Al Qabidh: The Constrictor

Learning Objective:

- To spend ten minutes reflecting on the recommended Ism to be recited each day of the week

Tuesday Ism: Al Qabidh, The Constrictor.

When the heart constricts, that blood is pumped around the body, offloading oxygen. The action of squeezing is necessary for us to live!

The Man and the Butterfly Story perfectly illustrates how the struggle to get out of the cocoon is necessary for the butterfly to grow its beautiful wings. Tests and challenges that Allah Al Qabidh, the Constrictor places in our life, are what we need to grow. They make us stronger and help us become our best.

Resources: 

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

Asmaul Husna by QFatima

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Al Lateef: The Subtle

Learning Objective

- To spend ten minutes reflecting on the recommended Ism to be recited each day of the week

Monday Ism: Al Lateef, The Subtle

Allah is kind to us in ways we don’t always realise. Al Lateef blesses us with gifts we may not even notice. He ripens fruit on hot summer days, refreshes us with a gentle breeze and makes the day flow into the night. Did you know that there is almost always a dock weed plant which grows next to stinging nettles? Its leaves are used as a remedy for the sting  of the netteles! SubhanAllah, how subtly placed by Allah Al Lateef!

Resources: 

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

Asmaul Husna by QFatima

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Al Fattah: The Opener

Learning Objective:

- To spend ten minutes reflecting on the recommended Ism to be recited each day of the week

Sunday Ism: Al Fattah, The Opener

In Arabic, miftah means key, whereas fath means victory. Allah Al Fattah is the one who has the key to open doors that no one else can! He is the source of victory and success. Surah Fateha is the opening chapter of the Quran. We can call upon Al Fattah when we’re stuck on a problem, asking Him to open up a solution. How we can open up the way to make things easier for other people?

Resources: 

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

Asmaul Husna by QFatima

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Al Ghaniy: The Rich

Learning Objective:

- To spend ten minutes reflecting on the recommended Ism to be recited each day of the week

Saturday Ism: Al Fattah: Al Ghaniy, The Rich.

What makes us rich? Is it possible we can own more things but be poorer for it? Read the Fishman’s Parable and talk about contentment. The Holy Prophet (S) has said "Richness is not having many belongings. Rather true richness is richness of the soul.”

Resources: 

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

Asmaul Husna by QFatima

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Asmaul Husna For Days of the Week

Quranic Verse:
Remember Allah much, that you may be successful. Surah Anfal 8:45

Learning Objective:
- To spend ten minutes a day reflecting on the Asmaul Husna which are recommended to be recited for each day of the week.

Reflections:
Al Ghaniy: The Rich
Al Fattah: The Opener
Al Lateef: The Subtle
Al Qabidh: The Constrictor
Al Muta'ali
Ar Razzaqu
An Nur

Resources: 

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

Asmaul Husna by QFatima

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Ar Rahman: The Most Kind

Quran Verse:

Wa rahmati wasi'at kulla shay

My Rahma covers and surrounds everything 7:156

Lesson Introduction:

Allah has 99 names and out of all of them, He chose to begin every Surah, except one, using His Ism Ar Rahman.

Allah is Ar Rahman, extremely kind and caring. He is the Most Kind. He loves you and cares for you with a level of kindness we can never imagine or understand. Allah's kindness is showered upon every single thing He has created. Allah is kind to us even if we have done something wrong. Allah’s Rahma is like a never ending thunderstorm of rain which drenches you through completely! When we start something by saying Bismillah, we are reminded that Allah the Most Kind is with us and He is showering us with His care. Allah Ar Rahman is our greatest blessing!

Surah 55 is called Ar Rahman and reminds us of the blessings Allah has given us.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that He sent Prophet Muhammad as a Rahma to the world.
Allah’s love for us is 70x greater than a mother’s love for her child.

When Allah created us, He made us His Khalifa on Earth. We must show the qualities of Allah in our manners and behaviour, to all those around us. We must help them to see Allah’s Rahma by behaving with extra special kindness towards them.The more mercy you show, the more you will receive.

