Opening the ayah…
وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَآءَهَا ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
Wa -ḍ'rib' lahum mmathalan 'aṣ'ḥāba l-qar'yati 'idh' jā'ahā l-mur'salūna
Set forth to them, by way of a parable, the (story of) the Companions of the City. Behold!, there came messengers to it.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Allah tells the Prophet to share the example of a town that messengers visited.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Why do stories help us remember lessons?"
Watch the islamIQ video Surah Ya-Sin, Story of the People of a Town.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "Who came to the town?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What happened in this town?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Ya-Sin is surah 36. Find ayah 13. The key word mathalan means an example or parable. Allah does not tell us the town's name, because the lesson matters more than the place. The people of Makkah could see themselves in this story: messengers came, and the town had to choose how to respond.
Fact: About how many ayat does this story of the town take up in Surah Ya-Sin?
Ages 5–8: Story box. Fill a shoebox with three small objects to retell the start of the story.
Ages 9–12: Story map. Draw the town and mark where each part of the story happens as you learn it.
Finish with: "I found that the story takes about ___ ayat."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will retell one Quran story to someone younger."
Action: Retell one Quran story to someone younger.
