Start with bismillah.

Ask: "Can you imagine a city that was busy and full of people, but now is empty?"

Watch the National Geographic video Mohenjo Daro 101.

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "Who does the ayah ask us about?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What can we learn from people long ago?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Mursalat is surah 77. Find ayah 16. The key word al-awwalin means the earlier peoples. The Quran tells us some earlier peoples who denied the truth were destroyed. The ruins of old cities remind us that every people comes and goes.

Fact: How old is Mohenjo-daro, and what did its people build?

Ages 5–8: Old and new. Draw a city from long ago and a city today. What is the same? What is different?

Ages 9–12: Lost cities. Find three ancient cities that are now ruins. Where are they?

Finish with: "I found that Mohenjo-daro had ___."

Talk together:

• What can we learn from people who lived before us?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• Why do even great cities not last forever?
• What lasts after we are gone?
• What would you like to ask about this ayah?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will ask an elder about life when they were young."

• Ask an elder about the past.
• Show your old and new city drawings.
• Tell your family about Mohenjo-daro.
• Next time: the next ayah (77:17) speaks of the later peoples. Explore it together!

Action: Ask an elder about life when they were young.