Opening the ayah…
قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ لَوْلَا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
Qāla yāqaw'mi lima tas'taʻ'jilūna bi ssayyi'ati qab'la l-ḥassanati . law'lā tas'tagh'firūna -llaha laʻallakum' tur'ḥamūna
He said: "O my people! why ask ye to hasten on the evil in preference to the good? If only ye ask Allah for forgiveness, ye may hope to receive mercy.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Salih asked his people why they hurried towards bad instead of good, and said asking Allah's forgiveness could bring them mercy.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Why do people sometimes choose the bad thing first?"
Saad Al-Ghamdi's An-Naml with tajweed colours is on the Al Quran channel.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did Salih advise?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How does istighfar bring mercy?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah An-Naml is surah 27. Find ayah 46. The key word tasta'jilun means you hurry for. Thamud challenged Salih to bring punishment quickly, instead of asking for good. Salih showed them a better path: say astaghfirullah and receive mercy.
Fact: Which surah's ayah 10 has Nuh tell his people to seek forgiveness so that rain would come?
Ages 5–8: Good first. Sort choices into 'good first' and 'bad first'.
Ages 9–12: Istighfar benefits. List blessings the Quran links to seeking forgiveness.
Finish with: "I found it in Surah ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will say astaghfirullah ten times each day."
Action: Say astaghfirullah ten times each day.
