BED TIME STORIES

[amma]

Salam how are you


This is going out to all the parents out there.


Bed time stories are a good time to tell children all about Islam. From stories about Allah to the Prophet (SAW) OR about the sahabahs.


Inshallah this post will have a collection of bed time stories for kids to read themselves or parents to read them to thier kids


ENJOY :D


BILAL THE GREAT AFRICAN MUSLIM


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Bilal is very lovingly remembered by all Muslims of the world as one of the earliest great African Muslim.



He was born in a village in a mountainous place in Western Arabia. Bilal's father was called Rebah and his mother was known as Hamama.[1] They had come to Arabia as slaves from Ethiopia. The father and mother were slaves of Ummayya bin Khalaf, a rich man from the tribe of Quraish. Bilal was therefore born in slavery and served as a housekeeper. His master Ummayya bin Khalaf was not a Muslim.


When Bilal was about the age of 40, it was the time when Prophet Muhammad started teaching the new religion of Islam, Bilal was attracted by the teaching of Prophet Muhammad. He accepted the religion of Islam and became a Muslim.



When Ummayya bin Khalaf and his family went to worship idols, Bilal would pray to Allah as taught by Islam.


In the early days of Islam the tribe of Quraish who were strong and many and lived in and around Makkah, disliked Islam.


They also disliked Prophet Muhammad and his new teachings. If any person accepted the new religion, they oppressed and harassed him.


One day Ummayya bin Khalaf came to know of Bilal's secret prayers. He called Bilal and asked,



"Oh Bilal, do you worship and bow down to the God of Muhammad?"


Bilal was not afraid. He replied,


'Yes Master, I do worship Allah, the only God."


The reply angered Ummayya greatly. He began to torture Bilal. He was tied with ropes and made to lie on the burning hot desert sand at mid-noon. He was then asked to forget the God of Islam and worship the 'great' idols known as LAT and UZZA. But Bilal was strong in his new belief. He refused to worship idols and kept crying "AHAD-AHAD", meaning "One God, One God." The tortures continued and were increased. Hot iron rod were stamped on his pained body. Yet Bilal would not yield.


On one hot day Bilal lay on the burning hot sand tied to the ground. A very heavy stone was placed over his chest. Bilal could no longer bear the heat and the load so great. He had also grown weak. In that tied condition even water was denied to him. In the condition he lay and lost his senses. As the day neared its end, it became cooler; he regained his conscious (senses). He found that the heavy stone was no more on his chest. He wondered who had come to free him from pain. His heavy eyes slowly opened only to look at the bright smiling face of Prophet Muhammad.



Prophet Muhammad had heard of and seen the torture of Bilal. It pained him extremely to learn that a true believer should suffer in such a manner. He also felt pity for the poor man He told Abu Bakr to purchase Bilal from Ummayya and set him free. This was done. In similar ways the Prophet had many slaves set free. He insisted that slaves be treated fairly and kindly. By his own conduct he also set such examples.



When Bilal first came before the Holy Prophet, he praised the Holy Prophet in two poetic lines of his native language. The Prophet asked Hassan bin Thabit to translate it in Arabic. He translated it in words which means:


"When in the world, the virtues are described, thou art mentioned as the model of virtues in our midst."


Among the slaves from Africa, Bilal was the first to accept Islam. He had a strong faith in Allah and a great love for the Prophet. He had a pure character. Soon he earned high respect of the Prophet and other great Muslims of the time. The Prophet liked Bilal's sweet voice and made him the first Muazzin -The Caller To The Prayers.



All through his life Bilal remained a close companion of Prophet Muhammad and was with him at every occasion. When the Prophet died he was very saddened. Thereafter all his life he looked grieved and very solemn. He had gone to Madina when the Prophet had migrated. After the death of the Prophet he did not feel happy to stay in Madina. He sadly discontinued giving 'adhan' and migrated to Damascus, Syria. He died there after about eight (or ten) years. His grave is still existing in the famous Muslim graveyard in Damascus. People still go to his grave to pay respect and salute him.



Footnotes:


[1] In some books the name of his father is given as "Riyah" and of his mother as "Jumana".

[Muslimah]

RESPECT FOR WORK


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Prophet Muhammad and his companions went on a journey. They travelled by camels. After much travelling they got tired. On the way they stopped to rest. They decided to make a small camp and cook their food. So they put their camels comfortably to rest and gave them grass to eat. After that his companions decided to divide the work among themselves.



One companion said, "I will go and kill the lamb for meat."



Another companion said, "I will clean the ground around the camp."


The third companion said, "I will do the cooking."


Prophet Muhammad said, "I will bring wood for the fire."



All the companions said with one voice, "No, Sir, we will do that for you."


The Prophet replied, "I very well know that you all will do that for me. But it is not good for me to sit idle while you work. I am your companion. I must work as much as you do. Allah does not like any one to enjoy any superiority over his companions."


So saying the Prophet went to gather fire wood.



Moral:


It is not good to sit idle while others work; you should always share the work with your companions.

