Start with bismillah.

Ask: "Why is it important to say clearly when a promise has ended?"

Play the short At-Tawbah clip of ayah 1 from Ummah Muslim.

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "Who is the announcement from?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "Why does this surah not begin with bismillah?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah At-Tawbah is surah 9. Find ayah 1. At-Tawbah means 'Repentance'. It is one surah that does not begin with bismillah, and no other surah is like it in this. Some tribes had broken their agreements with the Muslims again and again, so Allah announced that those treaties were ending. Scholars say the surah opens with a serious warning, so it does not start with the words of mercy, yet it is full of the doors of tawbah.

Fact: The other name of this surah, Bara'ah, and what it means.

Ages 5–8: Surah check. Look at the start of surah 9 in the mushaf. What is missing?

Ages 9–12: Two names. Write why this surah is called both At-Tawbah and Bara'ah.

Finish with: "At-Tawbah begins without ___ at the start."

Talk together:

• What is special about how this surah starts?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• Why should agreements be clear?
• What does tawbah mean to you?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will make tawbah each night before I sleep."

• A surah about tawbah.
• Spot the missing bismillah.
• Keep agreements clear.
• Next time: the next ayah (9:2) gives four months of safety. Explore it together!

Action: Make tawbah each night before you sleep.