.•In .

-
 The author at the Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur

Best selling author, Saniyasnain Khan, has writtennumerous

books He presents a weekly show, Islam for Kids
for children.
on ETV Urdu.This book reflects his own love of story telling
and deep respect for the eternal message of the Quran.
He hopes that this book will make the story memorable for
young children and will act as a foundation on which they may
build a growing knowledge of the Quran.

www.skhan.org
*
 These are some of the best-loved tales from the Quran and from the life of the
Prophet Muhammad Especially chosen for the very young, they provide a
foundation on which to build a growing knowledge of the scriptures. This is

story-telling at its best, with the meaning and message expressed in the
simplest of words. As well as being easy to understand, these stories are also
fun to read and share with others. Colourful, child-friendly illustrations

complement the text and bring the stories vividly to life.

Goodwordki I
Helping you build a family of faith

9
This book belongs to
 1

Illustrated by Gurmeet,
Arvinder Chawla, Devender Negi
First published 2004
Reprinted 2011
© Goodword Books 201

Goodword Books
1 , Nizamuddin West Market, New Delhi-1 10 013
email: info@goodwordbooks.com

see our complete catalogue at

www.goodwordbooks.com
www.goodword.net

Printed in India
 by

S. KHAN

Goodwordkid
 CONTENTS
Allah Made them All 5

The Miraculous Baby 27

How to Pray Salat 51

The People of the Book 25

The Garden of Saba 93

Love Your Parents 113

Nursed in the Desert 135

A Visit to Madinah 151

An Extraordinary Experience 167

The Stone Moved 133

The Angel and the Three Men 203

A King Helps Out 223

Allah Made
Them All
Allah has made all animals, birds,
insects and fish.

Some fly.
Some swim.
Allah has made whales.
Whales are big.

Allah helps whales to

swim in the sea.

'•••
...
 Hr
Allah has made the birds
The birds fly high in the sky.
Allah helps
the birds to
fly so high.
Allah has made cows and goats.
We get creamy milk from cows and goats.
Allah has made sheep
The wool from the sheep keeps
us warm on cold days.
Allah helps spiders to
weave a web.
Allah hasmade bees.
The bees make sweet, sticky honey.
Honey is good for you especially
when you are sick.

A
Allah has made
donkeys, horses
and camels.
They help us to carry
heavy things from
place to place.
The Miraculous
Baby
 imiiHwmnnnnnnnmn
Long long ago there lived a pious

lady in Jerusalem. Her name was

Hannah and her husband was Imran.
She prayed to Allah for a child and
vowed that the child would spend
her life serving Allah. Allah heard her
prayers, and she gave birth to a

beautiful who was named

baby girl

Maryam (Mary). When she gave birth

to Maryam, she felt sad and said:"0
my Lord! I have given birth to a

female."

‘
For only a male child could do priestly work. It had always
been But Allah graciously accepted the girl-child and
so.

caused her to grow up in purity. When Maryam began

serving Allah, (as promised by her mother) the priests so
admired her deep respect for Allah that every one of them
felt it would be an honour to be her guardian.
Maryam grew up in the loving care of the Prophet
Zakariyya £uw He was an uncle of Maryam and the
chief priest at the Temple in Jerusalem. Whenever the
Prophet Zakariyya went to see Maryam praying in
the mihrab, or prayer-niche, he was amazed to find
fresh food, and he would ask her about it.
 "O Maryam! Where is this food
/,
from?" From Allah," she would
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
answer. "Allah gives as much He
as
likes towhoever He pleases." And
so Maryam was raised to be a
pious and most devout servant of
XX Allah. Maryam would spend most

of her time in prayer and

devotion, and soon she became
known for being a very good and
pure person. Thus the Quran
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

fondly remembers her: "We have

set her above all other women."

XXX

XX
 One day when Maryam was praying
alone in her prayer-niche, Allah sent an angel to
her, who appeared in human form. She was taken
aback. "May the Merciful defend me from you!" said
Maryam, who was very frightened, "If you fear the Lord,
leave me alone and go your way.""l am the messenger of
your Lord," replied the angel, "and have come to
announce to you the gift of a holy son."
"How shallbear a son," she wondered, "when am a
I
I

virgin, untouched by man?" He said, "Even so your Lord

has said:'That is easy for Me; and We will appoint him a

sign for men and a mercy from Us; it is a thing decreed.'"
Maryam was deeply affected by the words of the angel, and
was filled with peace and happiness, for Allah had chosen

her above all women for His wondrous miracle. When the

time of childbirth came, she left the temple sanctuary and

moved to a remote place.

There Maryam gave birth to a son whom Allah had
already named Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary).
When Maryam returned with the baby, fingers

were pointed at her, but she kept quiet and

pointed to the baby.

