فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ
How to read it
Fajaʻalahum' kaʻaṣ'fin mma''kūlin
Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Opening the ayah…
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍۢ مَّأْكُولٍۭ
Fajaʻalahum' kaʻaṣ'fin mma''kūlin
Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
The last ayah of Surah Al-Fil tells us that Allah left the army like a field of straw that has been eaten up.
Start with bismillah.
Show a picture of a field after harvest, with only short stalks left. Ask: "What happened to all the tall plants? Where did they go?"
Watch the BBC Earth video of a swarm of locusts eating its way through fields.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did the army end up like?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How can something so strong end up so weak?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Fil is surah 105. Find ayah 5, the last one. Read all five ayat in the translation. How does the story begin and how does it end?
Fact: How much food can a swarm of locusts eat in one day?
Ages 5–8: Before and after. Fold a paper in half. Draw a tall green field on one side and an eaten field on the other.
Ages 9–12: Story map. Draw five boxes, one for each ayah of Surah Al-Fil. In each box, write one sentence about what that ayah says, in your own words.
Finish with: "I found that Surah Al-Fil begins with ___ and ends with ___."

Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, when I feel proud or bossy, I will remember ___ and ___."
Action: Give your plan a go every day this week.
