Opening the ayah…
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَٰثًۭا وَرِءْيًۭا
Wa kam' 'ah'lak'nā qab'lahum mmin qar'nin hum' 'aḥ'sanu 'athāthan wari''yan
But how many (countless) generations before them have we destroyed, who were even better in equipment and in glitter to the eye?
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
How many earlier nations, richer and finer-looking than them, did Allah destroy?
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "What happened to powerful nations of the past?"
The People of Sunnah has the whole of Maryam by Ali Jaber. Play just the first stretch.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did the earlier nations have more of?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why didn't their riches save them?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Maryam is surah 19. Find ayah 74. Many past nations had great wealth and beauty but were proud. They are gone, and their riches didn't help. Only faith and good deeds last.
Fact: Find an old city mentioned in the Quran, like Iram (Al-Fajr 89:7).
Ages 5–8: Sandcastle. Build a sandcastle and see the water wash it away.
Ages 9–12: Lasting. Write what lasts longer than riches.
Finish with: "I found it in Surah ___, ayah ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will do a deed that lasts, like teaching good."
Action: Do a deed that lasts, like teaching good.
