Bilal's Bedtime Stories (part Three)

Arif Disappeared?

Arif's mother was getting worried. It was 3.00 O'clock in the afternoon. Arif's school closed at 2.00 p.m. So Arif was late one hour. The clock ticked away slowly 3.30,4.00,4.30 yet no Arif. His mother rang up his father and told him that Arif had not come back from school.

Then she put on her hijab and out she went to look for Arif. She went all the way to school but school was closed. She could not think where Arif could be. She returned hoping that by the time she reached home, Arif would be back.

His father took his car and drove around the town to look for Arif but he could not find him anywhere. He came back at 5.30.

His father found his mother with tears in her eyes, really worried about her dear son. His father was worried too. He decided to ring the police to inform them of their missing son.

Nervously he picked up the receiver and no sooner had he dialled 999 then there was a knock on the Door. His father put the receiver back to see who it was and in walked Arif.

He was as dirty as a boy could ever be and he looked very tired. "Where in the wide world were you?" Cried father. "Nowhere" said Arif with an unconcerned look in his eyes.

His father looked carefully at Arif and he noticed something bulging from his right pocket. He said: "What is in your pocket? Take it out" "It Is Just... just marbles," stammered Arif.

Now the game was up. His father and mother understood where Arif had been. He had been playing marbles while both his parents were worried and had nearly rung up the Police.

His father said,

"Arif. You are a naughty boy. How many times should you be told that you should never go anywhere without asking permission. Your punishment for disobeying us and making us worried is that, for a whole month, at 7.00 in the evening, you should go to bed and no playing games for you for that period of time."

What happened after a month? Well. In that month, Arif changed a lot. He is now a good and obedient boy who never goes anywhere without his parent's permission.

The Girl Who Sulked

There were many young girls studying in a certain school. Among them was a girl called Seymina. She was a beautiful girl, always smart and prim and the clothes she wore at school were always simple. She did not mix with the girls of her school and was always alone sitting in one corner of the room.

All the girls had noticed this odd behaviour and so they took advantage of it. They started teasing her by standing few feet away from her and shouting, "Sulku Seymina, Sulkey Seymina!" and Seymina would scowl and sulk back. Then the girls would form a group and would chatter loudly and laugh at her.

Seymina looked at the girls and oh! how she envied them. How she wished she could be one of them but well! she could not be. Why did Seymina feel as such? This was because she was an orphan and had a poor mother who looked after her. She did not have as much to spend as the girls had and did not have costly dresses to dress herself up in. Because of it she felt as if she was inferior to the other girls and so she never dared to mix with them.

How cruel of the girls to talk about and laugh at her instead of talking kindly to her!

One day one of the girls from the group thought. "Why is Seymina always sulking? There must be something wrong with her. Why should we laugh at her and make fun of her? Why not be friends with her and try to solve her problems? "Let me talk to her," this girl, called Fatima, went over to Seymina and gave her a warm smile, a smile which usually brings about a new friendship. Instead of scowling back Seymina returned a smile. What a charming smile she had. Her eyes twinkled when she smiled and it was simply beautiful.

Fatima sat beside Seymina and talked to her. Gradually, this became the usual process and Fatima and Seymina became the best of friends. Fatima brought Seymina out of her shell and Seymina no longer scowled. Now Fatima felt it was her duty to talk to the other girls. She went over to the girls and told them calmly and softly that Seymina was an orphan and by not treating her kindly they had committed a great sia Then she said: "Allah says In His Holy Book. AL-QUR'AN: Do you see him who denies the judgement?

He is the one who treats orphan with harshness." Because of making fun of her we have given Seymina an inferior feeling and we have sinned against her." She paused for a while and all the girls had serious looks on their faces. Then one of the girl said: "I think it is our duty to go and seek forgiveness from Seymina and be friends with her." "Yes, it is," said Fatima.

What happened after that, I do not know: But I can see Seymina now, one of the group, laughing and playing with the girls. So I assume, the girls must have been forgiven by her.