintaining a daily “wird”, and ways to encourage younger siblings to memorize the Qur’an, linking memorization to meaning and value.
Impact and Conclusion
Impact of Applying FIRST-ADLX on the Facilitator
Attempting to apply the FIRSTedu-ADLX framework was a refreshing experience for the facilitator and reshaped her perception of her role. Her motivation and sense of responsibility increased despite the challenges. She recognized the difference between being a teacher and being a facilitator and received positive feedback on her performance. She was also informed that parents appreciated the atmosphere of the circle and the joyful approach she maintained.
The facilitator concluded that a facilitator must face challenges and adapt plans to reality, and that giving up is not an option—especially in Qur’an memorization, where reward is with Allah. She realized the importance of building a relationship with the learner as the foundation of any successful learning journey, maintaining balance between pull and push, avoiding blame or ridicule, and adopting active, deep approaches.
Impact on the Learners
At the beginning of the journey, the learners expressed their appreciation and enjoyment of the circle. However, frequent absence affected the results. Those who continued attending maintained their smiles and felt comfortable during the sessions. Over time, their self-confidence improved, and they began to take initiative and shine in their own ways.
The most evident impact was linked to the application of the Focusing on the Learner and Interacting domains, where encouragement and affectionate titles fostered a sense of safety and openness in sharing school-related experiences.
Impact on the School or Community
Through the facilitator’s school experience, she observed the effect of applying the F and I domains, where positive interaction, building on learners’ answers rather than silencing them, using supportive phrases such as “That is a good question,” and employing encouraging gestures contributed to improved performance, greater love for the subject, and a stronger sense of being valued.
Closing Reflection
At the end, the facilitator extends her sincere gratitude to the facilitators Hanan and Sarah for their patience, support, and encouragement in motivating her to write this impact story. Although she felt that the circle would have achieved better results of she applied the five domains, she thanks Allah for guiding her along this path of da‘wah and for shaping her personal journey with her learners despite its challenges. She dedicates this story to facilitators and teachers of future generations, hoping to be among those who leave a meaningful impact.
Submission Date: June 21, 2025
Note:
The facilitator was also honored with certificates of appreciation, and enthusiasm was expressed for her continued involvement in the circle in the coming year.