Opening the ayah…
يَٰزَكَرِيَّآ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَٰمٍ ٱسْمُهُۥ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّۭا
Yāzakariyyā 'innā nubashshiruka bighulāmin (i)s'muhu yaḥ'yā lam' naj'ʻal llahu min qab'lu samiyyan
(His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Allah gave Zakariya good news of a son named Yahya, a name no one had been given before.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Who chose your name, and what does it mean?"
Al Salam Islamic Center posted ayat 1 to 15 in a two-and-a-half-minute clip. Listen for the name Yahya.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What was the baby's name?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why did Allah Himself choose the name?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Maryam is surah 19. Find ayah 7. Allah answered Zakariya and even chose the name Yahya. No one before had this name. Yahya, peace be upon him, grew up to be a prophet.
Fact: Ask your family what your name means and who chose it.
Ages 5–8: Name card. Make a card with your name and its meaning.
Ages 9–12: Names. Write why names matter.
Finish with: "My name means ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will call others by their names kindly."
Action: Call others by their names kindly.
