[15] اَلْغَفَّارُ (Al-Ghaffaar): The Forgiving
Sing 99 Names (5min)
Play PowerPoint of the first 33 names, 2-3 times. Sing together and do the actions so far plus:
Action for Al-Ghaffaar: Hold one palm face up and use the other palm to rub circular motions onto it.
Today’s focus is on the name Al-Ghaffaar which means The Forgiving.
Story relating to today's name (7min)
Read the story of Prophet Yunus (AS) to the children, e.g. from the Safar series or Migo & Ali.
Talk about the mistake Yunus (AS) made and what he did when he felt sorry. Did Allah forgive him?
Talk about the mistake Yunus (AS) made and what he did when he felt sorry. Did Allah forgive him?
Discuss meaning, apply to children's lives (15min)
Al-Ghaffaar means The Forgiving.
This means that Allah has the power to forgive our sins - He can rub them out from the book the angels write our deeds in and make it seem as if it never happened. Why do we want our book of bad deeds to be as small as possible? So when our books are weighed on the Day of Judgement, our good deeds will be heavier and we will be able to go to jannah, InshaAllah!
So if Allah is forgiving when we say sorry to Him for doing something He doesn't like, how do you think we should behave if someone does something we don't like? Should we forgive them or not?
Forgiving someone doesn't mean you don't mind what they did. It means you aren't going to let it affect you anymore. You need to be a strong person to forgive when you've been wronged.
Think of something which someone may have done which upset you... Maybe someone pushing you or saying something mean... Don't tell everyone else what it is, just think about it. How does it make you feel? Bad? Angry? Upset? Give children a piece of paper for them to write down what it is. When they're done, tell them forgiving someone helps you throw away that bad feeling - just like they're going to throw away this piece of paper! Have them rip it up and scrunch into a ball, then play a game trying to throw it into the bin from a small distance away. How do they feel now? Better?
When someone does something bad to you, instead of holding a grudge and keeping that bad feeling to yourself, tell them what they did that upset you. Tell them you didn't like it and you don't want them to do it again. Then tell them you forgive them because that's what a good Muslim does.
It doesn't mean you're a doormat and you don't care how people treat you! It means that you're stronger than they are and you won't let it affect you. Stand up for yourself then make dua for them so Allah can guide them better not to hurt others again. Forgive them just as you would want others to forgive you and how you want Allah to forgive your mistakes too.
So if Allah is forgiving when we say sorry to Him for doing something He doesn't like, how do you think we should behave if someone does something we don't like? Should we forgive them or not?
Forgiving someone doesn't mean you don't mind what they did. It means you aren't going to let it affect you anymore. You need to be a strong person to forgive when you've been wronged.
Think of something which someone may have done which upset you... Maybe someone pushing you or saying something mean... Don't tell everyone else what it is, just think about it. How does it make you feel? Bad? Angry? Upset? Give children a piece of paper for them to write down what it is. When they're done, tell them forgiving someone helps you throw away that bad feeling - just like they're going to throw away this piece of paper! Have them rip it up and scrunch into a ball, then play a game trying to throw it into the bin from a small distance away. How do they feel now? Better?
When someone does something bad to you, instead of holding a grudge and keeping that bad feeling to yourself, tell them what they did that upset you. Tell them you didn't like it and you don't want them to do it again. Then tell them you forgive them because that's what a good Muslim does.
It doesn't mean you're a doormat and you don't care how people treat you! It means that you're stronger than they are and you won't let it affect you. Stand up for yourself then make dua for them so Allah can guide them better not to hurt others again. Forgive them just as you would want others to forgive you and how you want Allah to forgive your mistakes too.
Craft activity (20min)
Complete the page for the book.
Print out the whale template for children to colour in and cut out. Glue the lower half of the picture to the page. They can glue the upper half onto card to make it sturdier, if they wish, and cut out again. Use a split pin to attach the upper half through the marked circle - so the whale's mouth can rotate on the pin as if it's opening and closing. Finish by gluing on a googly eye!
Talk about the whale picture and how it should remind us of Yunus (AS) asking Allah for forgiveness.
