Ask our children:
1. Who gives us food, money, clothing and everything that we have?
2. Can we run away from what Allah Ta‘ala has written for us?
Now tell them the story:
Aasif was a little boy with a lot of questions. He was always asking “why”, “who” and “when?” If his parents or his Moulana told him the answer, he wouldn’t believe them and would try to check for himself if their answer was true.
One day, in madrasah, the Moulana taught the class, “Whatever food, money, clothing and other things that Allah Ta‘ala has planned for you will definitely come to you.” Aasif stood up and asked the Moulana, “What if Allah Ta‘ala planned that I will receive something, but I don’t want it to come to me?” The Moulana replied, “No one can stop Allah Ta‘ala. If He decides that you must receive it, then you will definitely receive it.”
After madrasah, Aasif went straight home. His mummy cooked tasty roast chicken that day. Roast chicken was Aasif’s favourite, but he told his mummy, “Today I am not putting any food into my mouth. My Moulana told me that whatever Allah Ta‘ala planned for me will definitely come to me! I want to see how the food will go into my stomach if I don’t put it in my mouth.” Aasif’s mother tried to explain to Aasif that he should eat the food, but he refused to listen.
Eventually, Aasif ran out of the house and went to the park which was next to his house. Aasif climbed a tree and sat on one of its branches. Aasif’s mother was worried about him and didn’t want him to feel hungry. So, she followed him to the park and left a plate of roast chicken under the tree. Then, she went back home, hoping that Aasif will come down and eat. However, Aasif stayed in the tree saying, “I want to see how the food will go into my stomach if I don’t put it in my mouth.”
After a short while a robber ran into the park. He had just robbed someone and was now feeling quite hungry. Suddenly he spotted the plate of roast chicken. It smelt so delicious that he immediately went to the plate to eat some. Just then, he thought to himself, “What if this food has been poisoned, and has been placed here as a trap for us?”
The robber looked around to find who may have placed the food under the tree and immediately saw Aasif sitting in the tree. The robber ordered Aasif to come down but Aasif refused, so he climbed up the tree and pulled Aasif down. The robber told Aasif to eat some of the roast chicken, but Aasif refused by saying, “I want to see how the food will go into my stomach if I don’t put it in my mouth.”
The robber was hungry and Aasif was making him angry. So he held him, forced some roast chicken into his mouth and forced him to swallow it. When he saw that the food was not poisoned, he wasted no time and started to enjoy the roast chicken.
In the meantime, Aasif saw his chance to escape. He ran out of the park and went straight to his Moulana’s house. When his Moulana opened the door, Aasif said, “Moulana! You were right! When Allah Ta‘ala plans for us to receive something, it will definitely come, even if robbers give it to us!”
Lessons:
1. Listen to what our Moulana and Aapa teaches us and accept what they say.
2. We can’t understand everything when we are small. When we grow up, we will understand better.
3. No one can change the plan of Allah Ta‘ala.
Click here for the audio version of this story.