Week 1
Weekly Goal: Introduce this month's Prophet
Reading "The Stories of the Prophets" by Ibn Kathir (see online reference)
Or the one listed below from "Islam for Children" by Ahmad Von Denffer, Published by: Markai Maktaba Islami, 1353 Chitli Qabr, Delhi-6.
Prophet Hud(Alaih Assalaam)
Many years ago, there lived a very industrious, hardworking people. They were the people of Ad,
and they built large and beautiful houses. On every mountain, they had erected a tower and they were
very proud of their beautiful buildings.
Among the people of Ad lived a man called Hud(Alaih Assalaam), and Hud(Alaih Assalaam) had been
chosen by Allah as His prophet. Allah has sent me to you, Hud (Alaih Assalaam) said to his people.
Allah has taught you all that you are able to do. He has also given you children and many animals.
Therefore you should stop worshipping your false gods. Worship only Allah(swt) and obey His commands.
Do good and do not commit wrongs and evil. Listen to what I say, for if you do not, I fear that a punishment
will come upon you.
But the people of Ad scorned Hud(Alaih Assalaam): We are not going to listen to you, they scoffed. We are
not going to let our gods down, just because you tell us to. Who are you, anyway? You are nothing but a liar.
If you are not a liar, then prove it: tell Allah to send us the punishment.
Hud (Alaih Assalaam) was very sad and disappointed when he heard this. I am not a liar, I am the Prophet
of Allah, he said, "Do you think the houses you have built will last for ever? Remember that it is Allah Who
has given you your fortunes. He is my Lord and your Lord and only in Him do I trust. I have already warned you
before: If you don't obey Allah, He will choose some other people to take your place. Allah knows and hears
everything. But despite Hud(Alaih Assalaam)'s warnings, the people of Ad went on worshipping their false gods.
Hud was very disappointed. He called his true companions together and with them, he left the people of Ad.
In this way, as you shall soon see, Allah protected and preserved those who believed in Him.
Shortly afterwards, a huge black cloud appeared in the sky over the people of Ad. When the unbelievers of Ad
saw it, they said: This cloud is surely going to bring us some refreshing rain.
But they were very much mistaken. The cloud brought a terrible wind which killed them all. The wind swept
everything away. Nothing was left except a few large stones, which were the remains of the houses and towers.
Therefore, it is of no use to build and make many things. If one does not obey Allah, the punishment is sure to
come, and all one has built will become ruins.
References:
Surah 11: 50-57
Surah 23: 33-38
Surah 11: 53-54
Surah 11: 54-57
Discussion Questions
1) Who were the People of Ad? (they were the people who live in the windswept hills between Yemen and Oman.)
2) What were they known for doing as a specialty? (they were known for their builidngs and towers)
3) Whom did they worship? (Many gods)
4) Was this right or wrong? (Astagh-ferulah, this was wrong!)
5) What does the word proud mean? Look up the definition in the dictionary and discuss.
6) Who was the Prophet sent to them by Allah(s)? (the Prophet Hud, Alais-Assalaam)
7) What was the message that Prophet Hud (a) sent? ( To worship only Allah)
8) Did they, the people of Ad, listen to him? (no)
9) What happened to the people of Ad? (They were destroyed by a windstorm that was sent by Allah)
Activity: Build a lost city
Materials needed:
Building blocks of some kind
String
All ages:
If you have building blocks like legos or wooden blocks build a city of towers in a ring
(circle.)
Step one: Construct a ring on the ground with a string or a circle of paper.
Step two: Build five towers around the "ring" and attach bridges to each of them connecting
one to another. This is the pattern that the People of Ad used to build their cities.
Step Three: See how high you can build your highest tower.
Many years ago people used to believe that if they built towers tall enough they could speak
more clearly to their gods. That is why many ancient ruins are constructed on mountain tops or
at the tops of very high towers.
What is a ruin? It is a structure that has fallen down over the years.
The lost city of Ubar found
http://home.att.net/~kgmowla/quran.html
the lost city of Ubar
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ubar/index.html
http://www.islam.org/Science/Ubar/
Activity 2: (vocabulary)
Look up the word 'Ziggurrut' on the internet. You will find examples of this type of architecture
throughout the Middle eastern regions and in parts of Yemen which is were the people of Ad were thought to have lived.