Talk about the whale picture and how it should remind us of Yunus (AS) asking Allah for forgiveness.
When to use this name (8min)
Do you remember what "tawbah" is? How do you make tawbah? (We did this lesson previously)
1) Regret the sin - feel guilty about doing it
2) Stop doing the sin
3) Make the intention not to repeat the sin
4) Ask Allah's forgiveness
5) Follow a bad deed with a good deed
Even though one of the steps is to make the intention not to do it again, even if you somehow end up doing the same bad thing again, Allah is Al-Ghaffaar and can forgive you. Allah can forgive us again and again no matter how many times we make a mistake or make the same mistake - He won't ever get tired or fed up, like we might become if someone kept making the same mistake again and again!
This doesn't mean it's OK for us to not try and stop doing bad things, because we know Allah can forgive us. It means that even if we might end up making lots of mistakes, we should never give up hope. Always remember that Allah is Al-Ghaffaar and can forgive us. Don't make excuses for not turning back to Allah, it's never too late!
1) Regret the sin - feel guilty about doing it
2) Stop doing the sin
3) Make the intention not to repeat the sin
4) Ask Allah's forgiveness
5) Follow a bad deed with a good deed
Even though one of the steps is to make the intention not to do it again, even if you somehow end up doing the same bad thing again, Allah is Al-Ghaffaar and can forgive you. Allah can forgive us again and again no matter how many times we make a mistake or make the same mistake - He won't ever get tired or fed up, like we might become if someone kept making the same mistake again and again!
This doesn't mean it's OK for us to not try and stop doing bad things, because we know Allah can forgive us. It means that even if we might end up making lots of mistakes, we should never give up hope. Always remember that Allah is Al-Ghaffaar and can forgive us. Don't make excuses for not turning back to Allah, it's never too late!
On the back of their page, help the children write a few thoughts about the name Al-Ghaffaar and their feelings.
Sticker chart (5min)
Ask individually: Which of Allah’s names did we learn today? What does it mean? Give children a sticker each for their chart.
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Other activities:
- Play a simple game of catch with the children. Tell them we need to pass the ball to each other 10 times without dropping it and if they do they can have a prize (e.g. a sticker or a Smartie, etc.). Purposefully drop the ball when it's your turn or just before they reach the target, say sorry each time and ask if they forgive you! As they get more frustrated/bored, ask how they're feeling. Do they want to keep forgiving you every time you make the same mistake or is it getting a bit annoying? Remind them that Allah is Al-Ghaffaar and doesn't get annoyed when we ask Him for forgiveness - even if it's the same mistake again and again - and the things we need to ask Allah to forgive us for are not as small as just dropping a ball! Try again to complete the challenge and give the children their prize.
- Research other hadith on forgiveness and see how it's mentioned in the Quran. Discuss! (e.g. http://www.quranreading.com/blog/importance-and-benefits-of-forgiveness-in-islam-learn-from-quran-and-sunnah/)
- Find in Arabic and read Yunus (AS)'s dua where he asked for forgiveness.
- Read the story from the seerah of the Prophet (SAW) at Taif. Talk about how the people there treated him and how Muhammad (SAW) reacted. Did he forgive them? What did he do?
- This name links forgiving with the concealing of ugly things, i.e. sins by erasing them and our ugly thoughts/intentions by hiding them from others. We can reflect on this name by concealing other people's faults from others and looking instead for the good in things. Put a teaspoon of salt in a glass and say it represents a bad thing someone has done. Have a child pour some warm water into the glass, to represent covering up the person's sin and ignoring it - watch as it "disappears". Of course, the salt has just dissolved, it's still there. We can't see it so we can easily ignore it, but if we drank the water would we taste it? Yes! So only Allah can actually remove a person's sins, though that doesn't stop us from hiding other people's faults.
You could extend further by putting 2 or 3 identical glasses next to each other, with only 1 having salt water while the others have plain tap water. Can you see by looking which one is salty? No, we can't. We just see water. But, of course, Allah knows - and only He needs to know! It's none of our business what sins other people have done. Allah will be the one to judge them.
Please leave a comment if you know any other related activities for this name!
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