Bilal's Bedtime Stories (part Two)

The Aant Prays For Rains

Once there was a big famine in Palestine. It was during the time of the Prophet Hazrat Sulaiman (King Solomon). He came out with his people and proceeded to an open place in the desert to pray for the rains to come. Suddenly, he saw an ant standing on its two legs, raising it hands up towards the sky and saying, "Oh Allah! We are but very small among all Thy creatures. We cannot survive without Thy grace.

Please bestow upon us Thy sustenance and do not punish us because of the sins of human-beings. Please send down the rains so that trees can grow, farms become green and grains become available and we have our food to eat."

Hazrat Sulaiman knew the language of all Animals. He told his people, "Let us go home. The prayer of this ant is enough." It then rained heavily and all the land became green and productive.

The ant is an intelligent creature. During warm days, it collects and stores grain inside the holes. It knows that during wet and cold months, it would not be able to go out to search for food. For fear that grain may start growing because of wetness, it splits it into two or more pieces. At times, during moonlight nights, it brings the split grains out of the stores for drying and preservation against decay.

The holes under the ground are made very carefully and covered with shelter to prevent the rain water from getting inside the holes. The ant, unlike the other animals, can lift a burden twice its own weight. It is not a selfish creature. When an ant finds some store of food grains, it runs up to its group and takes its fellow ants to that place. It shows everyone of them its own find of the store. They always behave in this manner. They work and live in co-operation with each other.

This shows how the Ant works for the group and how each of them fulfils the needs and livelihood of its fellow-beings. How shame-full it is for a man, who has no regard for another man; who has no concern for his fellow humanbeings who could be starving because of want of food.

Once, while Hazrat Sulaiman was travelling together with hosts of men, jinn and birds, they reached a valley of Ants.

When the chief of these Ants witnessed the pomp and the glory with which Hazrat Sulaiman and his companions were approaching toward it. He warned all the ants to get into their holes lest they got trampled and crushed unknowingly by the approaching men and Jinn. Hazrat Sulaiman smiled at this warning sounded by the ants' chief, and ordered his companions to wait till the ants went inside their holes. "None of us should hurt any ant while passing over their land", he said.

It is said that Hazrat Sulaiman addressed the chief of the Ants and said: "How could my people hurt you or your fellow ants when they are floating through air! Don't you know that I am a messenger of God and would never act unfairly?" The chief of the Ants replied: "O messenger of God! My cautioning the ants was not for any hurt that they would suffer but to prevent them getting astray and forgetting the glory of God after seeing your pomp and show."

There is a deep meaning in this event. It shows that even the most humble and smallest of creatures has been endowed with the necessary wisdom to live safely and avoid being hurt as far as possible. It also shows, how even a small Ant does have the natural understanding of the true position of Allah. It imparts a lesson that one should not forget the true might and glory of Allah when one experiences a great power and dignity of any creature in this world.

Thus an Ant is one of the most wonderful small creatures in this world. Sura 'NAML' (the Ant) in the holy Qur'an is a chapter named after this creature. Over 1300 years ago, Hazrat Ali (A.S.) was giving a sermon in Kufa, in which he was describing the beauties of creation in various forms of life. He was referring to small creatures and asking man to study how God made them so small yet so sturdy and strong. He described the ant in these words:

"Look at an Ant. How tiny is its body and how delicate are its features! It is such a small creature that it often escapes the eye, and few people care to attach any importance to it among the living beings found on this Earth. Look at it and study its ways of life; How it crawls, how it attacks its food; how it lifts a grain so many times heavier than its body, carries it to its hole; How it stores grains; and how in summer, it gathers and stocks food for winter and rainy days." (Nahjul Balagah sermon 185)

Care For The Dumb Animals

A man once came to Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.) carrying with him his belongings and a box. He said, "O Prophet! While I was passing through a jungle, I heard the voice of some Bird's babies. I took them and put them in this box. The moment I did that, their mother came fluttering round my head."

And the Prophet said, "Put them down." When the man put the box on the ground, the mother of the young birds joined them. Seeing this, the Prophet asked the man who now had a look of suprise on his face, "Are you surprised by the affection of the mother towards her young? I swear by Him (Almighty Allah) who has sent me, surely, God is more loving to his servants than the mother to these young birds. Return these baby birds to the place from where you took them, and let their mother be with them."

"Fear God with regard to Animals", said the Prophet of Islam, "ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and get off their backs when they are tired; surely, there are rewards for being kind and gentle to dumb animals, and for giving them water to drink."

Islam has taught that, in the eyes of Allah, the dumb Animals also have rights in the same way as man has. They should not be treated badly, tortured or left to starve without food or water.

Imam Ali (A.S.) had some ducks under his care in his house. At the time of his death, he had given particular advice to his sons to take good care of those dumb Animals, or to set them free if it was not possible to look after them properly.

The Holy Qur'an has also guided us by telling us that, in the eyes of God there is no difference between the human world and the animal world.

