Short Stories - Page 5

Protected_Diamond · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-05-2005

This story is really nice, and teaches a really good lesson...
Poison Your Mother-in-Law ...

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."

Unknown Author

Protected_Diamond · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-05-2005

A HOLE IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence....

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.

The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." :omg3:

Protected_Diamond · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-05-2005

A wooden bowl for grandpa
by Velma A.Cook

Allah tells us in the Qu'ran: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attains old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour." (Sura Al Isra' 17:23)
The following is an example of the members of a family who come to grips or fail to come to grips with the reality of aging and each one's responsibilities. Truly, we reap what we sow.

"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."

**Re: Short Stories -** 11-07-2005

Baby in the trash

There is a flat in the city, much the same as all the others, that houses eight little orphan girls. Each of them was found in various places in the streets.

A businessman was walking along the street one day and as he walked he heard a sound. What was it that made him stop and listen carefully? It sounded just like a small cat of which there are thousands throughout the city. But this sound was familiar and it struck a chord deep within. Perhaps a sound he made when he was a babe, and which led to his mother's response to reach for him. Now, he in turn reached down with his big, strong hands, pulling away pieces of garbage and uncovered a baby. In surprise and awe, he scattered the insects from its tiny frame, quickly removed his expensive jacket, covering and sheltering the babe in his strong but gentle arms.

Unwanted and too often despised, such babies are taken to the local police station where they are sent on to government orphanages.

A kind woman, decided she wanted to help some of these orphans, so she put eight of them under her custody. She rented a flat and hired four women to care for them. The babies are between three and nine months old, so they will grow up together. Each woman takes care of two babies. The place is spotlessly clean and they are well fed and in better health than they were in the beginning. They will grow up as sisters in Islam, forming bonds which hopefully will last their whole lives through.

This kind lady will ensure they go to decent schools and become educated. She will oversee their care and training, ensuring they are treated with love and fairness in a world that seems to have forgotten what is good and what is bad.

There are many such places scattered like stars through this crowded city. Each little chubby face that turns and looks with tenderness at her care-giver, sheds some light on a world that has forgotten its trust. We are the care-takers of the world, the guardians of truth and justice. The One to Whom these little ones belong, will ask us about our neglected duty.

m_2005 · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-07-2005

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"!

m_2005 · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-07-2005

A Lesson from Disabled People

Once, a visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. The colony was built to provide a shelter for those people who were poor and had various physical disabilities. At noon a gong (a metal disk that produces a sound when hit with a hammer) sounded to gather the inhabitants for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone started laughing at seeing two young men, one riding on the other's back, pretending to be a horse and a rider. They were having lots of fun. As the visitor watched, he was told that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man being carried was lame (who couldn't walk). The one who couldn't see used his feet; the one who couldn't walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other and reached their destination.

Let us use each other's strengths to make up for the weaknesses of others. Our strength is in unity, not in division.

Protected_Diamond · **Re: Short Stories -** 11-09-2005

Old Lady and the Athiest -

An old Muslim woman lived next dooor to an atheist. Every day she would stand on
her front porch and yelled "Allahu Akbar! Oh Allah! I believe in You!"; and the
atheist would stick his head out the window and say "There is no Allah! Allah
doesn't exist!" The old Muslim woman would turn away and walk inside.
This went on for years.
One day, She went outside and said "Oh Allah! I know that You will provide my
food for the week. I have no money, but I believe in You!"
The next day, she came outside and found four large bags of groceries, she took
them inside and came out again and said, "Thank you Allah! Thank you for the
gift and the provisions! Oh Allah I believe in You!"
The atheist was hiding in the bushes, and jumped out and said "Aha! Allah didn't
put those groceries there! I did! That proves that there is no Allah!"
The old woman looks upward with a smile on her face and says "Oh Allah! Not only
did You provide my food, but you made Shaitan pay for it!"

**zAk** · **Short Stories -** 11-10-2005

Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking through
the desert. During some point of the journey, they
had an argument, and one friend slapped the other
one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt,
but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand:

Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis,
where they decided to take a bath. The one who had
been slapped got stuck in the mire and started
drowning, but his friend saved him. After he
recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend, who had slapped and saved his best
friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in
the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us,
we should write it down in sand, where the winds of
forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone
does something good for us, we must engrave it in
stone where no wind can ever erase it.

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve
your blessings in stone.

Rabi'ya · **Re: Sand and Stone -** 11-10-2005

JazakAllah for posting....

was thinkig where id seen this before but i had it in an email...nice to have the reference here

Rabi'ya:rose:

MetSudaisTwice · **Page Updated: 25/05/2006**

salam
mashallah such a touching story
wasalam

Ameeratul Layl · **Re: Sand and Stone -** 11-10-2005

Awwww...mashAllah....thats was so sweet!! The slapping part was a bit...ouch!!!

Nice story bro.

Allah ma3ak

**zAk** · **Re: Sand and Stone -** 11-10-2005

liked the story ?
CLICK HERE

Rabi'ya · **4 wives?!?! a good story.. -** 11-10-2005

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant, and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I ! now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was so skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was send to me via email by Fenix-Angels sister....

Rabi'ya:rose:

meknesi · **Re: Sand and Stone -** 11-10-2005

mashallah i love that i want to be of that character.....

