“Whoever reads Surat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu’ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.”(Narrated by al-Haakim, 2/399; al-Bayhaqi, 3/249. It was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6470) Isn’t this our deepest desire? Being close and connected to the Quran? We want the same for our children. One of the major insights you can have, is that you make the teachings of the Quran relevant for your life and your child’s life. When we make the teachings and message positive, it will naturally attract people and fuel the desire to adopt these techniques. This will the third article that will provide background information and tips to structure Fridays for children. We will now share ideas about how you can work with surah Al Kahf. Every Friday we can build on children’s understanding of this surah read by many on Fridays. While older children can in shaa Allah read the whole surah as part of a lesson plan, we can offer younger children as well enjoyable ways to get familiar with surah Al Kahf. To keep this every Friday a different experience by hearing something new around this surah, children will get attached to it. When the teachings of this particular surah are offered with suitable activities, all children will at Friday enjoy this enlightening surah of the Quran. Working with surah Al Kahf will make a Jummah day complete. As adults most of us have experienced the darker moments in our lives and understand the need for light to show us the way. Islam helps to build the character and skills you need to overcome the challenges in life. If we can pass on the empowering knowledge of our Deen to our children, we are investing in their mental strength to deal with difficulty and distress. This will eventually strengthen our ummah with Islamic values as the fundament. The beautiful hadith about the virtues of reading surah Al Kahf at Friday is a great motivator for the teacher or parent to share this hadith and the surah with children. The hope that this hadith spreads is what we need to anker in the hearts and minds of children. As adults we can feel the power of this hadith, but for children telling this hadith every Friday or letting them memorize it, might not be enough for them to grab it. Children will in shaa Allah start understanding more of Islamic teachings when we zoom in around the words.> The impact of using of symbols Children can learn a lot when we use regularly symbols. What is invisible or intangible can be made visible and help children to feel the meaning of words. The light that comes with surah Al Kahf can be used as a symbol at Friday with the activity around surah Al Kahf. Make a box in which you store different sorts of lights. The lights can be used for small activities to memorize the hadith. Make the classroom dark and hang papers in the classroom with words from the surah. This can be in Arabic or in the language the children speak normally. With the torch some children can find in turns a letter with the torch. The collected letters form a word that is the start of the activity. You can also use words and they will form a sentence. The mentioned hadith for example. Simple, but every time fun. You can also set out in the gym a route in the dark and let the children find an object or objects with help of the torches. Another idea is that the children can hang seven ‘lights’ with each day of the week after working with surah Al Kahf. When it is Tuesday you remove the card of Monday(maybe also the weekend days)and the light in a special box till Friday. Then all the days get a light again. Simple science experiments can let them experience the effect of light. Like symbols will a short science experiment also support the saying that surah Al Kahf will be a light from Friday to Friday. It is the diversity and simplicity that makes children remember the essence of Quran, hadith and stories. They can keep these teachings with them for the rest of their lives and won’t feel the need to follow what is not right.(like music and lyrics from songs what will misguide and harm them) We will post clips and experiments around light in the science category. The surprise Prepare the children for an adventure. Talk with them what makes an adventure an adventure? List the points they mention. Make groups and hand out white papers. Tell them here the adventure starts. One of the listed words will be definitely exploring, finding things out and that’s where this adventure starts. You have written in advance guidelines as messages with a white wax crayon on the white different papers. Give some water colors in pots with a lit and brushes with it. You don’t need to create a work of art today, you have to discover with the three things you have: a white paper, a water color and a brush, the direction of our adventure. The children can identify the texts by applying watercolor on the paper. They read the text and discuss with the groups the order to follow up the instructions. You can use this to explain how to prepare for the trip to a cave. You can teach about caves and about the particular you are going to visit. When you visit the place, let the children first have the chance to explore the cave. Surah Al Kahf explained for kids One of the themes of Surah Kahf is the importance of good company, here is a verse which sums it up quite well: “Keep yourself constantly in the company of those who remember their Lord in the morning and afternoons, seeking His Pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them to chase after the glitter of the worldly life, and do not follow the one whom I have made his heart heedless of our remembrance, the one who follows his desires and whose deeds have been lost,” (Surah Kahf 18:28) The people of the cave The story of young men who lived in a disbelieving town and decided to migrate for the sake of Allah and run away. Allah rewards them with mercy in the cave and protection. When they woke up, they found the entire village as believers. If there is a chance to visit a nearby cave, it would be an idea to go there and see what a cave is all about. If that is not possible, you can make a ‘cave’ in the gym or in the assembly hall for some time. For the last you need clips and interesting video’s to make it lively. If you can do both, that would be best. It is a great place to sit and tell about the story of the cave. The ‘natural atmosphere’ contributes to let the story have an impact. struggle The challenging conditions of the cave will give you opportunities to discuss challenging situations in life. Like not joining in with what your friends are doing or what is promoted in the society you live in. That you develop strength to leave that group and trust Allah, because you are doing the right thing. You can give some situations upon which the children can respond. Allah gives shelter The dark cave is not an attractive place to live. Even though it is dark and cold it is a shelter. You can explain here that Allah protect you when you obey Him. You might feel isolated, cut off from the world, but Allah will guide when it is right again for you to go ahead. Sometimes we are stopped and things don’t work out as we planned it. But if we understand the story, it is Allah Who protects you. Also the dark cave has a lot of hidden treasures. You can identify the light source more clearly when everything around you is dark. That is also an indication that the darkness has in this world a meaning for the believers. Back at school you can make a book about the trip with all the highlights. Let them make caves of clay and write their stories. Story time: simple story telling techniques Create an atmosphere to tell your story Use strong matching symbols Connect stories with the lives of children Like what you read? Please share...