9
 The onlookers all wondered, "How can we speak
with a babe in the cradle?"Thereupon baby Isa
performed his first miracle, speaking up there and
then from the arms of his blessed mother:
*
 "

T am tHe senvant ofrMlaL

He Has given me tHe Book and made me a piopHet.
His blessing is upon me wHeUVtl I go,

and He Has commanded me to be steadfast

in ptayex and give alms to tHe pool

as long as I sHall live. He Has made me

kind and dutijj-ul towaads my motHei.

He Has aid me ofr anogance and wickedness.
I was blessed on tHe day I was bonn,

and blessed I sHall be on tHe day ofr my deatl,

and mag peace be upon me ok tHe day wHen

I sHall be liaised to lifre.
|
O
O
O
O
O
000006

O
The people were greatly
OOO

O moved by the miraculous

OOOO
words of the baby Isa
OOOO
When Isa *gjs achieved his
O
manhood, Allah bestowed
QOOOOOOOO
upon him holy scripture
the Injil (Gospel) and —
O
Q
Q
gave him great wisdom.
O
O

QOOOQO

'
r
 — maammm •- — — —

He was also given the power to perform a number of miracles.

He performed many miracles by Allah's leave, such as moulding a

bird out of clay, which, when he breathed on it came to life. He

gave sight to those born blind, and was able to cure lepers and
even raise the dead to life.
2 )
But despite these clear signs, the people of Israel rejected him,
accusing him of sorcery. Only a handful of his disciples
responded to his call, saying, "We are the helpers of Allah."

&
 One day the disciples asked him whether his Lord
could send down a table spread with food from the
heavens."Have fear of Allah, "warned Isa "if you are
true believers." But they insisted and in answer to the
Prophet Isa's prayer, angels brought down a table
spread with delicious food — a unique miracle.
Isa $$ continued his mission for several years, but only
a few answered his call. The Children of Israel wanted
to him by crucifying him on a cross. But Allah saved
kill

him and they crucified another man who was made to

appear like him.

46
\*0
' * * •• ••
•

' '
MMJ.:
'
•••'nV- ••.. .

"-f 47
 The Prophet Isa was born in a town called Bayt Lahm
VV\-\'-V\’VVVVVVVV\-
(Bethlehem), 5 miles south west of Jerusalem, and lived
and grew up in Nasiriya (Nazareth). From there he
ascended to Heaven.

\
Hr
HI
H
There are sayings of the Prophet Muhammad #
about the return of the Prophet Isa ^ to the earth
before the Day of Judgement.

Find Out More

To know more about the message and meaning of Allah's words, look up the
following parts of the Quran which tells the story of the Miraculous Baby:
Surah Al-'lmran 3:35-37, 42-58 Surah Maryam 19:16-33
Surah al-Ma'idah 5:1 1 2-1 1 4 Surah as-Saff 61 :6
How to
One night a very strange and wonderful thing happened to the Prophet

Muhammad #.This is known as al-lsro and al-Miraj, the Night Journey and

the Ascension. The Angel Jibril (Gabriel) woke him up and took him on a

strange white-winged animal, called Buraq (Lightning), from Makkah

to

the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. From there he took the Prophet

through the seven Heavens and finally into the divine Light of Allah's

Presence. One of the commandments that Allah gave to the Prophet was
to pray (salat) regularly. Allah wanted men to pray fifty times a day, but the
easing for everyone. At last Allah resolved
Prophet begged Him to make it

that there should be five prayers a day. This shows the great importance of
one of the five pillars of Islam. It is
the five daily prayers. Therefore, salat is

the duty of every Muslim— male and female— to perform the five daily
|
prayers by himself or herself, or along with others in a congregation. All

the five prayers have to be observed at fixed times. The names of

the

prayers and the times are as follows:

Fajr, or Early morning Zuhr, or Noon prayer:
two
prayer: rakahs, four rakahs, between
between noon and mid-
dawn and f| afternoon. I

sunrise. / I
 Maghrib, or Sunset
prayer: three
rakahs,between
sunset and early
evening.

Asr, or
Afternoon
prayer: four
rakahs, Isha, or Evening
between mid- prayer: four rakahs,
afternoon and between the
sunset disappearance of
twilight and the
coming of the dawn
"I have not created jinn and mankind for any
other purpose except to worship Me."
The Holy Quran, 5 1:56
2 Sunnah 4 Sunnah 4 Fard 3 Fard 4 Fard

2 Fard 4 Fard 2 Sunnah 2 Sunnah

The above table shows the fard (compulsory prayers) and

sunnah (the Prophet's customary prayers). Everyone has to
say these prayers. Apart from this, there are some more
sunnah and nafl (voluntary) prayers which it is good to say
as well.
 "Recite what is sent of the Book to you,
and perform regular Prayer:
for Prayer restrains from shameful and evil deeds."
The Holy Quran, 29:45
To make yourself ready for salat, you would require to wash your
face and arms, wipe your head and wash your feet.

Say: "Bismillah!" Wash Rinse the mouth Sniffwater into the

both hands completely thoroughly. nose and blow it out.
up to the wrist.

