knew that you were sick and we were worried". "Let's perform our dawn prayers together and ask Allah to heal all those who are sick", he answered them smiling. By the end of the day, my grandfather was much better. A lot of people came up and sat behind him as if they were trying to protect him from a danger that would deny them the chance to listen to his moving voice, which they so loved. Grandpa lived for more than eighty years, and in all those years, not even once, did he miss the call for prayers. May Allah bless you, and bestow His mercy on you, my grandfather, for you have taught me a valuable and unforgettable lesson..
Some of the villagers of the Marj and the other villages nearby held their annual meeting recently, to discuss how to improve their social conditions. Everybody came to the meeting with a clear idea about what kind of welfare projects could improve their villages. They studied all the proposals, but they chose the one they considered urgent: Building a resort for the elderly. It gained their full approval, and they decided to prepare a field construction study and to organise a contribution campaign. This meant that they had to pay visits to the village's very rich men who lived in the city, especially Abu-Ma'rouf, who was probably the richest among them.
They formed a delegation, which included representatives of the Marj and all the nearby villages. They went to visit Abu-Ma'rouf with a detailed description of their project, hoping that they would come back with a generous contribution as a token of appreciation for their noble efforts. Abu-Ma'rouf listened carefully to what they had to say. He nodded his head in a way no one was able to make anything of. In the end, he promised that he would look into the matter, and send whatever money he could afford to donate to the village. A few days later, the people in charge of "the Aged" project were shocked by the modest sum Abu-Ma'rouf had sent. Many of the low income villagers had had donated about the same amount money if not more. Rumours had it that Abu- Ma'rouf was not impressed, and that he believed that the project was useless, and that it was not worth all the money that it was supposed to cost. More importantly, he did not believe that the problem of the old people was an important issue. Yet, none of those who were striving to carry out the project were discouraged. They went on with their campaign as planned.
A few years later, the modest project began to emerge as a "concrete" fact between the oak and poplar trees. People came to the village of the Marj from all the nearby villages to help in the construction work or to learn about the resort. Then finally the work was completed, and the resort opened its doors to the elderly.. to those who found in it comfort and happiness. Allah blessed this work, and the donations increased. As a result, it developed, gaining a wide reputation as the best sanctuary in the region.
Meanwhile, another kind of development was going on at Abu- Ma'rouf 's house. All the members of his family were insisting that he should live in a house for the elderly. He had lost nearly all his money and his physical condition was no better. He grew weak and feeble. His children and grandchildren turned away from him and pursued their own interests and pleasures. They all insisted that the old man should live in a home for the elderly, having heard what kind of care and love old people found there.
Abu-Ma'rouf felt that everybody around him was irritated by his presence, and he had no alternative, but to live in a home for the elderly in the village. Abu Ma'rouf went to the village with some of his relatives who wished to see him off. When they got there, Abu-Ma'rouf looked at the building and saw how big it was. An image of the past swept through his memory when he was visited, many years ago, by the villagers to ask him to donate. He remembered how he did not care about the project and how little of his money he paid; the same money that had faded away. The sweet sound of the recitation of the Quran interrupted his thoughts. The words were coming from the nearby mosque, in preparation for the call to prayer, and he felt as if they were talking directly to him. Bism Allah! AL Rahman AL Raheem Behold! You are those who are called upon to spend in Allah's way, but among whoever is niggardly against his own soul; and Allah is Self-sufficient and you have need (of Him). Allah, the Most Exalted speaks the truth.
Tears began to fall from the old man's eyes. "We are poor and Allah is rich" he said. He refused to go in before he signed some papers in which he donated all what was left of his property to be used in the further development of the project. What happened that day had a profound impact on the large crowd that witnessed the incident. The story of Abu- Ma'rouf became a moral lesson which they took care to convey to their children and grandchildren.
Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived in the womb. Seconds, minutes, hours passed as the two embryonic lives developed. The spark of life grew and each tiny brain began to take shape and form. With the development of their brain came feeling, and with feeling, Perception - a perception of surroundings, of each other, and their own lives. They discovered that life was good and they laughed and rejoiced in their hearts.
One said to the other, "We are sure lucky to have been conceived and to have this wonderful world." The other chimed in, "Yes, blessed be our mother who gave us life and each other." Each of the twins continued to grow and soon their arms and fingers, legs and toes began to take shape. They stretched their bodies and churned and turned in their little world. They explored it and found the life cord which gave them life from their mother's blood.
They were grateful for this new discovery and sang, "How great is the love of our mother-that she shares all she has with us!" Weeks passed into months and with the advent of each new month, they noticed a change in each other and in themselves. "We are changing," one said. "What can it mean?" "It means," said the other, "that we are drawing near to birth." An unsettling chill crept over the two. They were afraid of birth, for they knew that it meant leaving their wonderful world behind. Said the one, "Were it up to me, I would live here forever." "But we must be born," said the other. "It has happened to all the others." Indeed, there was evidence inside the womb that the mother had carried life before theirs. "And I believe that there is life after birth, don't you?" "How can there be life after birth?" cried the one. "Do we not shed our life cord and also the blood tissue when we are born? And have you ever talked to anyone that has been born? Has anyone ever re-entered the womb after birth to describe what birth is like? NO!" As he spoke, he fell into despair, and in his despair he moaned, "If the purpose of conception and our growth inside the womb is to end in birth, then truly our life is senseless."
