Opening the ayah…
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍۢ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ ٱجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ ٱلْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍۢ
Wa mathalu kalimatin khabīthatin kashajaratin khabīthatin (u)j'tuththat' min faw'qi l-'ar'ḍi mā lahā min qarārin
And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: It is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth: it has no stability.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
A bad word is like a bad tree that has been pulled up from the ground and has nothing to keep it steady.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "What happens to a plant with no roots?"
The Good Companion posted a short recitation of ayat 24–27 of Ibrahim. Listen to all of it together.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What is a bad word compared to?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why do bad words not last?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Ibrahim is surah 14. Find ayah 26. Bad words like lies, insults and false beliefs have no roots. They fall over easily. Good words grow, but bad words are pulled up and blow away.
Fact: Roots hold soil together and stop it washing away. Find out what happens to soil on a hill with no plants.
Ages 5–8: Roots test. With a grown-up, pull up a weed and look at its roots; compare it to a plant with deep roots.
Ages 9–12: Word swap. Write three unkind words and swap each for a kind one.
Finish with: "Without plants, soil on a hill ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will swap one unkind word for a kind one."
Action: Swap one unkind word for a kind one.
