86 TB al-Tariq Teachers Book BI

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq SURAH 86: AL-ṬĀRIQ ‫سورة الطارق‬ The Night-Comer Learning Outcomes: At the end of this Surah, the students will learn be able to: 1. Understand the phenomenon of the star lights as a proof of God’s supervision over human. 2. Understand the limitedness of human knowledge. 3. Understand the seriousness of the Quranic message. Translation of Surah al-Ṭāriq In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. (1) By the sky and the night-comer! (2) What can make you know what the night-comer is? (3) It is the star of piercing brightness! (4) There is a watcher over everyone, recording everything. (5) Now let man think what he was created from. (6) He was created from an ejecting fluid, (7) that comes out from between the backbone and the ribcage. (8) God is certainly able to bring him back to life (9) on the Day when all secrets are disclosed; (10) Then he will have no power and no one to help him. (11) By the sky that rains, again and again! (12) And by the earth that cracks open for plants to grow! (13) This Quran is truly a decisive word, (14) and is not to be taken lightly. (15) They plot and scheme plans, (16) but so do I. (17) So, leave the disbelievers be, let them be for just a little while.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq SURAH OVERVIEW Surah al-Ṭāriq is a Meccan surah. It was revealed when the Muslims were just beginning to experience the hostility from the disbelievers, after surah al-Balad has prophesied the grave oppositions that the Prophet will be facing. In this phase, the disbelievers were active in planning their plot against the Prophet. “al-Ṭāriq” means bright stars. It refers to the themes and the styles of this surah, namely God’s inaccessible secrets and the secret plots of the disbelievers are never hidden from the knowledge of God. It also touches on two main points. Firstly, that man will surely be resurrected to face God in his afterlife. Secondly, that the Quran is not a play of words, but is a firm speech of God, of which no amount of planning can overcome or overpower it. At the beginning of the surah, Allah mentions the clusters of stars as proof that nothing is left unsupervised by its observer – including humans and non-humans alike. And man is commanded to reflect upon himself, how he is made from just a drop of sperm and formed fully to become a perfectly built human. All of these are in the secrets of Allah. Then, the surah reminds man that the God that has created him in the first place surely has the same ability to resurrect him again. Only this time, the purpose is to disclose all the secrets that he has kept to himself during his lifetime. At that time, man can find nothing to hide behind it from God. All of his deeds will be weighed, and he cannot escape from its consequences. And no one can help him. In conclusion, Allah stresses that just as the phenomena of the cycle of rain and the growth of plants on Earth are not child’s play, but are something serious, such is also the case with the contents of the Quran. They are not merely words but are substantially important and need to be reflected and acted upon. The disbelievers thought that their conspiracies can overcome the Quran. They have not a single clue as to the planning of Allah that is far more superior to theirs. Then, Allah comforted the Prophet by telling him not to worry about the disbelievers. Give them their time. Soon, they will come to know that their efforts will never produce any results. And they will irrevocably regret their misdeeds.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq TAFSIR CORNER 1. Allah Swears by the Stars: By the sky and the night-comer! When a surah begins with an oath, it means that there is something that will be the object of the oath. It also means that the message of this surah is serious and is not to be taken lightly. Allah swears by the sky that contains al-Ṭāriq, which literally means night travellers, and something unavoidably noticeable. Therefore, this easily refers to the stars which appear only at night and are attention-catching. So, the stars are being made the witness of what Allah is trying to get across. 2. Man Does Not Know What al-Ṭāriq Is: What can make you know what the night-comer is? With the magnificent characteristics of the stars that are far away and out of reach from human perception, Allah rhetorically asks about the realities of the stars, alluding to human’s inability in answering the question. Whenever Allah asks with the “wa mā adrāka mā…”, it signifies that the answers are out of human reach. Therefore, the answer lies only with Allah. And only He has the authority to provide the answer. 3. Piercing Light: It is the star of piercing brightness! Thereafter, He provides the answer. These are faraway stars whose lights penetrate even the farthest corners of the universe. Although the lights come from unimaginably faraway places, they are still able to penetrate the distance and enlighten the darkness of earthly nights. This is how Allah wishes humans to reflect on objects that we observe every day, but from different angles. 4. Guardian Angels: There is a watcher over everyone, recording everything. The penetrating feature of the starlight is actually a simile to the characteristics of the angels, whom Allah has entrusted with the affairs of human life. These angels are tasked to observe and record the daily deeds of humans. And this supervision is a secret that man has no means whatsoever to expose, about who, when, where, and how is he being supervised. And the supervision of these angels penetrates all aspects of human life, just as the lights of the stars penetrate all corners of the Earth, almost like cameras being held above the Earth.