Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The King and the Boy


Do you know this Surah in the Quran?

By the heaven with its constellations, by the Promised Day, by the witness and that which is witnessed, slain be the men of the Pit, the fire abounding in fuel, when they sat around it, watching what they did to the believers. They took vengeance on them for no reason save that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praised One, the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, Who witnesses all things. Those who persecute the believers, men and women, and do not repent shall suffer the chastisement of Hell, the chastisement of burning. But those who believe and do righteous deeds shall have gardens with Rowing rivers; that is the great success. Stern indeed is your Lord's vengeance. He is surely the One who originates His creation and re creates them. He is All-forgiving, Compassionate, Lord of the Throne, the Glorious, Performer of what He wills. Have you heard the story of the warriors, of Pharoah and Thamoud? Yet the disbelievers persist in their denials. But Allah surrounds them all. This is indeed a glorious Qur'an, inscribed on a well-guarded tablet.

This is Surah Al-Burooj. This Surah mentions the people of the pit, or sometimes referred to the people of the ditch. These people had a special boy amongst him. As Muslim parents, we should know about this boy. His story should inspire our children. We should not let Harry Potter and his likes be our childrens' inspirations. I think that the sorcery and imaginitive scenes peak childrens' interests. This is why they crave them as a source of entertainment. Well stories like this are present in Islam. The story of this boy and a king contain the elements of magic and excitement that children want. This boy should be one of the heros that we want our children to talk about. This boy shows courage and bravery at its highest limits. Let stories like these be the "entertainment" that enter your children's hearts and minds. To read the complete story about this boy you can find it in Ibn Kathir's book Stories of the Quran. It is available to read online here:
http://www.islambasics.com/view.php?bkID=80&chapter=20

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