Teachers Book Surah Al-'Adiyat

MODULES BY SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” Overview Surah al-‘Ādiyāt was revealed in Makkah when there was a war, in which the Prophet has sent a group of horsed men. However, after a month, there was still no news about the men sent into the war. So, the Prophet was worried. As a result, Allah sent down this surah to inform him about their condition that they are fighting for Islam bravely. Even so, aside from visualizing the bravery of the army, this surah also describes one of the blameworthy behaviours of man. This description is about man’s greed and recklessness. And this description is then followed by a reminder that man will be resurrected, and that the contents of their hearts will be exposed. 1

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” TAFSEER BY AYAT 1 An Army of Horsed Men. “By the galloping, panting horses,” Allah starts the surah by mentioning a group of horsed men that are in action. This surah starts with the middle part of a story, a shocking beginning without any introductory background, and without wasting any time, it immerses the audiences in the story. This is to conjure suspense and tension. 2 Sparks of Fire Everywhere. “Striking sparks of “fire with their hoofs”,” In the midst of the tension, sparks of fire appeared here and there because of the hoofs striking the stones and the rocks under the horses’ feet. It also shows that these horses were pacing in a very high speed. 2

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” 3 They Charge at Dawn. “Launching raids at dawn,” Furthermore, these horsed men attacked their enemies at dawn. In a battle, the dawn is the least suitable time to raid the enemies. This is because this is the time when the enemies are at their most prepared state. Also, this is the time where the sunlight starts to shine on the world, making everything visible. To be visible to your enemies is certainly not a good idea. 4 Flying Dusts. “Stirring up “clouds of” dust,” And because the number of horses that are raiding was many, and they were in the middle of the desert, sands and dust flew everywhere, obscuring everyone’s vision. 3

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” 5 Behind Enemy Lines. “And penetrating into the heart of enemy lines!” When the sands and dusts settle, they horsed men suddenly found themselves surrounded by their enemies. Initially, the enemies were in front of them. But when the dusts obscured everything, they were uncertain about their own whereabouts. But when they finally found themselves out, the situation was much more intensified. 6 Man Is Ungrateful. “Surely humankind is ungrateful to their Lord,” After a very vivid description of a situation, the focus of the surah suddenly shifts, turning its focus towards the audiences themselves. And out of the blue, suddenly man is described as being ungrateful towards God. 4

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” 7 Man Is Witness Upon Himself. “And they certainly attest to this;” Ironically, man knows for certain himself that is indeed ungrateful. And this is shown in his acts and speeches. 8 Man Loves Wealth Excessively. “And they are truly extreme in their love of “worldly”gains.” Even though he realizes about his own ingratitude, he still loves his wealth unconditionally. And is still hoarding and accumulating wealth without a second thought, just as the horses charged towards the enemies without even thinking about the consequences. 5

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” 9 Graves Will be Emptied. “Do they not know that when the contents of the graves will be spilled out.” Nevertheless, everyone will surely meet their terminal fate. And everyone will be resurrected in the hereafter. This is the kind of situation that God pictures. Man will not be left alone, thinking that the story of his life will only end in the grave. Nay! He will be brought out from his grave whether he likes it or not. 10 Heart Contents Will be Exposed.t “And the secrets of the hearts will be laid bare?” After he is resurrected, all of his dark secrets will be made public. He will come to know about the bad deeds that he has done, although he was not even aware of it during his lifetime. 6

SURAH “AT-TIN” 8 Allah the All-Knowing. “Surely their Lord is All-Aware of them on that Day.” Although they are not aware of it, Allah is ever aware of everything, never forgets anything, never misses anything. And He, out of His all-encompassing awareness, will make man aware of their own destruction. Conclusion : In short, surah al-‘Ādiyāt describes man’s negligence in his behaviours, his love of wealth, and his heedlessness towards God and his own fate in the hereafter. 7

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITIES WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION In week 1, we will be focusing on the first five verses of surah al-‘Ādiyāt. Among the aspects that will be explored are the horses itself, its biology, and its value for humans. Day 1 explores the anatomy of the head of a horse. This anatomy allows the students to understand what makes a horse such a strong and amazing creature. Day 2 explores the feats that a horse can do with its biological stature. And Day 3 touches on the kinds of excitement that these feats can produce and why humans are so attracted to horses. 8

