Opening the ayah…
إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ
'Illā mā shā'a -llahu . 'innahu yaʻ'lamu l-jah'ra wamā yakh'fā
Except as Allah wills: For He knoweth what is manifest and what is hidden.
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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4-I guide
Only what Allah wills is forgotten, and He knows what is open and what is hidden.
Start with bismillah.
Dig up a small handful of garden soil and spread it on paper. Ask: "Is anything moving? What was hiding in there?"
Watch the SciShow Kids video "Soil Is Alive!".
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What two kinds of things does Allah know?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "What is hidden that only Allah knows?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-A'la is surah 87. Find ayah 7. The key words al-jahra wa ma yakhfa mean what is open and what is hidden. Allah knows both equally.
Fact: How many living things can live in one spoonful of soil?
Ages 5–8: Soil safari. With gloves and a magnifier, search a patch of soil. Draw every creature you find, then put them back.
Ages 9–12: Earthworm helpers. Find out how earthworms help the soil. Make a worm jar with layers of sand and soil and watch for a week (then let them go).
Finish with: "I found that one spoonful of soil can hold ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will have one good, hidden intention behind something I do."
Action: Have one good, hidden intention behind something you do.
Wear gloves and wash hands after handling soil. Put all creatures back where you found them.
