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How to Teach Your Child Surah Al-Fajr

By Nazeer AhmadFounder, QuranHub Online Quran AcademyM.A. Arabic & IslamiyatDars-e-Nizami (Tanzeem-ul-Madaris)10+ years teaching Quran and Islamic studies

Surah Al-Fajr is the 89th surah of the Quran, and it has thirty verses — which is why it is often one of the later short surahs a child learns, once the shorter ones are firm. A child learns it verse by verse: first the words, then the sounds, then the meaning, with a tutor or a parent reading each verse aloud and the child repeating it.

This guide gives the thirty verses in Arabic with transliteration and plain English meaning, explains what each verse says in plain words, and shows how to teach the surah line by line at home. QuranHub teaches children from age 4, through Qaida, Nazra, Tajweed, and Hifz, and every lesson is shaped around the child in front of the tutor.

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The thirty verses of Surah Al-Fajr

Surah Al-Fajr has thirty verses, and each verse is one line. Read each verse aloud to your child, let the child repeat it, and then read it together — one verse at a time, until the child reads the verse alone. The Arabic below is the standard text of the surah, with a transliteration to help with the sounds and a plain English meaning for each verse.

Start with the first verse and stay with it until the child reads it without help, then add the second verse, then the third, and so on through the thirtieth. A child who learns one verse well holds it; a child who is pushed through all 30 at once holds none of them firmly.

  • وَٱلْفَجْرِ — Wal-fajr — By the dawn.
  • وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍۢ — Wa layaalin 'ashr — And ten nights.
  • وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ — Wash-shaf'i wal-watr — And the even and the odd.
  • وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ — Wal-layli idhaa yasr — And the night when it passes.
  • هَلۡ فِی ذَٰلِكَ قَسَم لِّذِی حِجۡرٍ — Hal fee dhaaalika qasamun li-dhee hijr — Is there in that an oath for a person of understanding?
  • أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ — A-lam tara kayfa fa'ala rabbuka bi-'Aad — Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with 'Ad?
  • إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ — Irama dhaatil-'imaad — Iram, of the tall pillars.
  • ٱلَّتِی لَمۡ یُخۡلَقۡ مِثۡلُهَا فِی ٱلۡبِلَـٰدِ — Allatee lam yukhlaq mithluhaa fil-bilaad — The like of which was never made in any land.
  • وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ — Wa Thamoodal-ladheena jaabus-sakhra bil-waad — And Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley.
  • وَفِرۡعَوۡنَ ذِی ٱلۡأَوۡتَادِ — Wa Fir'awna dhil-awtaad — And Pharaoh, of the stakes.
  • ٱلَّذِینَ طَغَوۡا۟ فِی ٱلۡبِلَـٰدِ — Alladheena taghaw fil-bilaad — Who were unjust in the lands.
  • فَأَكْثَرُوا۟ فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ — Fa-aktharoo feehaal-fasaad — And spread much corruption in them.
  • فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ — Fa-sabba 'alayhim rabbuka sawta 'adhaab — So your Lord poured on them a lash of punishment.
  • إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ — Inna rabbaka la-bil-mirsaad — Your Lord is truly watchful.
  • فَأَمَّا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكۡرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَیَقُولُ رَبِّیۤ أَكۡرَمَنِ — Fa-ammal-insaanu idhaa mabtalaahu rabbuhu fa-akramahu wa na''amahu fa-yaqoolu rabbee akraman — As for man, when his Lord tests him by honouring him and blessing him, he says, 'My Lord has honoured me.'
  • وَأَمَّاۤ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَیۡهِ رِزۡقَهُۥ فَیَقُولُ رَبِّیۤ أَهَـٰنَنِ — Wa ammaa idhaa mabtalaahu fa-qadara 'alayhi rizqahu fa-yaqoolu rabbee ahaanan — But when He tests him by limiting his provision, he says, 'My Lord has humiliated me.'
  • كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ — Kallaa bal laa tukrimoonal-yateem — No! You do not honour the orphan.
  • وَلَا تَحَٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ — Wa laa tahaaddoona 'alaa ta'aamil-miskeen — And you do not urge one another to feed the poor.
  • وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًۭا لَّمًّۭا — Wa ta'kuloonat-turaatha aklan lammaa — And you eat up the inheritance, all of it.
  • وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّۭا جَمًّۭا — Wa tuhibboonal-maala hubban jammaa — And you love wealth with much love.
  • كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّۭا دَكًّۭا — Kallaa idhaa dukkatil-ardu dakkan dakkaa — No! When the earth is crushed, crushing upon crushing.
  • وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّۭا صَفًّۭا — Wa jaa'a rabbuka wal-malaku saffan saffaa — And your Lord comes, with the angels in rows.
  • وَجِا۟یۤءَ یَوۡمَىِٕذِۭ بِجَهَنَّمَۚ یَوۡمَىِٕذ یَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ — Wa jee'a yawma'idhin bi-Jahannam, yawma'idhin yatadhakkarul-insaanu wa annaa lahud-dhikraa — And Hell is brought that Day — that Day man will remember, but what good will remembering do him then?
  • یَقُولُ یَـٰلَیۡتَنِی قَدَّمۡتُ لِحَیَاتِی — Yaqoolu yaa laytanee qaddamtu li-hayaatee — He will say, 'I wish I had sent ahead for my life.'
  • فَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌۭ — Fa-yawma'idhin laa yu'adhdhibu 'adhaabahu ahad — On that Day, no one will punish as He punishes.
  • وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌۭ — Wa laa yoothiqu wathaaqahu ahad — And no one will bind as He binds.
  • يَٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ — Yaa ayyatuhan-nafsul-mutma'innah — O soul at peace.
  • ٱرۡجِعِیۤ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِیَة مَّرۡضِیَّة — Irji'ee ilaa rabbiki raadiyatan mardiyyah — Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.
  • فَٱدۡخُلِی فِی عِبَـٰدِی — Fadkhulee fee 'ibaadee — So enter among My servants.
  • وَٱدۡخُلِی جَنَّتِی — Wadkhulee jannatee — And enter My Paradise.

