Opening the ayah…
وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍۢ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًۭا
Wa labithū fī kah'fihim' thalātha mi'atin sinīna wa-z'dādū tis'ʻan
So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more)
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
The youths remained asleep there for three hundred years, plus nine.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "How old would you be after 309 years?"
Hear the opening minutes of Al-Kahf in Abu Bakr Ash-Shatri's voice, from دار البلاغ Daralbalagh.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "How many years did they stay?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why 'three hundred and nine'?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Kahf is surah 18. Find ayah 25. A sign to ponder: some scholars note that 300 solar years are about 309 lunar years, because the lunar year is about eleven days shorter. Allah knows best.
Fact: How many days are in a lunar year and a solar year? Find the difference.
Ages 5–8: Birthday maths. Work out how many birthdays 309 years would be.
Ages 9–12: Two calendars. Write about the solar and lunar calendars.
Finish with: "I found a lunar year is ___ days and a solar year ___ days."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will learn the Islamic month we are in now."
Action: Learn the Islamic month we are in now.
