Teachers Book Surah Al-Layl

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl SURAH 92: AL-LAYL ‫سورة الليل‬ THE NIGHT Learning Outcomes: At the end of this Surah, the students will learn the following themes: 1. The diverse natural phenomena as a metaphor to human activities. 2. The diversity of human activities – good and bad. 3. The different outcomes of the activities – Heaven and Hell. 4. The virtue of hidāyah and the vice of wealth. SURAH OVERVIEW Surah al-Layl was revealed in Makkah, making it a Makkiyyah surah. It was revealed during the same period with surah al-Shams, which was during the early mission of the Prophet. This surah was revealed in conjunction with the emancipation of Bilal by Abu Bakr from Umayyah bin Khalaf. In this event, Abu Bakr demonstrated his magnanimity by freeing Bilal at a very high price. Yet, the purpose of him doing so was not to acquire any worldly ends but to strive for the love of Allah. This surah was revealed to picture the deeds of mankind which are always incoherent. It begins with the description of the phenomena of night and day, the paired nature of all of the creations, and the wide variety of human behaviours. It then describes the two types of human behaviour that are always incoherent with each other. The first are the behaviour of generosity, fear of Allah, and truthfulness. The second set of behaviours are the behaviour of miserliness, arrogance, and turning away from the truth.  The first group of people is promised with ease and Paradise, while the second one is promised with hardships in both this world and the next. After that, Allah reminds us about the fiery Hell, whose residents are the worst of scums. They are the people who turn their back against the Revelation. Meanwhile, Hell is distanced very far away from the muttaqīn. They are those who give away their wealth so that they can be purified by Allah. These are the people who are loved by Allah and will be rewarded handsomely until they become utterly satisfied from the rewards.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl Surah al-Layl is related to surah al-Ḍuḥā as an explanation for the Prophet’s sadness. The Prophet was sad not only because the Revelation was halted for a long time, but also because of the harsh opposition by the disbelievers. Handling the various sorts of opposition exhausted the Prophet physically and emotionally. It is also related to surah al-Shams by explaining the meaning of the fortunes that the people who purify themselves will enjoy. And it explains the meaning of loss for those who have corrupted their own souls. TAFSIR CORNER 1. The Night-Time. “By the night as it covers.” Allah begins the surah with an oath on the engulfing night. The word “yaghshā” refers to an act of engulfing something gradually, just as the night-time engulfing everything slowly. The phenomenon of the night is very symbolic. It refers to the bad side of human behaviour. And it is the usual expression and metaphor that the Quran uses the theme of night-time and darkness to refer to evil. Therefore, just as the darkness of night inhibits vision, so too the darkness of the heart makes a person blind towards his own bad deeds. And just as night-time engulfs everything gradually, so too bad deeds will turn a heart dark slowly but surely. 2. The Day Time. “And the day as it reveals.” Then, Allah makes an oath on the daytime. The word “tajallā” is an antonym of “yaghshā”, meaning to manifest oneself immediately. Hence, when the sun arrives, its light immediately penetrates the darkness of the night. Therefore, the daytime phenomenon is symbolic of good deeds. Just as the sunlight makes everything visible, so too a bright heart can distinguish right and wrong clearly. Also, even a small act of piety can already make clear a person’s good side. (Surah Hūd: 114) 3. Allah Has Created Everything in Pairs. “And He who created the male and the female.” Next, Allah expresses the diversity of His creations in terms of male and female. Every creation has its pair. Night time is the pair for daytime, evil is the pair to good and many others. Everything has its in-purpose and the interactions between these things produce