Wash the face wash your right

First Then wash your left
completely. hand and forearm, hand and forearm,
including the elbow. including the elbow.
 This is called wudu, or ablution. There are twelve simple
steps for doing wudu:

Pass both your wet hands over your head, from front to back and from back to front.

Wipe your ears with your First wash your right Then wash your left

fingers from the inside out. foot thoroughly, foot thoroughly,

including the ankle. including the ankle.
After doing wudu, make known your intention to pray.

O Raising your hands to your ears, say/‘Allahu akbar" (’jg\

the right hand over the left hand on the navel.
^jji) then place

Read "Subhanaka Allahumma wa bi £5 jljj £Jjl£Ajj d£b>*££>

hamdika wa tabarakasmuka wa
jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk.
ta'ala
o £) £ 4J1 yJ £5 jjf Jtoj liJLwi

<UJb
A'udhu billahi minash-shaitanir-rajim.

Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim."

Allah, all glory and praise belong to You alone. Blessed is Your name and
exalted is Your Majesty, there is no god but You. seek refuge I in Allah from
the cursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

After this read, "Alhamdu 0 ^)s uj ajj JLuii

lillahi rabbil-alamin, ar-rahmanir-rahim.
£Jb \j XXi £Jbl o I'
^y_
Maliki yawmiddin. lyyaka na'budu wa * 0 0 > f . f / * ..
'
o to 'o'
' J0) Jl bJUblQ
iyyaka nasta'in. Ihdinassiratal-mustaqim. :

Siratal-ladhina an'amta 'a layhim, ghayril-

maghdubi 'alayhim waladdallin. Amin."

^TojIJUJt Sf
j jt*
u
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe, the Compassionate, the Merciful, and
Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, and to You alone we
turn for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom You have

favoured. Not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have

gone astray.

Now add one of the short surahs of the Quran, such as the surah al-lkhlas:

"Qul huwallahu ahad. Allahussamad, lam \

-
^ 'jj
, jj
yalid walam yulad, walam yakullahu
kufuwan ahad." \# & & fa oaj a # al:
p
Say:He is Allah, the One and Only, Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begot none,
nor was He begotten. And there is none equal to Him.

Q Now say, "Allahu akbar," ( Jjjt ) bowing down and then say Subhana

rabbiyal 'azim ( j***** ) three times.

Rising now to a standing position, say, Sami 'Allahu liman hamidah."

or say, "Rabbana lakal hamd," (JUAJi dli l2j) if you are

praying behind an Imam.

© Saving "Allahu akbar"
say three times, "Subhana rabbiyala
( 4JJ1), prostrate yourself

'ala"
on the floor and

^ Now rise to the seated position, saying, "Allahu akbar"

then again prostrate yourself and say three times, "Subhana rabbiyal
ijji) and

'ala" 9 et U P' saying, "Allahu akbar" Jt). This

completes one rakah. The second rakah will be performed in the same

way, except that steps

Q Q and will not be repeated.

After completion of the second rakah, sit upright and say:

“At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu

wat-tayyibat. As-salamu 'alayka

ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa
'K
barakatuh. Assalamu 'alayna wa 'ala
'ibadillahis-salihin. Ashhadu al la ilaha

illallahu wa ashhadu anna . ^ 65 y 0 '

Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh."

Is* ( % Q s . * & / > ' !
J/
Salutation, prayers and good works are all for Allah. Let there be peace,
Allah's mercy and blessings on you, 0 Prophet. Peace be on us and on all
Allah's righteous servants. testify that there is no god but Allah, and
I
I

testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

If the prayer has more than two rakahs, stand up for the remaining rakah{s).
If it is a two rakah prayer, remain seated and read:

"Allahumma Muhammadin
salli 'ala

wa 'ala all Muhammadin kama

sallayta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali

Ibrahima innaka hamidum majid.

Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed

Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family, for You are the Praiseworthy and the
Glorious.

Allahumma Muhammadin
barik 'ala

wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama

barakta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali 1*0 0 1*0
0 x 8
I l

oljXa A-Jfc' jJ]

Ibrahima innaka hamidum majid. y ^ ' /

Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed

Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; for You are the Praised, the Magnified.
 > a os
Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman *

kathiran wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba ilia

anta faghfirli maghfiratam-min 'indika

warhamni innaka anta! ghafurur-rahim."

Allah, I have been unjust to myself, too unjust. No one can grant pardon for

my sins except You, so grant me Your forgiveness and have mercy on me, for
You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.

Now turn your face first to the right and then to the left, saying.

"Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah"

This completes the prayer.
 Now it is time for personal prayer. Here are some short prayers
<E>
which are usually said at this time. You may pray on your own as well:

"Rabbana, atina fid-dunya hasanatan j

dll' Ji dT dj
wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina
Jj, g^,
'adhab an-nar."

