Opening the ayah…
إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا مَوْتَتُنَا ٱلْأُولَىٰ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُنشَرِينَ
'In' hiya 'illā maw'tatunā l-'ūlā wamā naḥ'nu bimunsharīna
"There is nothing beyond our first death, and we shall not be raised again.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
There is nothing but our first death, and we will not be raised again.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "What do Muslims believe happens after we die?"
Watch the Deen Buddies video What Happens After We Die?
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did these people claim?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why do we believe in life after death?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Ad-Dukhan is surah 44. Find ayah 35. The key words mawtatuna al-ula mean our first death. They said life ends at death and nothing comes after. The Quran answers again and again: Allah, who created us the first time, will bring us back. Belief in the next life, the akhirah, gives our choices meaning.
Fact: What is the Arabic word for the next life?
Ages 5–8: Before and after. Draw a seed, then the plant it becomes, to remember new life after.
Ages 9–12: Why it matters. Write how believing in the akhirah changes how you act today.
Finish with: "I found that the next life is called the ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will do one good deed and say 'This is for my akhirah'."
Action: Do one good deed and say 'This is for your akhirah'.