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl various results – sometimes in conformity with each other, but sometimes in opposition to each other. And their interactions move the universe. 4. Varieties of Human Behaviour. “Your endeavours are indeed diverse.” All of the examples of the natural world mentioned are to allude to the diversity of human behaviour. Just as the universe is diverse, so too are human deeds. Sometimes they are in tandem, like when humans cooperate towards a noble goal; sometimes they are in disagreements, like when some groups are trying to better the society while at the same time another group tries to corrupt it. Similarly, it is the same situation concerning individual humans. Sometimes, a person does well. But sometimes, his desire gets the better of him. This shows that human behaviours are full of contradiction. 5. Infāq and Taqwā. “As for him who gives and is righteous.” After that, Allah goes on to detail out the contradictions found in human behaviour. On one side, some people do good by giving away their wealth and perform acts of piety. In this verse, Allah uses the word “aʿṭā”. This word means to give things in a large amount and to give them frequently. The total amount of these gifts is always more than the recipients need. An example is an event where Abu Bakr freed Bilal from Umayyah bin Khalaf as well as the people of Madinah who helped the people of Makkah who migrated to Madinah. The help that they gave changed the fate of others forever. The word “taqwā”, on the other hand, means to shield one’s self from something. This can be understood as someone shielding himself from the fire of Hell by obeying Allah’s commands and distancing one’s self from His prohibitions. These are the people who spend their wealth for others, as a means of shielding themselves from Hell. 6. Truthfulness. “And confirms goodness.” These people are so generous because they affirmed the truth of the rewards. They know that their deeds will not be left unrewarded. Therefore, Allah mentions these two attributes – verifying the truth and affirm goodness – as the sources of their noble behaviour. A generous person is not considered truly pious if he does not verify the truth and affirm goodness. And a person is not considered to be a true believer unless he is generous and pious.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl “al-Ḥusnā” mentioned in this verse refers to “Lā ilāha illaLlāh”. Therefore, believing in goodness means believing in the oneness of Allah. 7. Easy Way to the Paradise. “We will ease his way towards the Ease.” For these people, Allah will ease for them the path to do good things. If before they had to struggle to be good, then after their faith is proven, being good is made easy for them. This is very important because some people wanted to be good, but they are not strong enough to do so. As a result, they give up. Therefore, help from Allah is very important. Also, “al-yusrā” can also mean Paradise. Therefore, it is understood that Allah has made their way to the Paradise easy. 8. Misers and Arrogant People. “But as for him who is stingy and complacent.” Next, Allah gives examples of the opposite, that is, the bad deeds. These are exemplified by the habit of miserliness and arrogance. The word “bakhīl” in this verse refers not only to those who are stingy but also to those who encourage others to be stingy. Not only they refuse to help others, but they also prohibit others from helping others. And then they always think they are sufficient by themselves. They do not need Allah. They think they have everything. And they think they can master their own lives without Allah. 9. Turning Away. “And denies goodness.” They behave in such a manner because they deny the oneness of Allah. 10. Easy Fall into Hell. “We will ease his way towards difficulty.” Because they want to indulge themselves in bad deeds so much, Allah eases their way to bad things. Because they themselves have ‘asked’ to be bad, therefore Allah allows them to do so. However, because evil only begets evil, therefore it is only fit that they are thrown into Hell. Consequently, Allah eases for them their way to Hell. Such is the nature of guidance and deviance. Whoever chooses to be good, Allah will help him. And whoever chooses to be evil, Allah will also let him. (Surah al-Kahfi: 29)

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 1: NIGHT AND DAY (VERSE 1 & 2) Introduction: The focused themes are the various natural phenomena and the diverse human behaviours. And the former is a simile to the latter. Lesson 1 conducts an activity on the alternation of night and day as one of the most distinct examples of the variety of natural phenomena. Set Induction: In verse 1 and 2, Allah describes the phenomenon of night and day as a metaphor to the human behaviour. What is the behaviour meant here? Let us do an activity to understand it. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Understand the cycle of night and day. 2. Understand the cycle as a metaphor to the human behaviour. Materials: 1. Colour paint. 2. Paper plates. 3. Paint brush. 4. Sun and moon stickers. 5. Brass paper brad. 6. Craft knife. Procedure: 1. Begin by painting half of a paper plate black for the night time. 2. Then, dip the paint brush in a white paint and drip some white dots on the black part for stars. Let it dry. 3. Then, paint the other half with a light blue for the daytime. Let it dry. 4. Next, stick the sun and moon stickers to their respective time zones. 5. After that, get another paper plate, make a semi-circle hole on the half part of the plate. 6. Lastly, combine both of the paper plates and pin a “brass paper brad” in the middle of both the plates. 7. Refer: (https://nontoygifts.com/day-and-night-craft/) Lessons: 1. The opposite nature of night and day resembles the opposite natures of the human being. 2. Humans always desire something else but do something else. 3. They desire for happiness, but they spend their lives committing sins that only worsen their misery. Lesson Assessment: 1. How does the cycle of night and day occur? 2. What does the cycle symbolize?