Activity 3: (just for fun)
If you have a sandbox outside in your backyard or at the park, try building a sandcastle as
tall as you can.
(Science questions)
What happens to the sides as you build the tower higher?
Does the base of your tower get wider or smaller?
Is it easier to build with wet sand or dry sand?
What happens (be careful not to get this into your eyes)if you pick up some sand and let
it filter through your fingers over the tower? (a mini-sandstorm which causes parts of
the tower to errode.)
What happens if you pour water over it? (errosion)
What happens if the winds blow on it? (errosion too.)
what happens if you stomp over it? (kid-errosion)
Activity 4: (Creative writing)
Materials needed: Pens, paper and possibly mum's help for the younger ones.
"Disasterous shapes"
Write a discriptive shape poem about a type of natural disaster (like a sandstorm.)
Directions:
List different kinds of natural disasters (ie. tornado, flood, monsoon, volcanic errution,
earthquake, typhoon, hurricane, etc.)
Under each one, name words that you can think of associated with that disaster.
Pick one of the natural disasters about which to write a 'shape' poem. Use the words listed,
other words of your choosing or made-up words that help evoke the picture that you want.
Share the poem with us on the website!
Week 2
Weekly Goal:
Additional Reading highlighting message/relationship with Allah
http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/hud.html
Vocabulary List: Look up a few of these words in the dictionary for their meanings
Day 1: Industrious
Day 2: Hardworking
Day 3: Worship
Day 4: Obey
Day 5: Scorn
Day 6: Scoff
Day 7: Liar
(Alternate word) day 8: Punishment
(handwriting and vocabulary exercise)
Fold a piece of notebook paper in half length-wise to create a crease down the center of the page.
Write the words out one at a time on a piece of folded paper in different colored crayons or markers.
(English)
Create a list of synonyms (words that have similar meanings)under each of them and discuss.
try to think of what would be the opposite in meaning of these words? (antonyms) write down a few of these words too on the opposite side of the page. Share your words with us on the website!
Discussion questions about the story of the Prophet Hud:
1)What was Allah's message to the people of Ad?
2) How do you think the Prophet Hud felt about the people of Ad worshipping other gods?
Last week we discussed the word 'Proud'. Look up the word Humble in the dictionary.
3) What does the word humble mean? (Look at the origin of the word 'derived from the humus' aka earth.)
4) In the end of the story did Allah(s) return the people of Ad to the earth?
5) Do you think the people of Ad were humble?
6) In the end of the story did Allah(s) return the people of Ad to the earth?
7) As Muslims, should we be humble before Allah?
Discuss.
Think of the story of the Prophet Hud(a).
8) What were the blessing that Allah (s) bestowed upon the people of Ad?
9) Were they grateful to Allah for these blessings?
Activity 1:
Materials needed - paper, pens and perhaps for the younger ones, mum's help.
Manners:
List all of the positive words/qualities that you can think of to describe the people of Ad on one side of a piece of paper and all of the negative words/qualities on the other side.
Which list is longer?
Activity 2:
Materials needed: a large piece of paper to hang on the wall and collect articles on weather.
"Watch that wind!"
Divide a large sheet of paper in half.
Label one side 'Destructive Wind forces'
and the other side 'Helpful Wind forces'
Draw illustrations with appropriate captions or find newspaper articles to enter on both sides of the paper during the month.
Windy weather: Most people know of the dangerous aspects of wind - hurricanes, tornadoes, property damage, trees down, electric wires and telephone wires down, windstorms at sea, etc. Brainstorm some helpful aspects of wind, such as creating energy as in windmills, cooling you off on a hot day, moving sailboats, drying wet areas, transporting seeds, etc...
http://www.islam.org/science/QuranAndScience/destruction/GeneratedFilesnoframe/ThePeopleof145AdandUbartheAtlantisoftheSands.htm
What is a windstorm?
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/windstorms/index.shtml
Whirling winds explained:
http://www.cloudwall.com/wind/over/overview.htm
Week 3
Weekly Goal:
Reading
Main Theme- Highlighting manners towards the people
Discussion Questions:
1)What are manners? Give examples of how we should treat others like our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers? What types of things do we say to each other?