Our Lord, give us Good in this world and Good in the Hereafter, and

save us from the torments of the fire.

"Rabbishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri."

O my Lord, expand my breast and ease my task for me.

9
*

^
* ? 0
"Rabbi zidni 'ilma" ,

Vj
j

O my Lord, increase my knowledge.

"Rabbighfir warham wa anta * ^

1,1 '

khayrur-rahimin."

O my Lord, grant forgiveness and mercy, You are the best of those
who are merciful.
 -

Ill ?!

Points to Remember
The aims of salat are:

1 . to bring people closer to Allah;

2. to keep human beings from doing indecent, shameful

and forbidden things;

3. to purify the heart, develop the mind and comfort the

soul;

4. to remind people constantly of Allah and His

greatness;
5. to develop discipline and will-power;
6. to guide people to the most upright way of life;

7. to show equality, unity and brotherhood;

8. to promote patience, courage, hope and confidence;
9. to train people in cleanliness, purity and punctuality;
10. to develop gratitude and humility;

1 1 . to show obedience and thankfulness to our Creator.

Find Out More

To know more about the message and meaning of Allah's words, look up the following parts of
the Quran which tell us about Salat:
Surah al-Baqarah 2:277, Surah an-Nisa 4:162, Surah al-Anfal 8:3, Surah ar-Ra'd 13:22-24
Surah al-Muminun 23:8-11, Surah an-Nur 24:56, Surah an-Naml 27:3,
Surah al-'Ankabut 29:45, Surah Luqman 31:4, Surah Fatir 35:29-30, Surah al-Ma'arij 70:34-35
The People
of the Book
 Those who were given the holy book before

1 the Quran are called the People of the Book or

:
Ahl ol-Kitab. It means the Jews and the
usually
Christians. In general the Quran gives them a
very special status:
"There are among the People of the Book
some who are upright; who recite Allah's

message throughout the night, and prostrate

themselves before Him."
;

4* iff

v
#',

77
The Quran goes on to say about them: "They
believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin
the doing of what is and forbid the doing
right
of what is wrong and compete with one
another in doing good works."

Muslims are asked to argue with them in "the

most courteous manner:" "Say: 'We believe in
that which is revealed to us and which was
revealed to you. Our God and your God is one.
To Him we surrender ourselves."
The Quran further encourages talk of beliefs
held by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike:

"Say: People of the Book! Come to that belief

which we and you hold in common: that we
will worship only God, that we will treat none
as His equal, and that none of us shall take
 . •

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The Quran also mentions many prophets
who came to the earth from time to time to
teach the divine message to people. Some
of the prophets are those who are held in
deep respect by the People of the Book.

The message of all the prophets was to

worship one God and to behave in a good
way, as preached by them.

t/

• I i 'V- /**%$*$
The Quran mentions twenty-five major
prophets whose Arabic names and English
equivalents are given here:

1 . Adam (Adam)
2 . Idris (Enoch)
 - ::

5. Salih ^
6. Ibrahim (Abraham) ^
7. Ismail (Ishmael)^jf

8. Ishaq (Isaac)
9. Lut(Lot)£ur
Mr.

10 . Yaqub (Jacob) $$
11. Yusuf (Joseph)
 13. Ayyub (Job)
14. Musa (Moses)
15. Harun (Aaron)
1 6. Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel) £ur

17. Dawud (David)

18. Sulayman (Solomon)
19. Ilyas (Elias or Elijah)

..... V

WiiiW’
20. Alyasa (Elisha)
21. Yunus (Jonah) ^jf
22. Zakariyya (Zachariah)
23. Yahya (John)
24. Isa (Jesus)

25. Muhammad#
A A

r i
——
• •
.

Some of these prophets were given

divine Books ( kutub ) and some were
given Scriptures {suhuf). The book
revealed to the Prophet Musa (Moses) pt\

was known as Tawrat (the Torah) and the

book revealed to the Prophet Isa (Jesus)
was known as Injil or the Gospel of Jesus.

ifcrv
'
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In this way the Quran teaches
us to be tolerant and
courteous with people of
other faiths and to present
the teachings of Islam to them
in the most cordial manner.
Find Out More
To know more about the message and meaning of Allah's words, look up the
following parts of the Quran which tells the story of the People of the Book:
Surah Al 'Imran 3:64; Surah Al-Maidah 5:82
Surah Al 'Imran 3:1 13-1 14; Surah AI-'Ankabut 29:46
•Sk
The Gardens
of Saba
 yijiabia

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S *m+ •JF’ i 4-'

Long long ago, before the birth of the
Prophet Isa (Jesus) there lived in the
ancient lands of Yemen the very rich and
powerful people of Saba, or Sheba.
The largest city of the region was Marib. For
about 1000 years the area became more
and more wealthy and reached its peak, as
the people of Saba expanded their trade
through land and sea routes.
mm*

Marib was an ancient city, about 50

miles from the present city of Sana. It

was on the old frankincense route

between Arabia and Syria. Through
Syria it connected with the great and
kingdoms of the great
flourishing
Roman Empire around the
Mediterranean. At the other end
along the Yemen coast, the road
connected by sea transport with
India, Malaysia and China.
The people of Saba were very hard-working. They constructed a
huge dam. This dam was called the Marib dam or sad al-Marib. It
took years to construct The dam was about two miles long
it.

and 1 20 ft high. The people of Saba with their great skills made it

into the best example of engineering of their times.