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 2: DIVERSITY – SPUD GAME (VERSE 4) Introduction: Lesson 2 touches on the diversity of human behaviours.  Set Induction: In verse 4, Allah describes the nature of human behavior as being contradictory. What does it mean by contradictory? Let’s play a game to understand its meaning. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand the meaning of contradiction as mentioned in verse 2. Materials: 1. A group of students (at least 5 students) 2. A ball. Refer: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCqD8XxFD-Y&t=111s) Procedure: 1. Choose a student to hold the ball. 2. All players must gather in the middle first. 3. The student holding the ball then throws the ball upwards.  4. When the ball is still in the air, the students run away as far away as they can. 5. But when the ball is caught back, all players must freeze.  6. And the holder will target all the other players. 7. Other players cannot move to evade the ball.  8. And the thrower is allowed to make three moves only. 9. If the ball hits the target, the target gets an “S”. If not, the thrower gets it.  10. Whoever gets all the letters “S”, “P”, “U” and “D” first loses. 11. Every time a player gets a letter, everyone will gather back at the centre. Lessons: 1. In verse 2 of surah al-Layl, Allah describes the behaviour of mankind as being contradictory. 2. This is because humans always dream of getting something but end up doing something else. 3. For example, humans dream of being successful, but are lazy. They dream of going to Heaven but commit sins. 4. We must strive to make our deeds focused so that we get to be near to Allah. Lesson Assessment: 1. What does being contradictory mean in verse 2? 2. What are the examples of contradictory human behaviour?

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl TAFSIR CORNER 11. Useless Wealth. “And his wealth will not help him when he has fallen.” As for these evil people, Allah asks rhetorically whether their wealth will have any benefit in Hell. The word “taraddā” means to fall into an abyss. What is this abyss? It is the abyss of a sorrow grave and the pits of Hell. Hence, with all the punishments waiting for them, what will be their fate after they have left all of their wealth? 12. Hidāyah Belongs to Allah. “It is upon Us to guide.” And Allah stresses that guidance solely belongs to Him. Whoever thinks that his worldly possessions can save him in the hereafter has done a very grave mistake. Because the only thing that can save him in the hereafter is guidance, with it he can do good deeds. Without guidance, he will remain in his error.  13. Everything Is in Fact Belongs to Allah. “And to Us belong the Last and the First.” Not only guidance. The whole universe is His. Human wealth, human bodies, and even their souls belong to Him. Therefore, nothing can be generated and made successful except with the permission of Allah. If anyone thinks that he can save himself in the hereafter, then he has made a grave mistake. Only by obeying His commands can we ensure our safety in the hereafter. This verse has several meanings, which are all true: (a) that we cannot escape His decree whether in this world or the next, because He is the Ruler of both; (b) that this world and the hereafter are under the power of Allah, whether humans obey Him or not. If humans do wrongs, they only wrong themselves. And if they do good things, the benefits are only for themselves; and (c) that Allah is the God of both worlds. Therefore, if humans are striving for this world, only Allah can give him. And if he strives towards the hereafter, it is Allah also who will guarantee his fate.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 3: RACING TO THE HEREAFTER (VERSE 13) Introduction: The focus here is on verse 13 and 17. Both of the verses touch on the value of the hereafter as being more valuable than this world. Even so, there are two destinations in the hereafter – heaven and hell. To enter heaven, we need to avoid hell first. Therefore, this lesson conducts an activity to touch on the excellence of the hereafter as compared to this world. Set Induction: In verse 13, Allah informs us that the environment and the promises of the hereafter are better and more everlasting than this world. What should we do about this information? Let us play a game to understand it. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand the importance of racing towards the hereafter. Materials: 1. Playdough. 2. Ping pong ball. 3. Straw. Procedure: 1. Use play doughs to create a track, with a starting line and a finish line. 2. Then, blow the ball using a straw from the starting point to the finish line.  3. Refer: (https://www.raisingdragons.com/ping-pong-playdough-straw-maze/) Lessons: 1. Allah has announced the Hereafter as being better than this world. 2. Therefore, we have to strive in this world for our well-being in the hereafter. Lesson Assessment: 1. Which one is more excellent? The world or the hereafter? 2. If the hereafter is better than this world, then what should we do?

