Opening the ayah…
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
'Idhā tut'lā ʻalay'hi 'āyātunā qāla 'assāṭīru l-'awwalīna
When Our Signs are rehearsed to him, he says, "Tales of the ancients!"
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
When Allah's verses are recited to such a person, they call them old tales from long ago.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "Have you ever heard something that sounded like an old story but turned out to be true?"
Watch the TED-Ed video about the coelacanth, a fish people thought had disappeared long ago.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What does this person say about Allah's verses?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why would someone call the Quran old stories?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Mutaffifin is surah 83. Find ayah 13. The key words asatir al-awwalin mean tales of the ancients. Some people brushed the Quran aside as just old stories. But being old doesn't make something untrue.
Fact: When was a living coelacanth found, after scientists thought it had died out?
Ages 5–8: True or tale? Ask a grandparent for a true story from long ago. Draw a picture of it.
Ages 9–12: Living fossils. Find three living things that have barely changed for millions of years.
Finish with: "I found that a living coelacanth was found in ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will learn the meaning of one short surah so it feels new to me."
Action: Learn the meaning of one short surah.
