Opening the ayah…
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُم بَطْشًۭا فَنَقَّبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ هَلْ مِن مَّحِيصٍ
Wa kam' 'ah'lak'nā qab'lahum mmin qar'nin hum' 'ashaddu min'hum baṭ'shan fanaqqabū fī l-bilādi hal' min mmaḥīṣin
But how many generations before them did We destroy (for their sins),- stronger in power than they? Then did they wander through the land: was there any place of escape (for them)?
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
How many generations before them, stronger than them, did We destroy; they searched the lands, but was there any escape?
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "How did the first towns and cities begin?"
Watch the Free School video How Civilization Began. (It has music.)
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What were the earlier peoples like?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why couldn't strong peoples escape?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Qaf is surah 50. Find ayah 36. The key word mahis means a way of escape. Many earlier peoples were stronger and built great cities. They travelled far and wide, but when they rejected the truth, there was no escaping Allah's decision. History is full of lessons for those who think.
Fact: Where did some of the first cities in the world begin?
Ages 5–8: Build a city. Build a city with blocks, then talk about what makes a city strong.
Ages 9–12: Rise and fall. Pick an ancient city and find out how it began and ended.
Finish with: "I found that some of the first cities began in ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will use my strength to help someone weaker."
Action: Use your strength to help someone weaker.