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 1: SHOOTING STARS Introduction: In this week, the focus will be on the first part of the surah, namely the oaths. This is represented by verse 1-4. In lesson 1, the experiment explores the phenomena of the shooting stars. Set Induction: In the first verse, Allah takes an oath by the stars. The Arabs used to say that they claim to know things because the shooting stars told them. Is it true? Do we really know the secrets of the universe? What do we actually know about stars anyway? Let us find out! Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Describe the nature and characteristics of the shooting stars. 2. Explain the relevance of stars as the objects of oath in this surah. Materials: 1. Flour. 2. Milo powder. 3. A big plastic bowl. 4. A 5cm rock/ a big marble. 5. A high-resolution smartphone camera (preferably with slow-motion features). 6. Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMBQJjrwKcU) Procedure: 1. Prepare all the materials. 2. Pour the flour and milo powder into the huge plastic bowl. 3. Make sure the powders are levelled. 4. Drop the small rocks and marbles from different heights. 5. Don’t forget to record the experiment using a high-resolution smartphone camera with slow-motion features. 6. Repeat the experiment and observe your findings. Lessons: 1. The shooting stars were used to be the scapegoat of the Arabs. They say that the stars help them to predict the future. 2. So, Allah disproves their claims. Not only they do not have any knowledge of the future. They do not have sufficient knowledge of the stars themselves. So, how can they claim to know the future when do not even know about the things that are in front of their eyes? Lesson Assessment: Formative: 1. What are shooting stars?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq 2. Do they come to Earth? Summative: 1. Why does Allah take an oath by the stars? LESSON 2: PENETRATING LIGHT Introduction: Here, the experiment is extended to explore the nature of light, especially the lights of stars. Set Induction: Previously, we have learned about shooting stars. In verse 3, Allah describes al-Ṭāriq as a star whose light can penetrate the darkness of night. How can light penetrate anything? Let’s find out! Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe how light penetrates objects. Materials: 1. Torchlight. 2. Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvMYs5JXjPg) Transparent objects: 1. Glass. 2. Transparent plastic Tupperware. 3. Transparent tape. 4. Etc. Translucent objects: 1. Sticky notes. 2. A thin coloured plastic bag. 3. Etc. Opaque objects: 1. Books. 2. Erasers. 3. Shoes. 4. Etc. Procedure: 1. Prepare the materials. 2. Direct the torchlight to the objects prepared. 3. Identify the objects and classify them into: 1. Transparent.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq 2. Translucent. 3. Opaque. Lessons: 1. Allah strikes a simile between the light of the stars with the supervision of the guardian angels. 2. The light of the stars can penetrate into the darkness. And so does the perception of the angels. 3. And this indicates the God’s supervision is much more powerful and comprehensive than anything. Lesson Assessment: Formative: 1. Ask the students to classify the objects. Summative: 1. Ask the students to compare the penetration ability of the light with the supervision of the angels.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq TAFSIR CORNER 5. Reflecting the Creation of Man: Now let man think what he was created from. Then, He shifts the focus from the stars to the human creation itself. He urges man to reflect on his own creation, from what and how. It is interestingly notable here that from the first verse, not once Allah’s name is mentioned explicitly. There is only an implication. This is also to point to the mystery of God Himself, which is far more inaccessible to the human mind. 6. Undignified Origin: He was created from an ejecting fluid, About his life, Allah urges man to reflect on his journey. Even from the start, human life is a difficult one. Had not Allah executed His planning with flawless wisdom and precision, surely man could not even survive his life in the womb. A man was picked from millions of other sperms to be ejaculated in the womb of his mother. And God has provided many means which sustain his foetal growth, supplying him with accurate measurements of nutrients that he required. When he is born, God has provided him with a pair of caretakers, his parents. Then, when he no longer needs his parents, God has equipped him with many faculties – reason, the senses, etc – for him to understand the world around him and act accordingly. Until his death, there is not a thing that occurred to him that is out of place. So, how can he concede that his life is not managed by an Omniscient Planner? 7. Sperm as the Origin of Man: That comes out from between the backbone and the ribcage. See verse 6.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 3: CAMERA OBSCURA Introduction: In lesson 3 & 4, the focus attends the second part of the surah, namely the creation of man. This part is represented by verse 5-7. Lesson 3 bridges the theme from the previous week to this week’s theme. The angels act as cameras, recording everything that they supervise. Therefore, this lesson explores the concept of a camera. Set Induction: In verse 4, Allah reminds us that everyone has their own “cameras” that are supervising their every move. Do you know? The earliest camera was made by a Muslim by the name Ibn Haytham. Let us re-create his version of a camera. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Explain the mechanism of a camera. 2. Relate the function of a camera with the supervision of the angels. Materials: 1. Cardboard tube. 2. Tapes. 3. Tracing papers. 4. Scissors. 