Rhyme: ABC of Asmaul Husna

Allah is Ar Rahman
The Merciful and Kind
His kindness shines brightly
On all that He does find

Visual: Ar Rahman is the source of life

Shine a torch all around. Everything on Earth is completely dependent on the Sun, there would be no life without it. The sun shines on and benefits everyone no matter how good or bad they are. Allah is Ar Rahman, the one we all depend on, our greatest blessing! Allah's kindness is showered upon every single thing He has created. We would not survive if it was not for Allah’s Rahma!

Then hold the torch still and ask how will you benefit from the light now? You have to move towards it! Ar Raheem is the extra special kindness from Allah for those who move towards Him by doing what He loves!

Story: Our Lord Ar Rahman!

There was once a time that Prophet Musa was going to the mountain when he was met by a disbeliever who asked him if he was going to talk to Allah. Musa (a) said yes after which the man said "Tell Him that I do not believe in Him, so He should hold back His sustenance from me. And if the air that I breathe is from Him, tell Him to take it away and snatch it from my mouth!" So, Musa (a) talks with God. And Allah says, "Musa, tell him that, "Your Lord bids you peace and He says to you that you can be My creature and reject faith in Me but I, being your God and Lord, will never stop sustaining you for as long as I keep you alive."

Craft: Blessings from Ar Rahman 

Make a paper plate sun craft writing what blessings Allah has given you on each ray of light. 

Activity: Ways to show Rahma

Think of ways you can show Rahma to the people, animals and environment around you; Put together a Blessing bag with items to help those in need, Make a Bird feeder, 30 days of goodness activities.

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Allah is Al-Muhyi

See also: Prophet Adam (as)

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The ABC of Asmaul Husna

Download and Print Sheet

Learning Objective:
- Learn the meaning of the Asmaul Husna through simple rhymes
- To help use the Names of Allah to praise Him when we make dua.

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Allah is As Sami'

Learning Objective: 
- To learn the Ism Allah is As-Sami', the One who hears everything
- Understand how we can call Allah by making Dua

Quran Verse:
رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ
14:39 My Lord indeed hears the prayer

Activity: Headband Ears
To provide a visual association while discussing As-Sami', have the child wear a headband with paper cut ears to the sides.

Activity: Rhyme to the tune of Freres Jacques:
As Sami' x2
Allah can hear us x2
Even if we whisper x2
He can hear us x2

Activity: Blindfold game 
Blindfolded the child as they try to identify various sounds like crumpling paper, pouring water, scissors, footsteps. Explain how Allah hears you everytime you talk to him. He knows it's your voice and He even understands what you're saying!
There are some sounds that animals, like dogs, can hear that we can't. And there are some creatures like the fly, who can't hear at all! Allah has made everyone's ability to hear different, but He is As-Sami' and His hearing is the best!

Activity: Paper Cup Phones
Children will be fascinated to be able to hear each other even with a closed door between them! Ensure the string is pulled tight between the cups for the sound to travel through better.

We can use a phone to talk to people when we can't see them. We call people to tell them about our day, ask them for help or maybe to thank them. Talking to people helps you feel close to them. Allah wants us to call Him too and talk to Him about everything. 

Allah is As-Sami', you don't need a telephone to talk to Him! You can talk to Him at anytime and tell Him whatever you want! He can always hear you!

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Prophet Adam (as)

Learning Objective:
- To know that it is Allah who gives life.
- To know that Prophet Adam (as) was the first man created by Allah
- To understand that we have been created to be representatives of Allah on Earth

Qur'an verse: 
laqad khalaqnal insaana fi ahsani taqweem
Indeed We have created the human being in the best of form 95:4

Prophet Adam (as) was the first human being created by Allah. Allah asked the angels to bring different types of clay from the earth. The clay was then mixed with water and left for a while. He then shaped it into the form of a man and left it to set. When it was strong He made the man come alive and it was Prophet Adam (as). As soon as he was alive, Prophet Adam (pbuh) sneezed and said: Alhamdulilah!

