Opening the ayah…
أَلَّا تَعْلُوا۟ عَلَىَّ وَأْتُونِى مُسْلِمِينَ
'Allā taʻ'lū ʻalayya wa''tūnī mus'limīna
"'Be ye not arrogant against me, but come to me in submission (to the true Religion).'"
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
The letter told them not to act proudly against Sulayman but to come to him submitting to Allah.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "How short can an important message be?"
Follow the English beneath Al-Minshawi's voice in the SimpleQuran video.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did the letter ask?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why was the letter so short?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah An-Naml is surah 27. Find ayah 31. The key words alla ta'lu 'alayya mean do not rise up against me. Sulayman's letter was short and clear: drop pride and submit to Allah. Short messages can be powerful. The real request was to turn to Allah.
Fact: Which surah says, in ayah 23 of Al-Hadid, that Allah does not love the proud boaster?
Ages 5–8: Short message. Write a kind message in just five words.
Ages 9–12: Clear and short. Rewrite a long message in one clear sentence.
Finish with: "I found it in Surah ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will say what I mean kindly and briefly."
Action: Say what you mean kindly and briefly.