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl TAFSIR CORNER 14. Allah Has Reminded. “I have warned you of a Fierce Blaze.” After describing all the types of deeds and their implications, Allah reminds us about Hellfire. Not only He is giving a reminder about Hell, but also a reminder of the said reminder. The word “andhartukum” means to remind with a sense of urgency. It is a type of reminder that has elaborated on the nature of the hereafter at length. Hence, with this reminder, there is no excuse for him to be negligent of the threats of Hell. 15. A Place for the Scums. “None will burn in it except the very wicked.” In addition, Hell is the residence of the worst of scums. And none will enter it except for those who are truly evil. The word “yaṣlāhā” means to enter something willingly. It means the entry is not by force. In other words, the bad people will enter Hell out of willingness because they have chosen the path of evil when they are still alive in this world. Therefore, choosing the path of evil is the same as choosing to enter Hell willingly. So, no one can be blamed for their misfortune except for themselves.  16. The Disbelievers Reject the Revelation. “He who denies and turns away.” Who are these worst of scums? They are those who refuse to verify the truth of Islam even when the truth is already clear to them. Not only that, they even tried to distance themselves from the truth. They covered their ears, refusing to listen to the proofs that Islam has. They have closed their hearts from studying the proofs of Islam. 17. Pious People are Protected. “But the devout will avoid it.” On the other hand, the muttaqīn will be safeguarded from Hell. “Yujannabu” means to be placed very far away from something, to the extent that the dangers that it brings will not afflict the person. Similarly, the muttaqīn, because of their efforts in distancing themselves from Allah’s wrath, will be shielded from Hell. Not only they will not feel the heat, but they will also not see Hell.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl 18. People Who Give Away Their Wealth. “He who gives his money to become pure.” Who are the muttaqīn? They are the people who give away their wealth for those who truly need it. And the purpose of their giving away was not worldly, but to attain purification of the soul from anything unlawful. The word used here is “yuʾtī” which means to give even in a small amount. This shows that not only those who give more will become a muttaqīn, but also those who give little of what they have. Hence, as long as a person gives away, no matter how small, will still be counted and he will become a muttaqīn. 19. Willingly Giving Without Regret. “Seeking no favour in return.” The muttaqīn are those who spend their wealth willingly. They help others not because they feel obliged, but because their hearts are so pure that they just love to help others.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 4: SHIELD FROM HELL (VERSE 17) Introduction: And this touches on the excellence of rescuing ourselves from hell and how to do it. Set Induction: In verse 17, Allah promises to the righteous that they will be distanced from hell. Let us conduct an experiment to understand His promises. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Understand the importance of taqwā based on verse 17. 2. Understand how water can prevent the fire from being distinguished. Materials: 1. Candle. 2. Glass bowl. 3. Match sticks. 4. Water. Procedure: 1. Light a candle with a matchstick. Then, make it stand in a glass bowl. 2. Make sure the depth of the bowl is not higher than the height of the candle.  3. Then, fill the glass bowl with water until it is full. 4. And observe what happens.  Refer: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XSzJibma1s) Lessons: 1. The water helps the candle to remain cool from being melted by the fire. 2. Therefore, the fire is not immediately extinguished.  3. However, only after a while the water puts out the fire. 4. Taqwā is the water that will protect us from the fire of hell. Lesson Assessment: 1. How does water ensure that fire will not be extinguished? 2. How does taqwā protect us from the fire of hell?