Allah told the Angels that he has created insaan, the human being, to be a khalifa, a representative of Allah on the Earth. What is a representative? What is their role? When you go on school trip, the teachers tell you to behave well as you are representing the school. Your uniform helps others to know where you are from and your behaviour tells them what your school is like. 

How do we represent Allah? We behave with the manners of His Asmaul Husna. 

We know Allah is Rahman and Rahim, so we too must be kind to everyone. We know He is Jawaad, generous, so we too much make sure we share whatever we have with others. We know Allah is As-Salaam, the one who gives peace and we too should make sure we act peacefully with everyone around us. We must let our manners shine so that people can see what an amazing God we have! 

Activity: Allah is Al Muhyi, The Giver Of Life 

Give each child some playdoh to make a model of themselves. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that He created insaan, human beings, from clay. What's the difference between our clay model and the one Allah made? Can you make it come alive? Allah moulded the body perfectly from clay and made it come alive. Allah is Al Muhyi, only He can give life

Activity: I Am God's Representative 

Put a list of some of the Asmaul Husna in a box. 

Have each child pick one out and describe ways in which they could act in accordance to the Ism. 

Al-Alim: What can you do to increase your knowledge? 

As-Sami: Who/what should you listen to, what things would you like Allah to hear you say? 

Al-Baseer: What would you like Allah to see/not see you do? 

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Kufic Wall Art

The first copies of the Qur’an were written using special Arabic handwriting called Kufic. Kufic is the oldest type of Arabic calligraphy. Its name comes from the city of Kufa in Iraq. Square Kufic is a very simple rectangular version of this calligraphy used in Islamic art. Sometimes entire buildings are covered with tiles filled with names such as Allah or Muhammad, in this abstract style, a technique known as banna'i.

Activity: Tape Resist Kufic Allah Art
1. Look up some different square Kufi style calligraphy images before choosing one to replicate.
2. Use masking tape to copy and draw out the calligraphy shape on a canvas, pressing the tape down firmly.
3. Cover the entire canvas with paint.
4. Allow the paint to dry before slowly removing the tape.
5. Display your art to remind you of the beauty of Allah and His presence all around us.

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Allah is Al Muhyi, The Giver of Life

Lesson Objective:

- To understand that it is our soul that gives life to the body.

Give each child some playdoh and ask them to make a model of themselves.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that He created insaan, human beings, from clay.

What's the difference between our clay model and the one Allah made?!

Can you make it come alive? What does it need to be alive?

Allah is the best and most perfect designer, He moulded the body perfectly from clay and then He breathed life into it by giving the body a soul. 

It is our soul which gives life to the body. It is our soul which keeps the body alive.

Allah is Al Muhyi, only He can give life.  

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Allah is my Rabb

Lesson Objectives:
Quran Verse:
Download complete lesson plan: Allah is my Rabb

- Understand the meaning of the name Ar-Rabb

- Understand how deeply Allah loves us

- Understand how dependant we are on Allah

Innallaha Rabbi

Most surely Allah is my Rabb 19:36

Key Learning Point:

Who is Allah? He is our Rabb.

Rabb is often translated as Lord in English, but Rabb means much more than that. 

Allah is our Rabb. Ar Rabb is the one who created us, looks after us, gives us everything we need and then helps us grow and become our best!

When we think about all the things our mums do for us, it reminds us of Allah, our Rabb. Allah loves and cares for us 70x more than our mothers!
Everything we have is because of Him. We can never count the blessings He has given us and we can never measure how much he loves us!

Activity: 
Growing Beans
Origami Heart

The Blind Worm Story

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Growing Beans

Lesson Introduction:
Plants, animals and people all need water to survive. Life on Earth would be impossible without it. 
It is Allah, our Rabb who sends water from the sky. The rain helps the plants to grow and gives us and the animals food to eat.

