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[Muhammad Mahdi]

Shuaib received an automobile from his brother as a Eid present. On Eid day when Shuaib came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Uncle?" he asked. Shuaib nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Eid." The boy was astounded.


"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Shuaib knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Shuaib all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Shuaib looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Uncle, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Shuaib smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Shuaib was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Shuaib heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, uncle, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Eid and it didn't cost him a penny. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Shop windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Shuaib got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Eid, Shuaib learned what the Rasul-Allah meant when he had said: "love for your brother what you love for yourself".

[Muhammad Mahdi]

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say so." "Why do you say that?" - asked the client. Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of a God who permits all of these things." The client stopped for a moment thinking but he didn't want to respond so as
to prevent an argument.

The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber: know what? Barbers do not exist." "How come they don't exist?"-asked the barber. "Well I am here and I am a barber." "No!" - the client
exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him that's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

[Muhammad Mahdi]

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all.

Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticised Li-Li constantly.

Days passed days, and weeks passed weeks. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish.

All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it.

Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you. Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."

Mr.Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs.

He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body.

Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen."

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr.Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months had passed, the whole household had changed.

Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter.

Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law! She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitimans to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

[Muhammad Mahdi]

"Grandpa, what are you doing?" asked eight year old Saleem.

"Well, I was watching you," laughed the old man. "I was wondering what you're doing!"

"I'm trying to carve a boat from this bit of wood," remarked Saleem, "but it doesn't seem to be working out very well."

Saleem sat on the grass looking at the piece of wood, that appeared more like an elephant's head, than a boat.

"Would you like me to give it a try. Son?"

"Could you Grandpa?"

"Give it over here," said the old man with a smile.

Grandpa's shaky old hands were covered with little brown spots. His knuckles were still strong and round from years of hard work. In his younger days, he'd been a coal merchant and he and his wife had raised three sons into fine, successful men. His wife had died some years ago and so he'd come to live with his oldest son, who had his own dental clinic. Saleem was the only child.
He sat intrigued as his Grandpa carved the piece of wood into a fine little boat.

"There you go, Saleem. I don't know if it will float but we can try it out in the bathtub. What do you think?"

"I think it will be fine as long as mum doesn't see us."

Grandpa winked at Saleem. "Let's give it a try shall we?"

Grandpa stood on his rickety old legs and Saleem fetched his walking stick and held his arm as they crossed the lawn together and entered the house by the side door. Without anyone seeing, they quietly went into the bathroom and closed the door. Saleem filled the bath and Grandpa placed the boat on the water.

"Grandpa! It floats. Look! You did it!"

They pushed it to each other up and down the bath until there came a loud knocking at the bathroom door.

"Saleem are you in there? I've been looking for you everywhere," called out his mother.

"She's found us Grandpa," said Saleem with a disappointed look on his face.

"Never mind Saleem, you go and see what she wants. She's probably been worried about you." Saleem pulled out the plug and watched the water gurgle down the plughole.

"I'm coming Mum."

"What have you been doing all this time Saleem? I've been looking for you outside and everywhere," said Ranya in a stern tone of voice. Her hands were firmly placed on her hips and she scowled as she looked at the old man sitting on the edge of the bath.

"You people have been messing up my bathroom?"

"No Mum, we just wanted to try out my boat in the water."

"Anyway, run along and wash your hands for dinner."

Ranya gave one final hard, long look at Grandpa, then stomped away.
Grandpa looked down at his slippers. His crooked old toes made strange shapes and configurations under the woolen tops. He was old and he knew it. Soon, he probably wouldn't even be able to use the bathroom himself anymore and he didn't want to think what life would be like then. He snatched onto his independence at every chance, trying to make the best of it but age had already caught up and he was placed here, at the mercy of the woman of the house. His son didn't come home until late in the day and he never saw the hard, unkind looks or heard the sharp comments that emitted from the mouth of Ranya.

Grandpa heard the car pull up and smiled to himself, knowing his son Ahmed had at last returned home.

"Assalam alaikum, how's things Dad?" asked Ahmed. "What's news?" he asked again as they sat down at the table together.

Ranya brought the plates through and handed one to each person. They were brightly colored porcelain plates that she'd received as a wedding present. Grandpa reached out his shaky old hands and grasped the plate as best he could, but it slipped from his grip and fell into pieces on the floor.

"Of all the…" began Ranya.

Grandpa frowned and looked at the mess on the floor. Mashed potatoes, peas and gravy and a nice piece of chicken were splashed over the nice woolen rug that decorated the dining room floor.

"I'm ever so sorry," said Grandpa nervously, as he tried to get up.

"No Dad, don't worry. Accidents happen. I'll get a cloth." Ahmed got up smiling and continued to talk about his day at work, trying to break the tension that he could see forming around his wife's figure. He met Ranya in the kitchen.

"Your father is forever messing up this house Ahmed. I can't stand it."

"You're exaggerating Ranya, things like this don't happen everyday. I'll clean it up."

"What about my plate? Now the set's incomplete."

"I'll get you another one, don't worry," reassured Ahmed.

"Well, he's not getting another one of those plates," she said as she reached into the cupboard and took out a wooden bowl.

"He spent the whole afternoon carving out a boat for Saleem, instead of trying to do something to help around here, so if he likes wood so much, he can eat from this." And she threw it down on the kitchen table.

Ahmed looked at his wife. He saw in her, that day, a side he hadn't seen before and wasn't so sure he liked it. He looked at the wooden bowl and then at his wife and walked out of the kitchen carrying the dustpan and a damp cloth. Ranya served another lot of food onto the wooden bowl and put it in front of Grandpa.

"Yes, yes, I do believe that's better. I'm a bit clumsy sometimes," said the old man, half to himself and half out loud.

Saleem looked at the wooden bowl and started to eat his dinner but tears were forming in his eyes. He wasn't quite sure why he felt like that but he felt really sorry for Grandpa and knew he didn't mean to drop the plate.
The next day Saleem went into the garage and started working on another piece of wood. He was in there all day while Grandpa rested in bed. He wasn't feeling very well. Ahmed had a day off and had just finished weeding the flowerbeds and wanted to return the tools to the garage when he noticed Saleem working away.

"What are you doing son?" asked Ahmed in his kindly voice.

"I'm making something."

"What is it?" asked Ahmed, coming a little closer.

"Well, it's something for you."

"Really? I'd like to see it."

"Ok, I've just about finished. You can come and look."

Ahmed approached Saleem's work place and saw a rather large wooden bowl. He'd made it quite well and it was smooth and even.

"Good work son," commented Ahmed.

"But do you think I need such a thing."

"No, maybe not now. But I thought I'd keep it for you until you get old like Grandpa."

By Velma Cook

[Muhammad Mahdi]

About Struggling...
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a
small opening appeared. He sat and watched the
butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its
body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop
making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten
as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took
a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit
of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a
swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because
he expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge and expand to be able to support the
body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the
rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body
and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not
understand was that the restricting cocoon and
the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were Allah's way of
forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into
its wings so that it would be ready for flight
once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in
our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through our
lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could
have been. We could never "fly"!