[amma]

HOW ADAM AND HAWWA CAME ON TO THE EARTH


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Shamim begged her Grandmother to answer the second part of her question. How did we come onto this earth?



"Yes my child" said Grandmother, "then today listen to the story of Adam and Hawwa".


She began: "Adam was created. All angels bowed down to him as commanded by Allah, but Satan did not do so.


But Adam was all alone, and he felt like having a companion. So Hawwa was created for Adam.


Adam and Hawwa were sent to heaven and there they lived happily for some time.


Now, Allah had already declared to the angels that Adam was created to act as Vicegerant of Allah on this earth. But for the time being, Adam and Hawwa were sent to heaven and there they lived happily for some time. They loved each other and they had everything they wanted.



When Allah had sent them into heaven, He had told them clearly not to go near a certain tree. It was the Will of Allah that Adam and Hawwa would remain in heaven so long as they did not eat from that tree.



But there was Satan who was the sworn enemy of Adam. He was now more jealous of Adam, because now Adam had also a companion. And they were both happy in heaven.


Satan was at all times trying to think of some trick to make Adam unhappy.


Once Satan thought of a trick. He went to Hawwa, and told her that the forbidden tree was a tree of life and if she will eat its fruits she will live forever. Hawwa at first refused to believe him. But then Satan took oath in the name of Allah that he was telling truth.



Now Adam and Hawwa had never heard anybody taking wrong oath in the name of Allah, and, therefore, they were deceived.


Thereafter, Hawwa took a fruit from that tree, ate herself, and made Adam eat it.


Anyhow, as they had now eaten from that tree, the time had come to send them on the earth, which was to be their abode. As a result Adam and Hawwa were both at once sent to live on the earth.



Shamim asked, "Grandma, are we the children of Adam and Hawwa"?


"Yes, we are and so are all the human beings, black, white, red and yellows, all".



"Is that how we came on this earth?" questioned Shamim.


'Yes", said Grandmother.

[PeaceUpOnMohamed]

Salam,


I LOVE this thread :D Please find more stories..I..erm, will read them to my many many children..who..are..yet unborn..but..well you know how it is :P Ok Ok, i read them for myself :unsure:

[amma]

salam


lol well it dont atcually matter wot age you are lol sumtimes stories in the simplest form lol for children teach us all.


My older cousin buys kids books cause she finds that they contain all the facts and are simple to read lol she hates readin long long books lol so much writing.


inshallah more stores will be coming soon


so enjoy reading and pass them on aswell so others can read and gain knowledge. :D :D :D


LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE


Man is a living creature. To live he must have food. Without food man cannot live long or make himself stronger.



Once, many, many years ago there was a great Imam living in the city of Madina. Madina was the main city of Arabia. The Imam was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad. His name was Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. He was the most learned and most pious of all people.


One day he learned that there was wheat shortage in Madina. As a result citizens of Madina were overtaken by fear that wheat may no longer be available. Heads of the families flocked to the bazaar and bought as much wheat as their money would allow. Those people who had enough wheat in the house, they took good care of it. Many poor people could not buy food and stock. They did not have that much money. They bought their wheat from the bazaar on a daily basis and in little quantities that their little money would allow. And the price was going up every day.



Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq called the in-charge of his house, named Muattab and asked him: "How much wheat do we have at present?"



Muattab replied: "Sir, we have enough to last us for several months."


"Take it to the bazaar and offer all for sale to the people", instructed the Imam.


"Oh! son of the Prophet! Wheat is very scarce in Madina. (If we sell our stock, perhaps it would be impossible to purchase later)" advised the care-taker.


''Do as I have said (Sell all our stock to the people).", replied Imam.


Muattab, did as he was told and sold all the wheat. He reported the result to his master.



Thereafter, the Imam gave instructions to buy the requirement of his house on day to day basis like other people of Madina. He intended his house to be no different than the poorer citizens of Madina.


The Imam further told Muattab to use, from then on, half wheat and half barley for the bread of his household. Then he said:


"By the grace of Almighty I have the strength to provide my house with bread made from pure wheat. But I want Allah to see me living economically (just like other people around me)."



The Imam set a noble example of good leadership.


Sayings:



"The best man is he who is of most service to others".


"By knowledge thou art saved; by ignorance thou art lost".


"Ignorance is the most hateful enemy". - Imam Ali (a)

[amma]

CARE FOR ANIMALS


A man once came to Prophet Muhammad (s) 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 surprise 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 animals, and for giving them water to drink."



Islam has taught that in the eyes of Allah, 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) 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 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.


"There is no beast on earth, nor bird which flies with its wings, but they are nations like you - unto the Lord shall they return".


The Prophet of Islam was once performing ablution (Wudhu) 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 (Wudhu) and placed the pot before the cat. Only after the cat had fully quenched its thirst, did the Prophet resume the ablution (Wudhu).



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.