Activity: 
1. Let the children feel how hard the broad bean seeds are. Talk about how the single seed will eventually grow into a beanstalk producing more beans with new seeds inside.

2. Have the children taste some broad beans and talk about how it is Allah, our Rabb who created the seeds, provided it with everything it needs, looked after it and helped it grow.

3.. Give each child a bean (soak them in water overnight to make this stage easier) and let them remove the now softened seed coat, to open it up. 

seed,  seed with coat removed to identify root, cooked broad beans to taste

4. Identify the root and explain how a baby plant is already in the seed ready to grow. The surrounding seed is the food store which give the seed energy to break open from the coat and help the first roots/shoots emerge. 

5. Fold up a paper towel sheet, moisten with water and fold it into a clear cup/glass jar, placing the bean between. Another bean can also be placed in a dry jar to show that seeds need water to grow and emphasize Allah's blessings and care for His creation.

6. Observe the bean over the next few days, watching it germinate and produce roots/shoots.
 The beans can also be planted out and grown fully to give an opportunity to watch and discuss the whole cycle.

Allah, our Rabb, never leaves us alone. He pours His love and care down on us, just like water on the seed. He does not just water us with for a while and then forget about us. God never forgets about us. He always remembers us, always cares for us, always looks after us and makes sure that He provides what we need to live and grow.

Download complete lesson plan: Allah is my Rabb

Resources:
Growing Seeds
Grow a bean plant

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Origami Paper Heart

Allah is our Rabb. He is the one who created us, looks after us, gives us everything we need and then helps us grow and become our best!

He loves and cares for us more than anyone in the world!

Activity:
Decorate the heart with the Quranic verse and the key phrases that make up the meaning of the name Ar-Rabb.

Allah gave us parents to show and remind us of how much He loves us! When we think about all the things our mums do for us, it reminds us of Allah, our Rabb. Allah loves and cares for us 70x more than our mothers!

Activity:

Make an origami heart card for your mum. 

Open the flaps and pop a secret message inside!

Let her know how much you love her and say thank you for everything she does.

Download complete lesson plan: Allah is my Rabb

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The Blind Worm

Taken from Excellent Stories by Qfatima

God never forgets about us. He always remembers us, always cares for us, always looks after us and always loves us. He is our Rabb. 

Download complete lesson plan: Allah is my Rabb

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Prophet Yunus (as) and Forgiveness

Lesson Title: 

Prophet Yunus (as) and Forgiveness

Lesson Objectives:

- To recap the story of Prophet Yunus (as) and derive lessons from it

- To understand the importance of asking for forgiveness and how Allah responds.

- To learn the ism Al-Ghaffor

- to become familiar with the way to say sorry as taught in the Qur’an

Quran Verse:

oostaghfirullah
Say sorry to Allah 4:106

Key Learning Point:

The story of Prophet Yusuf (as) teaches us how we should always listen to Allah, never give up and say sorry when we have made a mistake or done something wrong.

Saying sorry does not mean just saying the words. We must remember Allah and feel sad for what we have done. We must try our best not to do it again and then go back to doing what makes Allah happy.

Allah is Al Ghaffor, the Most Forgiving. He rubs out the wrong actions from the book of deeds that the angels have been writing in. He gives us a second chance.

When people do wrong to us, we must forgive them instead of getting angry and upset.

Activity: The story of Prophet Yunus (as)

Activity: Prophet Yunus (as) and the whale game

Activity: Al Ghafoor Rhyme and Eraser Demo

Activity: How to ask for forgiveness

Activity: Clothes peg whale craft

Download Complete Lesson Plan: Prophet Yunus (as) and Forgiveness

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God Is Just

Lesson Objectives:

- To introduce the concept of Adalat

- Understand Allah is Al Adl, Fair and Just

- Understand that fairness does not always mean everyone getting the same

- Understand how to act fairly

- Understand the importance of speaking up when others are treated unfairly

- Understand the greatness of Allah’s Mercy

Quran Verse:

u’diluw 
Be Just And Act Fairly (5:8)

Lesson Introduction:

When you act fairly, it is called being just.