 Thisdam brought great wealth to the area.
They made roads and canals.The canals were
bordered by gardens on both sides.

'

'
, Ml?,
The and bushes of the lush green gardens
trees
and orchards were laden with fruits. The gardens
and fields, well-watered by streams, produced a
variety of fruits, spices and frankincense.
(
 All worldly progress is achieved thanks to the help
which Allah has given us. Without His blessings, we
cannot achieve any success. So whenever we are
successful, we should say "Thank You" to Allah for His
help and remain humble and down-to-earth.
/
f
But the people of Saba, instead of being
thankful to Allah, chose to become arrogant.
They thought that all the progress and riches
that they enjoyed were due to the clever
planning of their forefathers, who so ably built
the great dam of Marib.They forgot to thank
Allah. They became proud and haughty.
Allah does not like arrogant people who do not thank
Him. So during the seventh century when the pent-
A.D.,

up waters of the eastern sideof the Yemen highlands

were collected in a high lake held back by the Dam of
Marib,the wall of the dam began to crack.
A mighty flood came and the dam burst, and
*

it has never been repaired since. This was a

great crisis which brought on the slow
downfall of the country.
 The flourishing gardens of Saba were left to turn into a waste land.
The luscious fruit trees became wild, and gave place to wild plants with bitter
fruit. The feathery leaved tamarisk, which is only good for twigs and wattle-work,

replaced the sweet-smelling plants and flowers. Wild and stunted kinds of
thorny bushes, like the wild Lote tree, which were good for neither fruit nor
shade, grew in place of the pomegranates, the date palms, and the grape vines.

w"
This punishment of the people of Saba was
an example to all mankind. It reminds us
that we should always be thankful to Allah
for His blessings and never become
arrogant and proud over our success. All

success comes only with the Help of Allah.

Find Out More

To know more about the message and meaning of
Allah's words, look up the following parts of the

Quran which tells the story of the gardens of Saba:

Surah Saba 34:15-19
Love Your
Parents
After his duty towards his Lord, the first duty of an individual
is towards his parents. Numerous passages in the Quran and
sayings of the Prophet Muhammad # enjoin the believer to
be good and courteous to his parents. This duty is an even
greater necessity when the parents enter upon old age.
—
- ~-Srar.
Thus the Quran reminds us:

"And be kind to your parents. one or both of

If

them attain old age with you, do not utter a word

of contempt and show them no sign of
impatience but speak to them kind words. Treat
them with humility and tenderness..."
The Quran urges us to pray for our parents:

"Lord, bestow Your mercy on them, as they

raised me up when was little."
I
We are reminded of our parents' painstaking care in our
upbringing, especially that of our mother:

"We enjoined man to show kindness to his parents, for

with much pain his mother bears him, and he is not
weaned before he is two years of age."

f
#
v
Perhaps was the reason that the Prophet Muhammad
this # accorded
great status to mothers. A man once came to the Prophet and said, "I
have been intending to enlist in the fighting force and have come to
consult you.""Have you a mother?" asked the Prophet. "Yes" said the
man. "Then be with her," said the noble Prophet "for Paradise lies at
Here is another saying of the Prophet Muhammad #,
which shows his great regard for mothers:

A man thus addressed the Prophet:

"O Messenger of Allah, who rightfully deserves
the best treatment from me?"
"Your mother," the Prophet said.

"Then who?" the man asked again.

"Your mother," replied the Prophet.
"Then who?" asked the man once again.

"Your mother," said the Prophet.

The man asked once more, "Then who?"
"Your father/ said the noble Prophet.
 ;
i

1
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Likewise the Prophet spoke
words of praise about fathers:

"Allah's pleasure is in a father's

pleasure; and Allah's displeasure

is in a father's displeasure."
Once the Prophet Muhammad M was asked about major sins,
and one of the major sins he described was:"Disobeying one's
parents and causing pain or injury to them."
However, on another occasion, the Prophet Muhammad #
said that if someone had been disobedient to one or both
of his parents, if he sincerely repented and prayed for them,
especially after their death, then Allah would forgive him.
Thus the Quran enjoins us to be thankful to our parents
and obey them at all times.
The Quran reminds us:

"We said: 'Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me shall all

things return. But if they press you to serve besides Me deities

you know nothing of, do not obey them. Be kind to them in this

world, and follow the path of those who turn to Me.'"

