Opening the ayah…
وَحِيلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ كَمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِم مِّن قَبْلُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ فِى شَكٍّۢ مُّرِيبٍۭ
Wa ḥīla bay'nahum' wabay'na mā yash'tahūna kamā fuʻila bi'ash'yāʻihim mmin qab'lu . 'innahum' kānū fī shakkin mmurībin
And between them and their desires, is placed a barrier, as was done in the past with their partisans: for they were indeed in suspicious (disquieting) doubt.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
A barrier will stand between them and what they long for, as happened to others before them who lived in doubt.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "What do you most want in life?"
Watch the Yaqeen Institute video Overcoming Desires and Difficulties with Omar Suleiman. Play the first few minutes.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What is placed between them and their desires?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How can I want the right things?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Saba is surah 34. Find ayah 54. The key word hil means a barrier is placed. Those who doubted all their lives will be cut off from what they long for. The surah ends by inviting us to replace doubt with certainty and to want what Allah loves. Surah Saba began with praise and ends with a call to think before it is too late.
Fact: How many prophets are named in Surah Saba?
Ages 5–8: Wish tree. Draw a tree and hang wishes that Allah would love on its branches.
Ages 9–12: Surah map. Draw a map of Surah Saba's main stories: Dawud, Sulaiman, the gardens of Saba and the warnings.
Finish with: "I found that Surah Saba names ___ prophets."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will make dua to want what Allah loves."
Action: Make dua to want what Allah loves.
