Opening the ayah…
قَٰلَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا ۖ لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Qāla 'in llabith'tum' 'illā qalīlan . llaw' 'annakum' kuntum' taʻ'lamūna
He will say: "Ye stayed not but a little,- if ye had only known!
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Allah says they stayed only a little while, if only they had known.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "If you knew time was short, what would you do first?"
Faraz Ahmad recites the last four ayat of this surah, repeated, on his channel. Play it together.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What does Allah say about their stay?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What if I had known how short life is?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Mu'minun is surah 23. Find ayah 114. Life is short compared with the next life. 'If only you had known' invites us to know now.
Fact: How long does an ice cube take to melt at room temperature?
Ages 5–8: Melting ice. Watch an ice cube melt and time it.
Ages 9–12: If only I knew. Write what you'd do differently knowing life is short.
Finish with: "My ice melted in ___ minutes."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will do the most important thing first each day."
Action: Do the most important thing first each day.
