Ask our children:
1. Who made us beautiful, strong and intelligent?
2. Should we be proud and boastful, or should we be humble?
3. Should we think that we are better than other people, or they are better than us?
Now tell them the story:
Haleemah was a little girl who was very pretty, intelligent and strong.
She was so pretty that when any visitor would come home, they would say, “WOW! MASHA ALLAH! Haleemah is so pretty!” She was so clever and intelligent that she always knew her sabaq (lessons) in madrasah and would come out first! She was so strong that she could climb right to the very top of the jungle gym, higher than all the other children!
But, Haleemah was proud and boastful. She would always talk about how pretty she was, and how intelligent she was and how strong she was. She would say to her mother, “Mummy! Look at me! See how pretty I am!” She would tell her friends in madrasah, “I always come out first! I am the cleverest girl in the whole madarasah!” She would also tell her cousins, “I am so strong! I can climb so high! You can’t even climb the jungle gym properly!”
Her mother would always tell her, “Haleemah! You mustn’t boast! You must be humble! Allah Ta‘ala made you pretty, so you must thank Allah Ta‘ala, and always make du‘aa that Allah Ta‘ala keep you pretty.”
Her Aapa (teacher) would tell her, “Haleemah! Don’t be proud! Thank Allah Ta‘ala and make du‘aa that He makes you always remain intelligent!”
Her father would tell her, “Haleemah! Instead of having pride, thank Allah Ta‘ala, and always remember that Allah Ta‘ala can take away your beauty, intelligence and strength. That is why you must thank Allah Ta‘ala and make du‘aa to him.”
One day, as Haleemah was running to the door of the madrasah, she tripped and fell into the mud! Oh no! Her shoes were brown and dirty… Her clothes were brown and dirty… Her bag was brown and dirty… Even her face was covered in mud! As the other children saw her face and clothes covered in mud, some of them laughed at her and said, “Not looking so pretty now Haleemah!”
Then, when Haleemah went to read her sabaq to her Aapa, she was so sad about the mud on her clothes that she forgot her sabaq and couldn’t read! Aapa scolded her and said, “Why didn’t you learn your sabaq properly?” Poor Haleemah! First the mud on her clothes, and now she didn’t know her sabaq! Some of the children laughed and said, “Not so clever now Haleemah!”
When Haleemah went home after madrasah, she went to climb the jungle gym. As she climbed up, her hand slipped from the pole and she fell onto the ground! It was so sore and painful that Haleemah couldn’t help it anymore – she started to cry!
One of her friends saw her and started singing:
Haleemah Haleemah
tripped on her toes
Haleemah Haleemah
had mud on her nose
Haleemah Haleemah
forgot all her sabaq
Haleemah Haleemah
couldn’t read Surah Falaq
Haleemah Haleemah
climbed up high
Haleemah Haleemah
fell and began to cry!
Haleemah was now miserable and sad. She ran to her mother and complained, “Mummy! Why is everyone being so mean to me? Why are they all laughing at me?”
Her mother explained, “Haleemah my dear! You are always so proud and boastful! You always think that you are better than everyone else! If you are humble and think nothing of yourself, everyone will like you. Then, instead of laughing at you, they will help you and comfort you.”
Haleemah thought deep and hard about what her mother said and realized that it was true. She made du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala saying, “O Allah! Please forgive me for being proud, and please help me to be humble!” and from that day on, she became humble Haleemah.
Lessons:
1. We must never be proud and boastful. We must never ever speak about how good we are, how clever we are or how beautiful we are. Allah Ta‘ala does not like people who are proud.
2. We must always thank Allah Ta‘ala for everything that he gave us, and make du‘aa that Allah Ta‘ala does not take it away from us.
Click here for the audio version of this story.