Allah tells us in the Qur’an, u’diluw, be just and always act fairly. Allah tells us to treat everyone fairly. He teaches us that we should treat fairly even those people who we might not like. It doesn’t matter how someone looks, what language they speak or even whether or not they are Muslim, we must still treat everyone fairly.

Story:  “Miss, that’s not fair!”

Activity: Pennies for All

Give each child a differing amount of pennies to start with. Then give the group more pennies to share out. Discuss how they decided. Did they give each the same amount or did it depend on how much they already had?

Fair does not always mean getting the same, but giving people what they need.

Activity: Injury and Bandage Analogy

Tell each child to imagine an injury and show you where they are hurt. Put a plaster on each in the exact same spot. ‘I want to treat you all fairly! Or should I put it where you NEED it?"  

Discuss "What is fair? Everyone getting the same size plaster on their hand, or getting the treatment that fits the need?"

Activity: Worksheet

Draw/write how you can show fairness

Role Play Scenarios

Discuss which behaviour to react with

- Boy at school forgets lunch money.

- Not enough sweets so some kids don’t get

- You make a Lego model but little sister breaks it

- In a queue and behind is a mum with a crying baby

- Boy being picked on in the playground

Download complete lesson plan God Is Just

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God Is One: Surah Ikhlas

Learning Objective:
- To understand the basic concept of Tawheed through the translation of Surah Ikhlas

Lesson Introduction:

Tawheed is believing that there is only one God, Allah.

At the time of the Prophet, people used to worship in different ways. They used to believe in many Gods, for different things. Sometimes their Gods were made of wood, stone or even animals. They would give gifts and food to the idols and pray to them. They even believed their gods had families.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) came to teach people about worshiping only Allah. The people wanted to know more about who Allah was, and so Angel Jibrael brought surah Ikhlas of the Qur’an from Allah to answer their questions.

Surah Ikhlas tells us all about Allah!
There is only one God, Allah and everyone needs Him. He wasn’t born, He doesn’t give birth and there is no one like Him.

Download complete lesson plan Tawheed and Asmaul Husna

Watch Online: Misri Bunch: Episode 05 The one and Only

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Asmaul Husna Flashcards

Download the starter set of Asmaul Husna Flashcards

Learning Objective:
- To become familiar with and understand a few Asmaul Husna
- To provide a visual method to aid recalling the Isms

Quran Verse:
Wa lilahil asmaul husna, Allah's are the best names 7:180

Lesson introduction:
Names help us to know who someone is and what they are like. When we hear a name, it makes us think of that person. A name like Mummy, will remind you of someone who loves you and looks after you, but a name like Frankenstein will probably remind you of someone scary!

Allah tells us in the Qur’an that He has Asmaul Husna, the Best names. Allah has 99 names, and each name, each Ism, is a quality, something that tells us about Allah and reminds us how amazing He is.
Allah is Ar-Rahman and Raheem, the one who is super kind to us and gives us so many blessings. Allah is As-Samee’, He hears everything and Allah is Al-Baseer, He sees everything.

The name Allah combines all these names together. So when we say Allah, we are being reminded about the very kind Allah who hears and sees everything we do and and gave us everything we have!

By learning the names of Allah, we can see how amazing Allah is and it helps us understand Him better too.

Each Ism is also like a Dua we can use to call Allah with.

Activity: Asmaul Husna Flashcards
Use the cards to play memory pairs, matching the image of each attribute with the corresponding Ism.

Activity: Asmaul Husna Rhyme Cards
Simple rhymes to help understand and memorise each Ism, can be sung to the tune of 'Frère Jacques'.

Print multiple images per page to size the cards accordingly. Can be made into a poster or a handy key ring style book to allow easy addition of further Isms

Resources:
Misri Bunch Cartoon

Listen to Asmaul Husna 

The ABC of Asmaul Husna Poster
Asmaul Husna by QFatima

The 99 Names of God by Chickpea Press

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