5. Pencils. Procedure: Lessons: 1. Humans are given the skills to create technology as advanced as cameras. 2. These objects can record events with much higher resolution than the eyes can do. 3. If even humans can perform such a feat, then Allah possess a supervising ability that is far more marvellous than those of His creations. Lesson Assessment: Formative: 1. Ask the students to describe how a camera works. Summative: 1. Ask them to compare human technology with God’s flawless ability.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 4: WATER FOUNTAIN Introduction: Here, it explores the inception of human creation. Man is in the form of sperm, spurted into the womb. Thus, this activity explores the mechanism of spurting through the mechanism of fountains. Set Induction: In verse 6, Allah informs us that humans are created from a spurting liquid. How does that liquid spurt? Let us make an experiment to figure this out! Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Describe how water pressure allows the spurting phenomenon. 2. Relate the experiment with the humble origin of man. Materials: 1. A big glass jar. 2. A glass bottle with a metal cap. 3. Straws. 4. Screwdrivers. 5. Ply doughs. 6. Food colouring. 7. Water. 8. A needle. Refer: (http://www.housingaforest.com/shooting-water-experiment/) Procedure: 1. First, take a glass bottle with a metal cap and punch a hole in the cap using a screwdriver. 2. Pour water into the bottle until it is half-full. Drip some food colouring into the water. 3. Then, insert a straw through the cap hole into the bottle. Seal the surrounding with playdough. Also, seal the mouth of the straw with playdough. 4. Next, pour hot water into a big glass jar. And place the glass bottle in the glass jar. 5. For the finale, using a needle, poke a small hole on the straw-mouth playdough. 6. Pull the needle out and observe what happens. Lessons: 1. Humans come from this undignified origin. 2. And the process by which his creation is accomplished is known only to God. 3. Because of that, we should not be too arrogant with what we have. Lesson Assessment: Formative: 1. Ask the students how pressure influences the movement of the water. Suggestions:

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq 1. What makes the water spurt like in the experiment? Summative: 1. Based on this experiment, what can we say about the origin of man? And what should we think of it?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq TAFSIR CORNER 8. Allah the Life-Giver: God is certainly able to bring him back to life. The word “rajʿihī” refers to man’s re-creation. This means that Allah is powerful to create man ceaselessly without it taking any toll on Him. Hence, what makes humans think that God is not all-Powerful and ascribes authority to himself undeservingly? Therefore, Allah is surely able (la-qādir) to resurrect him. 9. Disclosure: on the Day when all secrets are disclosed; And this resurrection means disclosure. It is the day where all of the secrets that have been kept neatly by man will be exposed utterly. “al-Sarāʾir” means secrets. But they are not just any secrets. They are secrets that are known to none other than one’s self. It is these secrets that will be disclosed. Some examples of these secrets are what we keep in our hearts: plans, motives, intentions, thoughts, emotions, etc. 10. Every Man for Himself: Then he will have no power and no one to help him. And on that day, the disbelievers are helpless in turning over the occurrence. The secrets that they kept among themselves to hurt the Prophet will be exposed, no matter how hard they try to keep it a secret. They also planned to back each other up in Allah’s court. But how can they? Even individually, they cannot sort things out. So, how can they have the confidence in ganging up against Allah? 11. Pouring Sky: By the sky that rains, again and again! Then, Allah makes a second oath. This time, it is by the rain cycle. And whenever the cycle recurs, it becomes a witness for Allah. 12. Spurting Plants: And by the earth that cracks open for plants to grow! Even every plant that spurts out from the Earth’s surface will be the witness for Allah. So far, Allah has gathered the stars, the raindrops, and the plants to testify the seriousness and truth of what He is talking about.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 5: HUMAN BONE Introduction: In this week, both the themes of oath and the creation of man continue. Both of these themes are represented by verse 7-12. Lesson 5 explores the knowledge of the origin of man as proof of God’s superior knowledge over man. In implication, only God knows about man’s origin because He is the Creator. Set Induction: In verse 7, Allah describes the source of the liquid that makes up a man. The liquid is said to have stemmed from the backbone and the ribcage. Which parts of our bones are the backbone and ribcage? Let’s explore our bones. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Identify the different parts of the human bones. 2. Identify the location of the source of the liquid that makes up a man. Materials: 1. Q-tips. 2. White pencil colour. 3. Black papers. 4. Glue. 5. A pair of scissors. Procedure: 1. Draw a skeleton on a piece of black paper, using a white pencil colour. 2. The rest is easy. Cut the Q-tips according to the different lengths of the drawing of the bones. 3. Glue them onto the black paper. Lessons: 1. Man’s origin is from somewhere that even he does not know. 2. Only Allah knows about it. 3. Therefore, we must always be humble before Allah’s knowledge. 4. And we must not venture to do bad things because His knowledge encompasses everything. Lesson Assessment: Formative: 1. Ask the students to identify the different parts of the bones. Summative: 1. Where is the source of the liquid that makes up man?

