Opening the ayah…
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
'Idhā tut'lā ʻalay'hi 'āyātunā qāla 'assāṭīru l-'awwalīna
When to him are rehearsed Our Signs, "Tales of the ancients", he cries!
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
When Allah's ayat are recited to him, he says they are only tales of people long ago.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "How do we know what really happened long ago?"
Watch the Colonial Williamsburg video What is history?
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What did he call Allah's ayat?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why are the Quran's stories more than just old tales?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Qalam is surah 68. Find ayah 15. The key words asatirul-awwalin mean legends of the ancients. He waved away the Quran as old stories. But the Quran's stories are true and carry lessons for every age. Historians use evidence to learn about the past; the Quran tells us what Allah knows.
Fact: What is a primary source in history?
Ages 5–8: Family history. Ask an older relative for a true story from long ago and draw it.
Ages 9–12: Story lessons. Pick one Quran story and write three lessons it has for today.
Finish with: "I found that a primary source is ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will listen quietly whenever the Quran is recited."
Action: Listen quietly whenever the Quran is recited.