What each verse says, in plain words

The meaning helps the child hold the words, so teach the meaning with the words, not after them. Read the verse, say what it means in plain words, and let the child say the meaning back in their own words — a child who knows what a verse says reads it with more care.

Keep the meaning plain and short. A young child does not need a long explanation; one clear sentence for each verse is enough, and the tutor or the parent repeats that sentence each time the verse is read.

  • Verse 1: By the dawn.
  • Verse 2: And ten nights.
  • Verse 3: And the even and the odd.
  • Verse 4: And the night when it passes.
  • Verse 5: Is there in that an oath for a person of understanding?
  • Verse 6: Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with 'Ad?
  • Verse 7: Iram, of the tall pillars.
  • Verse 8: The like of which was never made in any land.
  • Verse 9: And Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley.
  • Verse 10: And Pharaoh, of the stakes.
  • Verse 11: Who were unjust in the lands.
  • Verse 12: And spread much corruption in them.
  • Verse 13: So your Lord poured on them a lash of punishment.
  • Verse 14: Your Lord is truly watchful.
  • Verse 15: As for man, when his Lord tests him by honouring him and blessing him, he says, 'My Lord has honoured me.'
  • Verse 16: But when He tests him by limiting his provision, he says, 'My Lord has humiliated me.'
  • Verse 17: No! You do not honour the orphan.
  • Verse 18: And you do not urge one another to feed the poor.
  • Verse 19: And you eat up the inheritance, all of it.
  • Verse 20: And you love wealth with much love.
  • Verse 21: No! When the earth is crushed, crushing upon crushing.
  • Verse 22: And your Lord comes, with the angels in rows.
  • Verse 23: And Hell is brought that Day — that Day man will remember, but what good will remembering do him then?
  • Verse 24: He will say, 'I wish I had sent ahead for my life.'
  • Verse 25: On that Day, no one will punish as He punishes.
  • Verse 26: And no one will bind as He binds.
  • Verse 27: O soul at peace.
  • Verse 28: Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.
  • Verse 29: So enter among My servants.
  • Verse 30: And enter My Paradise.

