Opening the ayah…
وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَٰهَٰمَٰنُ ٱبْنِ لِى صَرْحًۭا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَبْلُغُ ٱلْأَسْبَٰبَ
Wa qāla fir'ʻaw'nu yāhāmānu (i)b'ni lī ṣar'ḥan llaʻallī 'ab'lughu l-'as'bāba
Pharaoh said: "O Haman! Build me a lofty palace, that I may attain the ways and means-
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Pharaoh said: Haman, build me a high tower so that I may reach the pathways.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "How tall is the tallest building you have seen?"
Watch the TED-Ed video How the world's tallest skyscraper was built.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did Pharaoh ask Haman to build?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why did Pharaoh want a tall tower?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Ghafir is surah 40. Find ayah 36. The key word sarhan means a tall tower. Instead of listening to the believer, Pharaoh ordered Haman to build a high tower, as if he could climb up and find Allah. It shows how pride can make people do foolish things. No building can reach Allah, who is above all creation.
Fact: About how tall is the tallest building in the world today?
Ages 5–8: Tallest tower. Build the tallest tower you can from cups or blocks, then talk about Pharaoh's idea.
Ages 9–12: Real heights. Compare the heights of a house, a tall tower and a mountain.
Finish with: "I found that the tallest building is about ___ tall."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will get closer to Allah through one extra good deed."
Action: Get closer to Allah through one extra good deed.