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 1 : E GG H O R S E LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Identify the parts of a horse head correctly. 2. Explain how the features of a horse’s head enable it to run in a tremendous speed correctly. SET INDUCTION Horses are one of the most fascinating animals that live on the surface of the Earth. They are very fascinating because of their beautiful body and the speed that they can achieve when running. They are so fast that even the power of our car engines is measured by “horsepower”. How do horses achieve such a speed? Let us take a look at the anatomy of the head of a horse. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Egg. 1. Boil an egg. 2. Assorted 2. Decorate the egg with the vegetables to look like a vegetables. horse. 3. Scissors. LESSONS 1. Horses are always understood to be a symbol of power. Because horses can travel in a great distance within a very short span of time. in other words, horses are very fast. 2. But, aside from the speed that they can muster FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to create the head of a horse with every organ available: a. Eyes. b. Mouth. c. Nostrils. d. Ears. e. Mane. f. The shape of the head. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students how all of these organs help the horse to be a speedy animal. a. Non-bulging eyes shape the aerodynamic head. b. Big mouth helps in breathing in a large amount of oxygen needed. c. Huge forward-facing nostrils help in easy breathing process. d. Ears facing backwards to reduce drag. e. Mane helps the head to keep cool. f. The pointy-head shape helps reduce drag. 9

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 2 : S P A R K S CA N D LE LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, student will be able to: 1. Explain one of the ways fire can be produced. 2. Visualize the imagery of verse 2. SET INDUCTION Have you seen a fast car? If the car goes extremely fast, what will happen? The tires are set on fire. Similarly, when horses run extremely fast, their hoofs strike the rocks under their feet and produce sparks of fire. What is it like when that happens? Let’s make an experiment. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Matches. 2. Candle. 1. Cut the heads of the matchsticks and crush them to 3. Scissors. dust. You will have the match powder. 2. Light up the candle. 3. Carefully sprinkle some match powders on the candle fire. LESSONS 1. There will be flashes of sparks produced by the powder hitting the candle fire. 2. In the Quran, the sparks are mentioned in verse 2. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to conduct the experiment properly. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to explain how fires are produced: a. By violent friction. b. By chemical reactions. 2. Ask the student to describe the scene of verse 2. Some important items to include are horses, hoofs, ground, speed, and sparks of fire. 10

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 3 : H O R S E R ACE t LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, student will be able to describe the behaviours of humans in the horse metaphor precisely. SET INDUCTION In verse 1-5, Allah uses the metaphor of horses to describe the behaviour of man. What is this behaviours that Allah is referring to? Let’s find out! MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. A pencil. 2. A paper. 1. This is a multiple player game. 2. Draw a race track according to your own imagination. 3. Mark the starting point and the end point. Determine turns. 4. Start the game. Using a pencil, hold its non-lead end with the index finger. 5. Push forward your finger to draw your horse’s path. Race until the end. LESSONS 1. The horse is a fascinating animal. 2. Its speed and beauty are some of the characteristics that make horses fascinating. 3. Ironically, it is the qualities that humans like in them are the very qualities that Allah ascribes to humans. 4. Humans are like horses when it comes to the beauty of this world. They become blinded from the hereafter and hasten towards worldly benefits. 5. Through the game and the desire to win, students can discover their inner competitiveness. 6. Competitiveness in itself is not bad. However, when directed towards the world, then it becomes blameworthy. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to point out the behaviour of humans that are referred to in the metaphor: a. Love of wealth. b. Greedy. Hasteful towards worldly riches and benefits. 11

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITIES WEEK 2 INTRODUCTION In week 2, we are going to look into the second half of the five first verse of al-‘Ādiyāt. Where the first two verses Allah describes the situation of the raiding horses itself, in verse 3 Allah shifts the perspective in describing the environment in which the situation takes place. Day 1 describes the time of the horse raid, which is during the dawn. Meanwhile, Day 2 activity describes the condition of the horse raid in relation to its enemies. The horsed armies raid their enemies relentlessly and suddenly find themselves behind enemy lines. Then, Day 3 resolves the horse metaphor and explores the meaning of the metaphor, which is to allude to the greedy human behaviour. 12

