Start with bismillah.

Put an iron nail in a little salty water and leave it for a few days. Ask: "What do you think will happen?"

Watch the Little School video "How Rust Forms".

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What covers their hearts?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Can a heart get rusty?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Mutaffifin is surah 83. Find ayah 14. The key word rana means a stain or rust that covers. Many scholars explain that each wrong deed leaves a little mark on the heart, and saying sorry to Allah cleans it.

Fact: What two things does iron need in order to rust?

Ages 5–8: Rust race. Put one nail in a dry jar, one in water and one in salty water. Check every day. Which rusts first?

Ages 9–12: Stop the rust. Find out three ways people protect metal from rust (paint, oil, galvanising).

Finish with: "I found that iron rusts when ___."

Talk together:

• Rust spreads slowly if you don't clean it. How is that like wrong deeds?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• What "cleans" the heart? (Think: istighfar, dhikr, good deeds.)
• How can we protect our hearts, like paint protects metal?
• What would you like to ask an ustaz about keeping the heart clean?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will say astaghfirullah 10 times every evening to keep my heart shiny."

• Say astaghfirullah each evening.
• Show someone your rust race.
• Clean something rusty or dirty at home together.
• Next time: the next ayah (83:15) says they will be screened from their Lord. Explore it together!

Action: Say astaghfirullah 10 times every evening to keep your heart shiny.