Opening the ayah…
إِذِ ٱلْأَغْلَٰلُ فِىٓ أَعْنَٰقِهِمْ وَٱلسَّلَٰسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ
'Idhi l-'agh'lālu fī 'aʻ'nāqihim' wa ssalāssilu yus'ḥabūna
When the yokes (shall be) round their necks, and the chains; they shall be dragged along-
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
That will be when collars and chains are on their necks as they are pulled along.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Can a bad habit feel like a heavy chain?"
Watch the Labid Islamic Cartoons video Good Muslim vs Bad Muslim.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What will be on their necks?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How can I stay free from bad habits?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Ghafir is surah 40. Find ayah 71. The key word salasil means chains. This ayah warns of the heavy chains awaiting those who rejected Allah. In this life, bad habits can also feel like chains that are hard to break. Believers ask Allah to free them from bad habits and fill their lives with good ones.
Fact: About how long does it take, on average, to build a new habit?
Ages 5–8: Paper chain break. Make a paper chain, write a bad habit on each link, and tear one off as you replace it with good.
Ages 9–12: Habit plan. Choose one habit to build and plan how you will repeat it every day.
Finish with: "I found that a habit takes about ___ to form."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will practise one new good habit every day."
Action: Practise one new good habit every day.