Loving your parents, praying for them,
helping them and never doing such
acts as may displease them are basic
moral teachings of the Quran.
We should all adhere to these moral
values, so that Allah may be pleased
with us and grant His blessings in this

world and the world to come.

Find Out More

To know more about the message and meaning of
Allah's words, look up the following parts of the
Quran which tells about parents:
Surah al-'Ankabut 29:8
Surah Luqman 31:14
Surah al-Ahqaf 46:15-17

f i ®
 Nursed
in the Desert
There the babies were nursed by paid foster
mothers from among the people who tended
sheep. The weather in the desert, away from the
city, was thought to be healthier.
Aminah, the mother of the Prophet
Muhammad did this also. So the little
Muhammad ^ spent the first years of
his life with a woman named Halimah

and her family of the Banu Sa'd tribe.

Halimah worried that she would not
be able to care properly for the baby
Muhammad #.They were very poor,
and because of the previous year's

famine, she had hardly enough milk

 But as soon as she began
nursing Muhammad#, her
milk increased. Things
began to change for the
better. The land became

green, and the date palms

grew heavy with fruit. Di
were one of the family's
t

i
The sheep and camels
regained their health.
Halimah and her
husband knew that
these blessings were
because of the baby
Muhammad
Muhammad & grew well during his stay with Halimah
and her family. He played with her children, and
together they would take the sheep to graze.
When Muhammad #
returned to his mother
Aminah, he was a strong
and healthy three-year-old.
In this way the Prophet Muhammad #
spent the first years of his life in the desert
A Visit to
Madmah
When Muhammad # was six years old, his mother,
Aminah, decided to take him with her to visit his uncles
in Madinah, which was known at that time as Yathrib.
 YATHfclB
(NOW- KNOWN AS MADlNAH)

MAKKAH

EGYPT
 Yathrib was situated in the midst of volcanic hills

.
inthe Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia about
TOO miles (160 km) inland from 'the Red Sea.
In its early days,was an oasis famed for the dates
it

from its palm groves. It was a long journey by

caravan, but young Muhammad # enjoyed meeting
his cousins, playing with them and learning to swim
Muhammad # and Aminah enjoyed the
pleasant climate and the company of
their relatives for a month.
r T 4
 on the journey back to
But, tragically,
Makkah, Aminah fell and died. (The
ill

Prophet Muhammad's father died a few

months before his birth.)

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Little Muhammad & returned home with
Aminah's maid, Barakah.The Prophet
Muhammad's grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib,
adopted him and took care of him. Abd al-
Muttalib loved Muhammad # dearly, and felt sure
that he would one day be a great man.
Si
All the time that Abd al-

Muttalib sat near the Kabah

speaking words of wisdom,
Muhammad #, remained by
his side. When Abd al-

Muttalib fell sick two years

later, Muhammad &
attended to him faithfully.

When his grandfather died,

Muhammad # was adopted
by his uncle, Abu Talib.
Muhammad # became part of Abu Talib's large

family right away, and was his uncle's favourite.

An Extraordinary
Experience
One night, as the Prophet Muhammad # slept
next to the Kabah, the Archangel Jibril woke
him and took him on a strange, whitewinged
animal, called Buraq (lightning), from Makkah
to al-Aqsa mosque away Jerusalem. There
in far

the Prophet Muhammad #

met Ibrahim
Musa^ and Isa^ and the other prophets, and
they prayed together. Then Jibril took the
Prophet# through Heaven's gates, where he
saw countless angels.
One was Malik the Keeper of hell, who never smiles.
Malik gave the Prophet a glimpse into Hell to let him
see the misery of those who suffered there. The angels
then took the Prophet # through the Seven Heavens,
one by one. Beyond the seventh heaven, the
Prophet# passed through the veils covering that
which is hidden, until at last he came into the divine
Light of Allah's Presence. The Prophet# looked upon
that which the eyes cannot see and minds cannot
imagine, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Time, thought and feelings vanished; there was only
great peace and the brilliance of pure light.
Wwm mam
mmsum

Too soon, the experience ended and he was

brought back to earth. The Prophet# was
amazed to find the spot where he had lain was
still warm, and the cup he had tipped over was

still emptying. This incredible experience had

taken place in less than a moment!

 The next morning, the Prophet # told the
Quraysh what had happened. They didn't
believe him. Many Muslims were amazed
and wanted the Prophet # to explain
how such a thing could happen.