When we greet each other? (Asalamu-alaikum and walaikum salaam rhamatullah barukatum)
When we start something? (Bismillah)
When we finish something? (Alhamdo-illah)
When we sneeze? (Alhamdo-illah)
When someone else sneezes? (yar-hamok-allah)
When we awaken from sleep? (la-illaha-ill-allah)
When we intend to do something? (inshah-allah)
When we express apprication? (masha-allah)
When we thank someone? (jasak-allah)
When we participate in prayer? (Ameen)
When we praise something that pleases us? (subhaan-allah)
2)Are Manners important to us?
3)How should we treat other Muslims?
4)How should we treat non-muslims?
5)How did the Prophet Hud (a) treat the People of Ad?
6)What examples can we find from the story of Prophet Hud (a)?
Activity
(Social behavior)Role play - "What would an Ad-ian say?"
Imagine you are living in the time of the prophet Hud (a).
You have just heard that there is only one god named Allah.
You have had a tradition for many many years in your family for worshipping many gods. What feelings might you be feeling when the porphet Hud tells you that you are worshipping false gods?
What would it take for you to believe as he believed?
"What would a companion say?"
Imagine you are a follower of the prophet Hud(a). You believe that there is only one god named Allah. Your best friend is the Ad-ian mentioned in the text above. You don't want him/her to be destroyed by the windstorm because he/she is your friend. How would you try to convice that person that they need to change their belief? (discuss the concept of 'Dawah')
Mom's take notes for the book we are making for the prophets study.
Week 4
Weekly Goal:
Then and Now Discussion **Moms note: you can print out the photos referenced here for pasting into your prophet books or you can view them together online for the older ones. I find that with my little ones, it is better to have the stuff already out for viewing and touching before we discuss it. This is true particularly with my 2 year old, she likes to see the pictures over and over again while we talk about them.
How has the land and people changed since the Prophet Hud (a) first called the people to Islam?
The people of Ad lived in the windswept hills between Yemen and Oman.
Many many years ago the region was apparently a very fertile plain with plenty of water, grasses and good things to eat. The industrious people who lived there had built elaborate dams to redirect the water from flash floods to irrigate the plains for crops.
"Long since washed away, the Great Dam of Ma'rib was a massive earthen barrier faced with stone slabs set with lime mortar. It was built to withstand the assault of seasonal flash floods surging down the wadi at a rate of 1,700 cubic meters a second - that is, bearing 2,000 or more tons of water and silt per second. The dam's purpose was not to create a reservoir, but to divert this turbulent mass into two sluices, north and south, and then into stilling basins. From there two broad canals further calmed the water before distributing it through a vast network of smaller and then smaller canals and an irrigation system that reached twenty miles or more into the open desert. All told, 24,000 acres (9,600 hectares) were brought under cultivation, enough to sustain a city of 30,000 to 50,000 people. This man-made oasis became known as the "Garden of the Two Paradises." "
See this website for photos of the remains of one of these structures called the Mareb Dam.
http://www.yementimes.com/98/iss52/lastpage.htm
What does the country look like today? Take a look at these cities particularly the city of Sana'a. The architecture of this city is typical for this region. mud brick houses.
http://www.yemen-explorers.com/places.htm
or try this one which looks like an ancient caravan map of Yeman and the cities within.
http://www.yemennet.com/tour/intro.htm
The region then and now (putting the message into context)
Read about how the region became known as the land of the fortunate arabs due to trading of franincence.
http://www.adventurearabia.com/storynf.htm
Today the land of Yeman has an arid dry climate typical of desert. There is very little trace of it's fertile past. The only remains seem to be the ruins of towers and temples in the places where the people of Ad were said to live by the bedoiuns who travel the desert. According to their oral history, the ground where the Adites lived still does not grow a single living plant as a rememberance of the terrible punishment from Allah on these people.
Activity
Map work
Put maps into 'My Book of Prophets', at the end of the chapter.
http://www.aytta.org/hadhramout1.htm
coloring
Cultural information/food/dress.
http://www.aiys.org/webdate/yemlinks.html
Lastly, here is a photo gallery of yemenese sights and people
http://www.al-bab.com/dubaitours/pictures.htm