Importance of Saying Insha-Allah


During a Jumah Khutbah in a small town, an Imam talked about the significance of saying "Insha Allah" (which means if Allah wills) when planning to do something in the future. After a few days, a man who had also attended the Khutbah was going to buy a cow from the market. On the way, he met a friend who asked him where he was going. He told him about buying the cow but did not say Insha Allah in the end.



His friend reminded him about the Khutbah and told him to say Insha Allah. However, this individual said that he had the money he needs and the energy to go to the market, thus, there is no point of saying Insha Allah as he will certainly buy the cow. He thought that saying Insha Allah will not make any difference.



When he reached the market, he found a cow that met his expectations. He burgained with the seller and came to a reasonable price. Finally, he decided to pay for the cow but was dumbfounded when he discovered that his money was missing. A thief had stolen the money while he was walking through the busy market. The cow seller asked him whether he was going to buy the cow or not. "Insha Allah, I will buy it next week," he said.



When he reached home, his wife inquired about the cow. He told her about how he forgot to say Insha Allah, and also added, "Insha Allah, I wanted to buy the cow. But Insha Allah, my money was stolen. Insha Allah, I will buy it next week." His wife clarified to him that we should say Insha Allah for things that are yet to happen, not for those things that had already happened. He never forgot his "Insha Allah" again.

[amma]

An Orphan's Eid


It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air of festivity in the streets of Madinah. All the people, both young and old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this special day of Eid.



As it was time for early morning Eid prayers everyone made their way to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and led the prayers. After they had finished they all greeted each other and everyone was walking back home. The children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing, without a care in the world. As the Prophet (pbuh) walked back home, he suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by himself on the side of the path.



The little boy was crying and looked very sad. The Prophet (pbuh) bent down and patted him on the shoulders and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The Prophet (pbuh) ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently and kindly asked him again why he was crying. This time the boy said, 'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more.



Today is Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing. I have no food and I don't even have a place to live.'



The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my mother and father when I was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked up to his great surprise it was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect.



The Prophet (pbuh) said to him 'If I were to become your new father and Ayesha you new mother, and Fatima your new sister, would that make you feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!' The boy started smiling. The Prophet took him home and gave him new clothes and good food on this beautiful day of Eid. The boy indeed had a wonderful Eid that day.



We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselves on this beautiful day of Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

[amma]

NOAH AND THE UGLY DOG


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You may have read the story of Noah and the Ark. The story you will now read is also about Noah. But, it is long, long before he built the Ark. Perhaps you also know that Noah lived a very long life. Ordinary man's life is not more than 100 years. Noah was no ordinary man. He was a Prophet. Noah lived for two thousand five hundred years.



One day Noah was passing by a lonely road. He saw a dog. The dog was not good to look at. In fact, it was very, very ugly. The dog was so ugly that Noah did not even like to look at it again. Noah felt disgusted at the sight of the ugly dog. He said to himself, "Ya Allah! What an ugly dog"!



Immediately, by the will of Allah, the dog began to speak. The dog said to Noah, "Oh Noah, I am ugly. It is sad, no doubt. But, if you have power, create one even as ugly as myself. Can you?"



Noah was a good man. He was humble and sincere. He realised that he should not have said what he had said. He began to cry with tears of repentance. He cried begging forgiveness of Allah.



Moral:



Never hate any creature however bad looking it may be.

[amma]

The Story of Jazan





Once Abdullah ibn Masud (ra) was passing by an area in the city of Qufa. There, a group of wrong doing people have gathered to have a party. They were engrossed in drinking wine. A singer called Jazan was entertaining them with songs. Jazan had a very beautiful voice. When Abdullah ibn Masud heard his voice while passing by, he said in amazement, "So beautiful is his voice. How wonderful it would be if he had used that voice to recite the Quran!" After saying this, Abdullah covered his head with a cloth and left that place. When Jazan noticed Abdullah ibn Masud leaving, he asked, "Who is that man and what was he saying?" The people in the gathering told him, "He is Abdullah ibn Masud, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He said that your voice is very beautiful. How wonderful it would be if you had used your voice to recite the Quran!"






Jazan was struck by his comments. He threw away his musical instrument and ran to Abdullah ibn Masud. The two of them embraced each other and shed tears profusely. Abdullah ibn Masud said to him, "Why should I not love the one who loves Allah?" Thereafter, Jazan repented to Allah and stayed in the company of Abdullah ibn Masud to learn the Quran and other teachings of Islam. He learned to such an extent that he became one of the great scholars of his time.



Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

[amma]

Sincerity of a Six Years Old


There was a little girl (six years old) who was fasting in Ramadhan, even though it is not obligatory on people below the age of puberty. She was in school, and at lunch time, when all the other children went out to eat and have lunch, she sat in the classroom, because she was fasting. Her (non-muslim) teacher thought that she was too young to fast, and so said that it was not necessary, and she could eat a little. The girl still didn't eat.



Then the teacher said: "Your parents are not here, it doesn't matter if you eat a little". The girl replied: "I am not fasting for my parents, I am fasting for Allah". This simple statement had such a profound effect on the teacher, that later she accepted Islam.