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 1 : L AVA L A MP LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Explain the meaning of the metaphor that Allah uses in verse 3. 2. Describe the behaviours of light in different mediums. SET INDUCTION Previously we have looked into the first part of the first five verses. Verses 1-2 describe the condition of the horses. Here, in the second part of the metaphor, Allah describes the time of the attack. The horsed men attack their enemies at dawn, further substantiating Allah’s description of their greed and recklessness. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Clear jar with 1. Fill the jar three-quarters full of water. Add drops of lid food colouring until you like the colour you see. A few drops go a long way! Sprinkle in glitter for extra sparkle. 2. Water 2. Fill the jar almost to the top with the oil and let the 3. Food mixture separate. colouring 3. Pour salt into the jar until you see the cool lava lamp 4. Glitter effect. When the bubbles stop, add more salt to see it again. 5. Vegetable oil 4. Shine a flashlight behind the jar to watch your lava lamp 6. Salt really glow! 7. Flashlight HOW DOES IT WORK? The secret behind the lamp’s “lava” is science. Oil is lighter, or less dense, than water, so it rises to the surface. Salt is heavier, or denser, than water, and sinks to the bottom. When you add the salt, blobs of oil attach to the grains and sink. Then the salt dissolves, and the oil returns to the top. The result? A liquid show for the eyes. LESSONS 1. Allah mentioned from Surah Al- ‘Ādiyāt from verse 3 that “Raiding at dawn”. 2. They attack their enemies at dawn. 3. The troop is attacking its enemies at dawn. In a battle, dawn time is the least suitable time to launch an attack. 4. This is because it is the time where the enemy is at their most prepared state. 5. Also, it is because it is the time where light is entering the world, therefore everything is visible. 6. For an ambush to be launched in a bright situation is, of course, not a very bright idea. 13

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” LESSONS ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to explain the meaning of the metaphor that Allah uses in verse 3. 2. Ask the students to describe what happens to light when it travels through different mediums. a. Light travels faster in less dense mediums and moves slower in denser mediums. b. For example, light travels faster in water than in oil, but even faster in air than in water. 3. Ask them to describe how the nature of light affects the colour of the sky in different times of the day and the night. SUGGESTION : 1. What is the meaning behind the metaphor that Allah uses in verse 3? 2. What happens to the light when we put it in water? Why is the behaviour of light different when we put it in water and in oil? 3. Why the colour of the sky is during the day is different than during the night? 14

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 2 : T H R O W IT ! LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, student will be able to explain the meaning of the metaphor in verse 5: the consequences of recklessly chasing worldly success. SET INDUCTION In the last verse we have looked at the behaviour of humans who love wealth so much and are reckless in chasing it. Why is this behaviour so disliked by Allah? And what will be the consequences of committing one’s self to this kind of behaviour? This is the aspect that will be explored in this activity based on verse 5. Let’s find out! MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Rubber band. 1. Give 3 rubber bands to each student. 2. Marker pen or 2. Draw a line and a circle. Gap between these two is tape. 2m-3m. 3. Put 10 rubber bands in the circle. 4. Ask students to stand behind the line and face the circle. 5. Vote to get a turn between students. 6. The 1st student throws his rubber band into the circle. 7. If the rubber band touches or intersects with others, those rubber bands become his. 8. If it didn’t, the 1st person wastes his turn and will have to wait for another turn. LESSONS 1. Based on verse 5; ‘and plunging into the midst of the enemy’, this activity is to reflect the horse jumping into the centre, as how the students throw the rubber band into the centre of the circle. 2. In relation to the whole metaphor, it reflects the behaviour of humans who do many things in a recklessly manner without thinking of its consequences. 3. For all they know, suddenly they are in the middle of a problem. 4. Therefore, just like the students need to be careful in throwing the rubber bands, we, too, need to be careful in managing our lives so as not to chase the wrong things. 15

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” LESSONS ASSESSMENT 1. Ask the students to explain on the consequences of recklessly chasing the wealth of this world. SUGGESTION : 1. Do you love wealth? 2. What will you do to collect wealth? 3. What will happen if you recklessly chase the wealth of this world? 16