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But the Prophet's description of Jerusalem, and the
caravans he had seen on the way back to Makkah,
convinced them he was telling was during
the truth. It

this experience that Allah's commandment on prayer

was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad #. He
reported that Allah wanted men to pray fifty times a
day, but that on the Prophet Musa's advice, he had
appealed for a less difficult routine. At last Allah

resolved that there should be five prayers a day. That

has remained Muslim practice ever since.
The Prophet's Companions recorded this and all of the
other important events in the Prophet's life, along with his
observations and words of wisdom, with great faithfulness
and These records came to be known as the
precision.
Hadith (traditions or sayings of the Prophet #), and
served as an ideal guide to righteous living.
One collector of Hadith stands out from the others. He was a cousin

of the Prophet #, by the name He was only

of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas.
thirteen when the Prophet died. It is said that he memorized no less
than 1660 sayings of the Prophet #, and would go to as many as
thirty Companions to make sure that his version of each hadith was
correct. Once, when he went to check on a hadith previously
unknown to him, he found the Companion having his afternoon nap.
Not wishing to disturb him, he waited outside in the heat and dust.
When the Companion came out, he said:"0 cousin of the Prophet #!
What is the matter with you? If you had sent for me, would have I

come to you." "I am the one who should come to you," replied
'Abdullah, "for knowledge is sought— it does not just come."
For the Prophet #, the Night Journey
and the Ascension was a turning point
After years of persecution and the
terrible sadness of losing both Khadijah
and Abu Talib, the experience gave him
great comfort and the strength to go
on. He became convinced that Allah
was always with him.
The Stone Moved
 \
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V K

The Prophet Muhammad $ once told a story of how

three men, out for a walk in the mountains, were caught
in a rainstorm. They quickly took shelter in a cave, but

the entrance to it was at once blocked by a huge stone

which came hurtling down the mountain side.

V
V V
Now was impossible for them to
it

get out. So they began to pray to

Allah, recalling the good deeds
they had done, in the hopes that
Allah would be pleased with them
and set them free.
The first one said that he and his wife
and children were living with his
aged parents. Whenever he returned
with his herd, he milked the animals
and then offered the milk first to his

parents and then to his children.

— n-.
 1
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189
 J-.J

One day, he went away and, by the

far
time he came back home, it was very
late and his parents had fallen asleep.
He milked the herd as usual and
brought the milk to his parents, but
seeing that they were sound asleep, he

*
did not feel like waking them up.

^
V. . .. •

^ •

l •- it

/
His children ran to him he felt it
for their milk, but
was not right to give it to them before he gave it
to his parents. So he stood there all night, waiting

for his parents to get up. They did not awaken till
the break of dawn. Only then, when they had had
their milk, did he give any to his children.
What he did that day had been done to please Allah,
and he begged his Maker, if He had seen any virtue in
his behaviour, to set them free. Miraculously, the stone

moved a little bit, but not enough to let them out.

The second man said that he had a cousin with whom

he was very much in love and whom he was very keen
to marry. But she refused to marry him and stayed
away from him.

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52£s 7».
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Then a time came when she was in dire need of
help, because of a famine that year. She came to
him and he gave her 120 gold coins. Then he
wanted to marry her forcibly, but she pleaded
with him not to do so. He agreed to her request
and, turning away from her, he allowed her to go
away and take the gold coins with her.
The man begged Allah to remember that he had
done this out of fear for Him, and beseeched
Him to help them. So the stone moved another
little bit, but the gap was still not wide enough

for them to come out of the cave. The third man

said that once he had hired the services of a
workman for a bushel of rice. When the work was
completed, he gave the man his bushel of rice,

but the workman, not liking the quality of it,

went off without it.

/
So he kept re-planting it until he had earned enough
money from its sale to buy some cows. Years later, the
workman returned and demanded his wages. He told
the man to take away the cows which had greatly
multiplied by that time. And this he promptly did
without leaving a single cow for their owner.
 !

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 he begged Allah
After telling this tale,
to release them, as he had done this
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good deed for fear of Him. So the

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a more and made

little

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out of the cave.
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The Angel and the
Three Men
Once the Prophet Muhammad #
told his

Companions the story of three of the Children

of Israel —a leper, a bald man and a blind man.
To test the gratitude of these three poor men,
Allah sent an angel to each of them.
To the leper, the angel said, "Of all things, which
would you most love to have?" The leper replied, "A
beautiful complexion, beautiful skin and a cure for
the ailment for which people shun me." So the angel
passed his hands over the man, and his wishes were
granted. The angel again asked, "Of all things, what
would you most love to possess?""Camels," he
replied. So he was given a pregnant she-camel. As

the angel left, he said, "May Allah bless it."

mmR
 To the man with the diseased scalp, the
angel said, "Of all things, what would you
most love to have?" The man replied,
"Beautiful hair and a cure for the disease
for which people shun me." So the angel

passed his hands over him and his wishes

were granted. Again the angel asked, "Of
all what would you most love to
things,
possess?""Cows," he replied. So he was
given a pregnant cow. And the angel said,

"May Allah bless it."

O &
To the blind man, the angel said, "Of all things, what
would you most love to have?" He replied, "My sight
restored by Allah, so that can see people." So the
I

angel passed his hands over him, and he regained

his sight. Then the angel said, "Of all things, what
would you most love to possess?""Sheep," he
replied. So he was given a ewe with its lambs. And

the angel said, "May Allah bless them."