Teaching it line by line

Teach one verse at a time. Read the verse aloud slowly, let the child repeat it, then read it together — and only move to the next verse when the child reads the first one alone. If a sound is hard, say it slowly, break the word into its letters, and let the child build it again from the page.

When the child knows two verses, join them: read the first verse, then the second, in order, at the same even pace. Then add the third verse the same way, and then the fourth, and so on through the thirtieth — so the child always reads from the start, in order, and the surah grows one verse at a time.

  • One verse at a time — move on only when the child reads the verse alone
  • Read aloud, let the child repeat, then read it together
  • Break a hard word into its letters and build it again from the page
  • Join the verses in order as each new verse is learned

Practising together at home

Read the surah aloud together for a few minutes each day, at the same time, in the same quiet room. The child reads to a listener, the listener hears a dropped sound sooner than the reader, and the page stays open so a slipped word can be checked at once.

Keep the practice short and steady: a few minutes of reading aloud, a short rest, and the page closed while the day goes on. A child who reads the surah a little every day meets each verse several times, and each meeting makes the verse firmer.

  • Read the surah aloud together for a few minutes each day
  • Same time, same quiet room, every day — a short, steady routine
  • The child reads to a listener, who hears a dropped sound first
  • Keep the page open so a slipped word can be checked at once

When the words slip: stay calm

A child who knew a verse yesterday and cannot find it today has not failed — the verse is fragile until it has been met several times, and forgetting is one of the most ordinary things in learning. Stay calm, go back one verse, and rebuild the slipped verse from the page.

Do not correct the child in a rush, and do not teach the verse yourself if the child has a tutor — the parent listens, and the tutor teaches. Tell the tutor which verse slipped, and the tutor re-teaches that verse in the next lesson, at the same even pace.

  • A slipped verse is normal — go back one verse and rebuild it from the page
  • Stay calm, and let the child find the words again without rushing
  • Do not teach the verse yourself — the parent listens, the tutor teaches
  • Tell the tutor which verse slipped so it is re-taught in the next lesson

Trying it free: three classes before you decide

Three real classes with a real tutor cost nothing — that is the free 3-day trial, and it is the honest way to see how a tutor teaches your child, including how the tutor teaches a surah line by line. The trial tutor watches how your child reads, which sounds come easily, and which ones need more care — and then shapes the lessons around what your child needs.

Booking takes a short message: your child's age, level, and the times that suit your family. A matched tutor is then arranged, and after the three classes there is no pressure to continue — you judge by how your child responded, and how they sounded in the lessons. Families who want a longer free start can also ask about the free one-month Qaida course, open to the first 50 students.

  • Three real classes with a real tutor, free, at your child's level
  • The trial tutor watches how your child reads and shapes lessons around them
  • Judge by how your child responded — no pressure to continue after the trial
  • Ask about the free one-month Qaida course for a longer free start

Frequently asked questions

How long is Surah Al-Fajr?+

Thirty verses. A child learns it verse by verse — first the words, then the sounds, then the meaning — one verse at a time.

Does my child need to know Arabic before learning Surah Al-Fajr?+

No — the tutor teaches the sounds letter by letter from Qaida, and the child does not need to know any Arabic before starting. The transliteration in this guide helps with the sounds at home.

How do I teach the Arabic sounds at home?+

Read the verse aloud, let the child repeat it, and listen for each sound. Teach one verse at a time, break a hard word into its letters, and read the verse together until the child reads it alone.

Should I teach the meaning as well as the words?+

Yes — the meaning helps the child hold the words. Teach the words first, then the plain meaning of each verse, in the child's own language, and repeat that meaning each time the verse is read.

Can we try a lesson before deciding?+

Yes — the free 3-day trial gives three real classes with a real tutor, and the free one-month Qaida course is open to the first 50 students. Book the trial and share your child's level and the times that suit your family.