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 5: TAZKIYATUN NAFS (VERSE 18) Introduction: This week focuses on verses 18 and 20. In the last week, the importance of taqwā is discussed as one of the things that can rescue us from the fire of hell. This week will be focusing on how to produce taqwā, which is by purifying oneself. This purification is done by spending your wealth in the way of God. This is touched on Day 1. But the purpose of the spending must be to seek the pleasure of Allah. And this is touched on Day 2. Set Induction: Allah informs us that those who spend their wealth to purify themselves will be distanced from the hellfire. What does it mean? Let’s find out. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Understand the meaning of self-purification in verse 18. 2. Explain the importance of purifying yourself based on verse 17. Materials: 1. Detergent. 2. Water. 3. Food colouring. 4. Glass. Procedure: 1. Firstly, drop some food colouring in a glass.  2. Then, fill it up until half-full.  3. Then, fill the water with detergent and observe what happens. 4. To ensure a maximum efficacy, stir the mixture with a spoon.  Refer: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJTJ6uD9dm0) Lessons: 1. Based on this activity, it is clear that humans should be doing deeds that are suitable to their aims. 2. If someone wants to live forever happily in heaven, then he should do good deeds. 3. And if someone wants to distance himself from the heat of Hell, then he should be purifying himself. 4. Self-purification means cleansing the soul from the tarnishes of sins and ugly desires. 5. One of the ways of purification based on verse 18 is to spend wealth for the sake of Allah. Lesson Assessment: 1. What is the meaning of tazkiyatun nafs? 2. Why is tazkiyatun nafs important? 3. How do we purify ourselves based on verse 18? 4. What are some other examples for tazkiyatun nafs?

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl TAFSIR CORNER 20. They Strive for the Pleasure of Allah. “Only seeking the acceptance of his Lord, the Most High.” And they hope nothing else but Allah’s mercy and satisfaction. They are hoping that Allah might turn His attention towards them and be pleased with them. 21. Satisfied. “And he will be satisfied.” With their sincere efforts, verifying the truth, having faith in the oneness of Allah, seeking His pleasure, therefore, Allah rewards them with plentiful bounties that they will be utterly satisfied. This is the reward for what they have done in their worldly life. LESSON 6: SEEKING GOD (VERSE 20) Set Induction: In verse 21, Allah mentions one of the ways of purifying the soul. What is the way? Let us conduct an experiment to understand it. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Understand the meaning of seeking God based on verse 20. 2. Understand the concept of magnetic field. 3. Demonstrate the skill of using a compass. Materials: 1. Metal needle. 2. Cork/ polystyrene. 3. Water. 4. Big bowl. 5. Magnet. Procedure: Refer: (https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/activities/how-to-make-a-compass/) Lessons: 1. One of the tasks of being a servant of God is to seek Him.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl 2. And this is symbolized by the compass, an instrument used by humans to find directions. 3. A compass function by making use of the magnetic field. This field is produced by the different magnetic poles that are located at the north and south poles. 4. Magnets that are found in metals can detect the magnetic field. 5. By using the compass, we can find the direction of the Kaabah. 6. And the Kaabah is the compass to seek Allah. Lesson Assessment: 1. What is the meaning of seeking God in verse 20? Ans: seeking for the pleasure of Allah. 1. What is the magnetic field? 1. How does a magnetic field function? LESSON 7: KEYWORDS Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to familiarize with the keywords of surah al-Layl. Materials: New key terms: 1. Layl. 2. Nahar. 3. Dhakaru. 4. Untha. 5. Shattaa. 6. Taqwa. 7. Husna. 8. Yusra. 9. Istaghna. 10. Ashqa. 11. Tazkiyah. Procedure: You may use your own ideas to do this exercise. For example, like: Wordwall / Anagram/ Word Puzzle etc.

ILQ | Teacher’s Book al-Layl LESSON 8: JOURNAL OF SURAH AL-LAYL Set Induction: Let’s write a journal to record the lessons acquired. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to recap the lessons before. Materials: Journal. Procedure: 1. Update the activities of surah al-Layl.  2. Write down the lessons of every verse of surah al-Layl. 3. Write down the overall lessons of surah al-Layl.