Opening the ayah…
هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْءَاخِرُ وَٱلظَّٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Huwa l-'awwalu wal-'ākhiru wa ẓẓāhiru wal-bāṭinu . wahuwa bikulli shay''in ʻalīmun
He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
Allah was before everything and remains after everything; He is above all and clearly known through His signs, yet unseen by our eyes; and He knows all things.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Every story has a beginning and an end. Does Allah?"
Watch the Khan Academy Kids video Beginning, Middle, and End.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "Which four names of Allah are in this ayah?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What does it mean that Allah was before everything?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Hadid is surah 57. Find ayah 3. The key words al-awwalu wal-akhiru waz-zahiru wal-batin mean the First, the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. Stories and days have beginnings and endings, but Allah was before everything and remains after everything. His signs are everywhere, yet no eye can see Him in this life.
Fact: What are the meanings of Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir?
Ages 5–8: Story line. Draw a story with a beginning, middle and end. Then write "Allah: before and after everything".
Ages 9–12: Four names. Write each name and one way you see Allah's signs in your day.
Finish with: "I found that Al-Awwal means ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will learn the four names in this ayah by heart."
Action: Learn the four names in this ayah by heart.