"And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) genera like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered." (6:38)

The Prophet of Islam was once performing ablution (Wudhoo) for prayers from a pot of water. A cat passed there and turned its eyes at the pot of water with a thirsty look. The Prophet realised at once that the cat was very thirsty, so he stopped the ablution (Wudhoo) and placed the pot before the cat. Only after the cat had fully quenched its thirst, did the Prophet resume the ablution (Wudhoo).

By this action, the Prophet has shown that quenching the thirst of even a small dumb Animal is a noble act full of virtue and should be given first attention before one prepares for offering prayers to God.

HAZRAT SULAIMAN (SOLOMON) THE KING PROPHET

guidance of mankind, Allah honoured four famous Prophets by revealing to them four Holy Books as Taurat to Hazrat Musa (Moses);

Zaboor (Psalms) To Hazrat Dawood (David);

njeel (Evangel) To Hazrat Isa (Jesus);

Qur'an To Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.).

The commandments of Allah are contained in these books. The first three books were for the earlier times. The Holy Qur'an is the last book of God and is for the guidance of entire mankind till the day of judgement. Hazrat Dawood eventually became King of his people. He had 19 sons. Each of them hoped to inherit the father's Throne.

Allah revealed to Hazrat Dawood a few questions and their answers and commanded him to put the questions to each one of his sons. Whosoever answered those questions correctly, would inherit the throne of the father, Hazrat Dawood.

One day Hazrat Dawood called all his sons in the presence of the scholars and the chiefs of the tribes of his Kingdom. He then put forward the following questions:-

Which thing is closest (nearest) to man?
Which is the farthest thing?
Which two things are attached to each other?
Which is the most awe - creating thing?
Which two things remain unchanged?
Which two things are always different?
Which two things are opposed to each other?
What is the action the result of which is good?
What is the action the result of which is bad?

The sons of Hazrat Dawood felt helpless and could not answer any of these questions. Then the youngest of the sons, Hazrat. Sulaiman (Solomon) stood up and gave the following answers: -

The nearest things to a man is the hereafter (Life and Death - as one may die any moment);
The farthest things is the time which has passed away (which is not to come again);
The two things that are attached to each other is man's body with the soul;
The most awe-creating is the man's body (dead) without soul;
The two things which remain the same are the sky and the earth;
The two things which are different are the day and night;
The two things which are opposed to each other are life and death;
The action - the end of which is good - is patience and forebearance at the time of anger;
The action - the end of which is bad is Haste at the time of anger.

Hazrat Dawood, obviously, was very much impressed with these correct answers and appointed Hazrat Sulaiman as his successor.

Thus it will be seen that it was the supreme knowledge and understanding that made Hazrat Sulaiman succeed his father and become the Great King Prophet.

HERE COMES AL-AMIN -THE TRUSTWORTHY

It had rained heavily and continuously for a long period, and the water poured down towards the Holy Ka'ba in Masjid-UI Haram, the big mosque in Mecca. The Ka'ba was in the lower section of Mecca. It had become old and collapsed.

So the rebuilding was started. The work progressed well enough until AI-Hajar-UI-Aswad - the Black Stone was to be put back in its place.

Each quarter of the Ka'ba was being built by one leading family of Quraish - the big and prominent tribe of Mecca. Each family of Quraish felt the Honour of placing the Black Stone belonging to it.

The disagreement became deeper, and led to a lot of argument, shouting and abuse. The members of each big family were thinking that a War was going to break out. None of them was willing to change his position. They regarded it as a great insult if they didn't have that special honour of putting the Black Stone back in its place.

One member stood up and said, "I have a suggestion, let us wait till tomorrow and see who enters the Masjid-UI Haram first in the morning; then let him decide." All agreed, since that sounded like a good suggestion.

They anxiously waited next morning to see who was the first to come and enter Ka'ba. Suddenly they heard footsteps heading towards them. It was Muhammad (S.A.W.), the son of Abdulla. Everyone, of course, knew, loved, admired and respected Muhammad (S.A.W.). So with a loud voice, everyone said, "here comes Al- Amin" and the voice echoed through the place over and over again.

He was surprised to hear of that title with which they called him. He was told about what the people of Quraish were fighting for. It was all silent for a while. Everyone thought his family was going to be favoured. Their hearts were beating hard and they were getting anxious and impatient.

Muhammad (S.A.W.) put his robe on the floor, took the sacred Black Stone and put it in the centre of the robe and said. "The chief of each family will take one corner of the robe and lift it together." With that, each understood a marvellous example of justice in sharing the honour. It showed how Muhammad's intelligence far exceeded those around him. It also showed his great capacity to solve difficult problems with such ease.

When the robe with the Black Stone was lifted to a reasonable height, Muhammad (S.A.W.) took the Black Stone and put it in its proper place by his own hands. None felt insulted, and each had his share of the privilage and honour.

This is how Muhammad (S.A.W.) the Prophet of Islam suceeded in uniting the ever-fighting and ignorant Arabs with his honesty, justice and noble character.