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 3 : W H O S E T R E ASUR E I S T H I S ? LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the wealth the belong to Allah. SET INDUCTION Previously, we learned about the consequences of the human behaviour who recklessly chases for wealth of the world. One of the human natures is being attracted to wealth and power. Humans are full of arrogance and claim that his wealth is attained by his own efforts. Don’t they know that all the wealth in this world belongs to Allah? Let’s us do an activity to understand this. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Flour. 2. Sweets. 1. Teacher brings all the items stated. 3. Trays. 4. Straws. 2. Put the flour onto the tray and spread out the sweets in the flour. 3. Repeat step 2 for two or three trays according to number of students’ group. 4. Divide the students to two or three groups. With each of them put the straw given into their mouth. That straw given is to blow the flour to find the sweets. 5. Let them be in line. 6. Then make a race among the group. LESSONS Allah mentioned from Surah Al-‘Ādiyāt from verse 8 that “And he is excessive in his love of wealth.” From this verse we can learn that all the wealth is belong to Allah. And Allah The Most Gracious gives the rizq so that we will be a good Muslim. LESSON ASSESSMENT 1. What is the difference between our wealth and Allah’s wealth? 2. How can we benefit from our wealth according to the will of Allah? 17

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITIES WEEK 3 INTRODUCTION In this week, we are exploring multiple aspects of greed. Day 1 explores the aspect of man’s discontentment towards God’s blessings. He always has something to complain about even though God has given him many other things. Day 2 explores man’s tight grip and staunch love towards worldly life and the fleeting nature of worldly possessions. 18

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 1 : J U D G E YO U R SE LF B E F O R E YO U AR E JUD G E D ! LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to practice the concept of introspection (muhāsabah). SET INDUCTION In the last session, we have learned about an ingrained ungrateful behaviour in humans. In this session, we will look whether we possess such a behaviour ourselves or not. For that purpose, we need to learn how to introspect ourselves before we will be judged on the Day of Judgment. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. A marker pen. 2. A whiteboard. 1. Using a marker pen, divide the whiteboard into two parts. 2. On the left side, label the side “My Wishes”. 3. On the right side of the board, label “God’s gifts”. 4. Ask the students to try to fill both sides of the whiteboard as many as possible. 5. At the end of the activity, observe which side of the whiteboard is more filled. 6. Invite the students to an introspection. LESSONS 1. Surah al-‘Ādiyāt is a psychologically thought-provoking surah. 2. It invites us to reflect on the inner behaviour of our hearts. 3. One of the things that it invites us to think about is our love of wealth and our unconscious ingratitude towards God’s gift. 4. If we are able to list out many gifts from God, it means that we do have gratitude. And we need to keep being grateful. 5. However, if we listed more of our desires, then it means that we are not yet able to really appreciate what God has given us. Therefore, we need to train ourselves more to really be grateful with what we have. LESSON ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION : 1. What do you think when you know how much Allah gives you to achieve what you want? 2. How do you feel about giving up your dream even after you realize that Allah gives you a gift to go for it? 19

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 2 : F LYI N G MO N EY LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to develop an argument for the fleeting nature of worldly wealth. SET INDUCTION In the previous activity, we have looked into ourselves whether or not we have the bad behaviour that is mentioned by Allah. But what if we do have such a behaviour? How do we convince ourselves that it is bad? Let us play a game! MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. A piece of 1. Call forward two volunteers from among the students. bank note (The higher 2. Ask one of them to extend one of his hands out and make the value, the a claw-like shape and raise it up to waist level. better). 3. The other student has to position a bank note in between 2. Students. the “claw”. The student needs to grip the bank note after a count to three. 4. On the count to three, release the bank note to fall. 5. The objective of the bank note student is to ensure the claw student fails to grip the bank note. 6. Gamify the activity to make things more interesting. To make things more interesting, make it into a challenge. If the student can actually catch the bank note, then it will be his/hers. LESSONS 1. The bank note represents the wealth of this world. 2. The wealth of this world is fleeting just like the bank note escaping the student’s grip. 3. It is hard to acquire them, and once acquired, it is hard to maintain. Because everybody is racing and competing for the same thing. 4. And man’s love towards this wealth is represented by the claw. 5. Because of this staunch love towards wealth, man tries to grab it even before it is opportune. And even when the wealth is not meant for him. LESSON ASSESSMENT 1. Is it true that worldly world has its fleeting nature? 2. If so, why we still collect and go for worldly wealth? 20