He clutched his precious life cord to his breast and said, "And if this is so, and life is absurd, then there really can be no mothers!" "But there is a mother," protested the other. "Who else gave us nourishment? Who else created this world for us?" "We get our nourishment from this cord-and our world has always been here?" said the one. "And if there is a mother-where is she? Have you ever seen her? Does she ever talk to you? No! We invented the mother when we were young because it satisfied a need in us. It made us feel secure and happy." Thus, while the one raved and despaired, the other resign himself to birth and placed his trust in the hands of his mother.
Hours turned into days, and days into weeks. And soon it was time. They both knew their birth was at hand, and they both feared what they did not know. As the one was first to be conceived, so he was the first to be born, the other following. They cried as they were born into the light. The coughed out fluid and gasped the dry air. And when they were sure they had been born, they opened their eyes-seeing life after birth for the very first time. What they saw was the beautiful eyes of their mother, as they were cradled lovingly in her arms. They were home.
One beautiful spring morning, a farmer and his son were taking their donkey to the market in order to sell him. The father and his son were walking along together and the donkey was following them. They had not walked far when they passed a group of girls who were walking in the opposite direction. "Just look at that," laughed one of the girls, pointing to the farmer. "What foolish people! They walk along the road when they could be riding on their donkey!" The old man quietly told his son to get on the donkey's back and they continued towards the market.
Next they passed a group of men sitting by the side of the road, talking among themselves. "See what I mean?", said one of the men, as the farmer and his son passed by. "The young have no respect for their old parents any more. Get down you lazy boy, and let your father rest his legs!" The son jumped down from the donkey's back and his father got on the donkey. Soon they came across some women and children. "Look at that cruel man!" they exclaimed. "He is riding so fast that the poor boy can hardly keep up with him". The farmer stopped and lifted the boy up behind him.
They continued on their way and had almost reached the market when they met a shopkeeper on the road. "Is that your own donkey"" asked the shopkeeper. "Yes," replied the farmer. "Then I'm surprised at how you are treating him", the shopkeeper said. "Two people on the back of one donkey is too many. He is sure to die from the strain. You should carry him instead!"
By this time, the farmer was getting used to taking other people's advice. He and his son got off the donkey and tied its legs together. Then they put the rope on a long pole and carried the donkey. But their donkey didn't want to be carried and, kicking and struggling, he broke the rope holding his feet. The donkey fell into a river near the road and was drowned. There was nothing the farmer could do except return home. "Next time," said the farmer angrily, "I'll please myself". Dear Children, What did you learn from this story? Can we really please everyone? If we don't decide for ourselves what is right we will always be troubled. As our Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said, "Anyone who is given wisdom will reach salvation.
A ship was moving through the calm sea, with its passengers enjoying the beautiful scene of the sea. Suddenly, a storm blew causing the waves to rise and the ship to swing. It was destined to sink, but Allah's Grace saw to it that it reached a far away island safely. The captain decided to deck on that island's shore till the sea calmed down again.
The passengers looked around them. The Divine creation was obvious in the beauty of every tree and flower in the island, which seemed uninhabited. Fascinated by the charming Scenery, most of the passengers wanted to tour around to enjoy this beauty, relax and forget all about the troubles they had faced. They asked for the captain's permission. He agreed on one condition: that they must come back upon hearing the first signal indicating that the sea became calm. He added that they should go home before another storm broke.
The passengers toured around the island. Attracted by the beautiful views, some of them went into the bushes, and began to collect many things to give to their relatives and beloved ones back home. Whereas the rest, who thought carefully about their situation, concluded that the ship couldn't carry all the things they intended to bring, and decided to take in only their basic needs that would help them in making their journey. They went back to the shore carrying only their vital supplies, and waited patiently for the storm to calm down. Soon, the captain saw that the weather was clear. He signaled once and twice asking the passengers to get aboard right away. The first to arrive were those who were already waiting.
They climbed up carrying their essentials, and they naturally found plenty of room to sit comfortably around the ship. Some of the other passengers hurried back, carrying the precious stones, fruits and flowers. When they reached the ship as it was setting sail, they realized that there was not enough room left to accommodate all what they brought. Thus, they had to throw all of the riches away. A third group of passengers who were preoccupied with seeking more precious stones, fruits and beautiful flowers, were so much attracted by what they had seen that they did not respond to the signals coming from the ship. Finally, the ship set sail leaving them behind, for it had to reach home safely before another storm erupted. They did not realize that the ship had left, except after dark.
They were very exhausted and they slept deeply, hoping that they will be saved one day. The ship reached home after a long and tiresome journey that made the passengers, who were not attracted to the charm and beauty of the island, know the true meaning of survival. They felt that the fate of those who were left on the island is like the fate of the people who are fascinated by the pleasures and joys of this world: They got fully engaged in them that they forgot that they will return back to their Creator to be either punished or rewarded. Allah, the most Exalted, said in His Glorious Book: In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, The Merciful. "Let the life of this world not deceive you, nor let the dissembler trick you concerning Allah " Allah the Most Exalted speakth the Truth.