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 6: CRACKS OF LIFE Introduction: Some other examples of his creation include the plants that sprout from the cracks of the Earth. And all of His creations will be witnesses against man. This is what we are going to explore here. Set Induction: In verse 12, Allah describes the Earth as cracking open whenever plants emerge out of its ground. What is the purpose of describing this phenomenon? Let us find out! Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 1. Explain the phases of the growth process of a plant. 2. Relate the emergence of plants from the cracks of the Earth to the witness function they play. Materials: 1. Paper plates. 2. Red beans. 3. Acrylic paints. 4. Playdough. 5. Polystyrene sheets. 6. Glue gun. Procedure: Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4SQ1tDlCL0) Lessons: 1. The creations of Allah are uncountable. 2. One of the proofs of its uncountability is the sprouting plants that emerge from the surface of the Earth. 3. Every day, there will always be new plants that emerge from the ground. 4. Therefore, we must realise that His power encompasses everything. 5. And nothing that He creates escapes His knowledge. 6. Because He creates everything, therefore He knows everything. 7. Thus, there are no secrets that can be kept from Him. Lesson Assessment: Formative and Summative: 1. What are the phases of the growth of a plant? 2. What are the characteristics in the respective phases? 3. What does the limitless number of plants emerging every day prove? Ans: That Allah is all-powerful. Because He creates everything, therefore He knows everything. 4. What is the significance of this phenomenon? Ans: Because He knows everything, therefore there are no secrets that can be kept from Him. Hence, we must not do bad things lest it will be known to Him.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq TAFSIR CORNER 13. Serious Messages: This Quran is truly a decisive word, Of what do these objects and phenomena become witnesses? They testify the truth of the Quran, that it is not a purposeless truth. These “hard” truths have consequences and implications. Those who believe and acknowledge their belief will be rewarded with Paradise. And whoever refuses to believe and acknowledge its truth, then their fate is the direst of consequences. 14. The Quran is not a Joke: and is not to be taken lightly. Therefore, the Quran is not an empty speech (hazl). This verse is a criticism against those who listen to the Quran only as mental entertainment. They think the Quran is just another theory of the world. Hence, they listen to it. But that is as far as they are willing to accept it, just to kill the time. 15. The Disbelievers’ Plots: They plot and scheme plans, That is, they are complotting against the Quran. They wanted to extinguish the light of the Quran; they devised many doubts against it among the society; they fabricated news about the Prophet, to weaken his efforts and to maintain people in the darkness of Jāhiliyya. 16. Allah’s Plans: But I too am planning. But Allah also has His own planning. Their plans will never in any way overcome Allah’s plans. And Islam will surely become the victor. 17. Letting the Disbelievers Have Their Laugh: So, leave the disbelievers be, let them be for just a little while. So, Allah tells the Prophet to let the disbelievers play their games. Their plans are just as defective as their thinking. Meanwhile, Allah’s plans extend not only during the time of the Prophet but until the end of time.

ILQ | Teachers’ Book al-Ṭāriq LESSON 7: KEYWORDS ANAGRAM Introduction: This week focuses on the general lessons and knowledge of the surah. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and be familiar with new keywords from the surah. New keywords: Procedure: 1. Ṭāriq. 1. Scramble the words into jumbles of letters. 2. However, keep the first and the last letters in place. 2. Najm. 3. Thāqib. For example: najm -> njam. 4. Nafs. You may use your own ideas to do this exercise. For example, 5. Ḥāfiẓ. like: Wordwall / Anagram/ Word Puzzle etc. 6. Dāfiq. 7. Ṣulbi. 8. Tarāʾib. 9. Rajʿi. 10. Sarāʾir. 11. Nāṣir. 12. Qawlun Faṣl. 13. Hazl. 14. Kaydan. LESSON 8: SURAH JOURNAL Set Induction: Let us write a journal to record everything that we have learned about. Lesson Outcome: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to compile the themes and lessons of the surah. Materials: 1. Journal Procedure: 1. Update the activities of surah al-Inshirāḥ in the journal. 2. Write down the important lessons in every verse. 3. Write down the general lessons of the surah.