All the animals multiplied, so that the first man had

a valley full of camels, the second a valley full of
cows and the third a valley full of sheep.
' .

-
Later, the angel came in the guise of a leper to
the first man and said, "I am a poor man, unable
to travel any further without Allah's help — or
yours. By the One who has given you wealth
and a beautiful skin and complexion, give me a
camel to ride on my journey."
 p ^ '

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The man replied, "I have too many
obligations."The angel said, "I seem to
recognize you. Weren't you once a leper
whom people shunned? And weren't you
poor before Allah gave you so much?"
The man replied, "I inherited this wealth
from a nobleman, who inherited it from a
nobleman."The angel said, "If you are a liar,

may Allah turn you back into a leper."

 * * ¥e * Mr i*

Then, in the guise of a bald man, he came to the man

who had once had a diseased scalp and made the
same request as he had to the first man. His plea was
similarly turned down.The angel said, "If you are a liar,

may Allah turn you back into a bald man."

% ^ m ^
Coming to the third man in the guise of a blind
man, he said, "I am a poor, homeless man, unable
to reachmy destination, unless Allah, or you, can
help me. By the One who restored your sight, give
me a ewe to help me on my way."

The man said, "I was blind, and Allah restored my

sight. So take whatever you will and leave

whatever you will, for, by Allah, will not grudge

I

you anything you take for His sake."

The angel said, "Keep your wealth, for you were
only being tested. You may keep your blessings,

but your companions have lost all."

The moral of the story is that we should learn to be thankful to
Allah for His blessings. Allah likes our thankfulness and increases
His blessings manifold on those who show thankfulness to Him.
And those who do not show thankfulness will be in loss as Allah
being All-powerful, will take away His blessings from them. One
should know that Allah does not like those who are boastful,
ant and do not show thankfulness to Him.
A King Helps Out
 rw
T
"T-r L vcwr;^-

In 615 A.D.,five years after the beginning of the revelation

of the Quran, a group of the Prophet's Companions, weary
of daily torture and hardship, left Makkah on the Prophet's
advice to seek shelter in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) with the
Christian ruler, King Najashi (Negus). Under cover of
nightfall 16 of them slipped away, to be followed later by
another 83 men and women. When the Makkans
discovered this, they were enraged, particularly because
the children of many leading families were among them, v
The Quraysh leaders sent two of their cleverest
men to persuade King Najashi to send the Muslims
back. On arrival, they first gave gifts to the King's
advisers, saying that some "foolish Makkans" had
recently migrated to Abyssinia and that they
intended to ask the king for their return.

'
' •>*)
Then they went to the King, and said, "Your Majesty, these people
have abandoned the religion of Makkah, but they have not even
become Christians like you."The King's advisers promptly urged
him to hand them over straight away. But the King, unconvinced,
became angry, saying, "No, by God, they came to me for
protection and I will hear what they have to say."
The Makkans were dismayed at this, realizing that
the King would immediately sense the migrants'
sincerity. When the Muslims entered, they did not
bow before King Najashi and were thereupon
rebuked by the advisers. But the Muslims simply
said, "We kneel only to Allah."Then King Najashi
asked them about their religion.
The Muslims' spokesman, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib/Ali's brother
and the Prophet's cousin, said:"0 King, we and our ancestors
turned away in ignorance from the faith of the Prophet
Ibrahim (Abraham) who with Ismail (Ishmael) built the
Kabah and worshipped only Allah. We did quite
unspeakable things, worshipping idols, treating our
neighbours unfairly, oppressing the weak and so on."
"This was our life until Allah sent a Messenger from among
us, one of our own relatives, known always to have been
honest, innocent and faithful. He asked us to worship only
Allah, to giveup the bad customs of our forefathers, to be
truthful and trustworthy, to respect and help our
neighbours, to honour our families and look after orphans,
and to put an end to misdeeds and fighting.
He ordered us to slander neither men nor
women. He bade us worship none other than
Allah, to pray, to give alms and to fast. We believe

in him and follow his lead. The Makkans began to

come between us and our religion, so we left our

homes and came to you, hoping to find justice."
NJ
Hearing this, Najashi said, "Tell me some of the revelations which your

Prophet claims to have received from God." Ja'far then recited some Quranic
verses in which Maryam (Mary), the pure and devoted mother of the Prophet
'Isa (Jesus), has to face angry and disbelieving family members.
She points to the baby Isa pk, but they say they
cannot speak to a mere baby. Then Isa himself
astonishesthem by uttering words of great
wisdom. Overwhelmed at this, the King
exclaimed: "The messages of Jesus and
Muhammad come from the same source!"

4
And drawing a line with his cane on the floor, he said joyfully, "Between your
religion and ours there is really no more difference than this line." King

Najashi gave the Muslims permission to live peacefully in his realm. The
clever Makkans were sent home bitterly disappointed.
Help your Child understand the stories from the Quran GIFT BOXES

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