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITIES WEEK 4 INTRODUCTION In verse 9-10, Allah mentions that man’s grave will be opened up and its contents will be scattered. How is that possible? Let’s do an activity to understand this verse. In the last verse, Allah reminds us that His knowledge of us is Khabir. Al-Khabir means a knowledge that is so detailed that nothing is outside of it. How do we understand this? Let’s do an activity. 21

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 1 : R E ST I N H E R E LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: a) List down a few names of a good people in the past. b) Explain on how they want people to remember them. SET INDUCTION Previously, we learned about people who have bad behaviours. Do you know that after we die people will remember us with the way we behaved? If we have a good manner, and good behaviour, people will remember us positively. Let’s us do an introspective activity to reflect our behaviour. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. A piece of 1. This is an introspective activity. The teacher should paper. trigger the students to think deeply. 2. A pen. 2. Begin by showing to them a gravestone with an engraved quote. Explain to them that this quote is a summary of a person’s life. 3. For example, a man named Abu has died. And on his gravestone, it is written: “a good man and a loyal friend”. The quote implies that Abu was a good person and that his friends loved him when he was still alive. 4. The quote engraved on the gravestone is a testimony by other people of who we were in our life. If we lived as a good person, people would remember us positively. But if not, then our departure from this world will not be missed. 5. Now, ask the students to ask themselves: “how would they like people to remember them?” and ask them to type their answers in the chat area. 6. Then, share a reminder with them to be kept in mind for everyone, that if we want to be remembered as a good person, then we should live as a good person. 22

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” LESSONS 1. Even among fellow humans, our deeds are known. That is why some people are remembered for being a good person. And some are known for being bad. 2. For example, many people in history like Uzair, Uwais al-Qarni, Hasan al-Basri and even the prophets are remembered for being the examples of good people. 3. Meanwhile, people like Firawn, Qarun, Hitler and Mussolini are remembered for their evil actions. 4. If even humans can know about our deeds, then Allah surely knows much more. Because it is He who has created us. And He is the All-Seeing and the All-Knowing. LESSON ASSESSMENT 1. Can you give some examples of good people in the past? 2. Can you explain about the way you would want people to remember you after you are gone? 23

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 2 : T H E R E IS N O B LI ND S POT I N ALLAH ’ S KNO WL EDGE LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, student will be able to: 1. Explain the greatness of Allah’s vision and the difference with the human vision. 2. State two or more wisdom behind the limitation of human’s eyes. SET INDUCTION Previously, we learned about how people remember us based on our behaviour. Human’s vision is very limited where we only see what in front us, but it is different to Allah’s vision where he can see everything without limitation. Let’s us do an activity to see how limited our vision are! MATERIAL INSTRUCTION Two pencils 1. Have the students holding the two pencils in each hand. 2. Ask the students to close one eye. 3. Then, ask them to move the pencils randomly in any directions for a minute or two. 4. After that, ask them to have the two pencils’ lead touch each other with one eye closed. 5. For the second time, ask them to do the same. This time with both eyes open. LESSONS 1. Our vision needs both eyes to determine depth perception. It is how we determine either an object is far from or near to us. 2. If one of our eyes does not function, then we would have trouble in seeing clearly. 3. This shows that our vision, which is one of the tools of knowledge, is limited. It has a blind spot. There are things that it is not able to know. 4. However, Allah’s knowledge is not so. He knows everything about us. His knowledge has no blind spots. 5. This is because apart from His comprehensive knowledge, all of creations act as His witness. Including us, as mentioned in verse 7. LESSON ASSESSMENT 1. What are the differences between the human vision and the vision of Allah? 2. What is the wisdom behind the limitedness of the human vision? 24

SURAH “AL-‘ADIYAT” ACTIVITY 3 : JO U R N A L O F S UR AH AL- ‘ AD I YAT LESSON OUTCOME At the end of the lesson, student will be able to recall all the lesson of surah Al-‘Adiyat. MATERIAL INSTRUCTION 1. Paper 1. Give the students a few pieces of paper printed with pictures of horse. 2. Colour Pencils 2. Let them stick on the plain paper. 3. Decorations Paper 3. They can also draw other pictures based on what they have learned about Surah Al ‘Ādiyāt throughout the month. 4. They may decorate their papers as they wish! LESSONS Repetition and self -directed learning are part of effective revision. The student easily to revise what they learnt throughout the surah. 25