Opening the ayah…
قُلْ إِنْ أَدْرِىٓ أَقَرِيبٌۭ مَّا تُوعَدُونَ أَمْ يَجْعَلُ لَهُۥ رَبِّىٓ أَمَدًا
Qul' 'in' 'ad'rī 'aqarībun mmā tūʻadūna 'am' yaj'ʻalu lahu rabbī 'amadan
Say: "I know not whether the (Punishment) which ye are promised is near, or whether my Lord will appoint for it a distant term.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
The Prophet says he cannot tell if the promised Day is close, or if his Lord has set it far away.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Are the stars we see tonight near or far away?"
Watch the FreeSchool video What is a Light Year?
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What does the Prophet say he doesn't know?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why didn't Allah tell even the Prophet when?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Jinn is surah 72. Find ayah 25. The key words in adri aqaribun mean I do not know if it is near. Even the Prophet did not know the time of the Day. Stars look close, yet their light takes years to reach us. Only Allah knows how near or far the Day is.
Fact: How far does light travel in one year?
Ages 5–8: Star count. Look at the Pleiades star cluster (or a picture). How many stars can you count?
Ages 9–12: Light travel. Find how long sunlight takes to reach Earth, and how long light from the nearest star takes.
Finish with: "I found that a light year is about ___ kilometres."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will do my good deeds today, not tomorrow."
Action: Do your good deeds today, not tomorrow.