	(#61 (permalink))
Protected_Diamond LI Oldskool Status: Offline Posts: 1,812 Reputation: 2460 Rep Power: 26 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dunya Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-05-2005 This story is really nice, and teaches a really good lesson... Poison Your Mother-in-Law ... 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." Unknown Author __________________ “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

	(#62 (permalink))
Protected_Diamond LI Oldskool Status: Offline Posts: 1,812 Reputation: 2460 Rep Power: 26 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dunya Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-05-2005 A HOLE IN THE FENCE There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.... Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." :omg3: __________________ “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

	(#63 (permalink))
Protected_Diamond LI Oldskool Status: Offline Posts: 1,812 Reputation: 2460 Rep Power: 26 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dunya Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-05-2005 A wooden bowl for grandpa by Velma A.Cook Allah tells us in the Qu'ran: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attains old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour." (Sura Al Isra' 17:23) The following is an example of the members of a family who come to grips or fail to come to grips with the reality of aging and each one's responsibilities. Truly, we reap what we sow. "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." __________________ “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

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DaSangarTalib Guest Status: Posts: n/a Reputation: Gender:	Re: Short Stories - 11-07-2005 Baby in the trash There is a flat in the city, much the same as all the others, that houses eight little orphan girls. Each of them was found in various places in the streets. A businessman was walking along the street one day and as he walked he heard a sound. What was it that made him stop and listen carefully? It sounded just like a small cat of which there are thousands throughout the city. But this sound was familiar and it struck a chord deep within. Perhaps a sound he made when he was a babe, and which led to his mother's response to reach for him. Now, he in turn reached down with his big, strong hands, pulling away pieces of garbage and uncovered a baby. In surprise and awe, he scattered the insects from its tiny frame, quickly removed his expensive jacket, covering and sheltering the babe in his strong but gentle arms. Unwanted and too often despised, such babies are taken to the local police station where they are sent on to government orphanages. A kind woman, decided she wanted to help some of these orphans, so she put eight of them under her custody. She rented a flat and hired four women to care for them. The babies are between three and nine months old, so they will grow up together. Each woman takes care of two babies. The place is spotlessly clean and they are well fed and in better health than they were in the beginning. They will grow up as sisters in Islam, forming bonds which hopefully will last their whole lives through. This kind lady will ensure they go to decent schools and become educated. She will oversee their care and training, ensuring they are treated with love and fairness in a world that seems to have forgotten what is good and what is bad. There are many such places scattered like stars through this crowded city. Each little chubby face that turns and looks with tenderness at her care-giver, sheds some light on a world that has forgotten its trust. We are the care-takers of the world, the guardians of truth and justice. The One to Whom these little ones belong, will ask us about our neglected duty.

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m_2005 LI Senior Member Status: Offline Posts: 103 Reputation: 44 Rep Power: 20 Join Date: Oct 2005 Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-07-2005 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"!

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m_2005 LI Senior Member Status: Offline Posts: 103 Reputation: 44 Rep Power: 20 Join Date: Oct 2005 Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-07-2005 A Lesson from Disabled People Once, a visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. The colony was built to provide a shelter for those people who were poor and had various physical disabilities. At noon a gong (a metal disk that produces a sound when hit with a hammer) sounded to gather the inhabitants for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone started laughing at seeing two young men, one riding on the other's back, pretending to be a horse and a rider. They were having lots of fun. As the visitor watched, he was told that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man being carried was lame (who couldn't walk). The one who couldn't see used his feet; the one who couldn't walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other and reached their destination. Let us use each other's strengths to make up for the weaknesses of others. Our strength is in unity, not in division.

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Protected_Diamond LI Oldskool Status: Offline Posts: 1,812 Reputation: 2460 Rep Power: 26 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dunya Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Short Stories - 11-09-2005 Old Lady and the Athiest - An old Muslim woman lived next dooor to an atheist. Every day she would stand on her front porch and yelled "Allahu Akbar! Oh Allah! I believe in You!"; and the atheist would stick his head out the window and say "There is no Allah! Allah doesn't exist!" The old Muslim woman would turn away and walk inside. This went on for years. One day, She went outside and said "Oh Allah! I know that You will provide my food for the week. I have no money, but I believe in You!" The next day, she came outside and found four large bags of groceries, she took them inside and came out again and said, "Thank you Allah! Thank you for the gift and the provisions! Oh Allah I believe in You!" The atheist was hiding in the bushes, and jumped out and said "Aha! Allah didn't put those groceries there! I did! That proves that there is no Allah!" The old woman looks upward with a smile on her face and says "Oh Allah! Not only did You provide my food, but you made Shaitan pay for it!" __________________ “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

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zAk Administrator Status: Offline Posts: 20,520 Reputation: 54025 Rep Power: 111 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cyberabad Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Short Stories - 11-10-2005 Sand and Stone A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand: Today my best friend slapped me in the face. They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life. The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it. Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your blessings in stone.

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Rabi'ya Ex - Mod Status: Offline Posts: 2,452 Reputation: 4918 Rep Power: 29 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cardiff, Wales Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Sand and Stone - 11-10-2005 JazakAllah for posting.... was thinkig where id seen this before but i had it in an email...nice to have the reference here Rabi'ya:rose: __________________ Rabi'ya

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MetSudaisTwice SS NUMBER 1 FAN Status: Offline Posts: 6,837 Reputation: 5977 Rep Power: 36 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Planet called Earth apparently Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Sand and Stone - 11-10-2005 salam mashallah such a touching story wasalam __________________ Visit My Page for many recitations from known Imams and Quraa's Page Updated: 25/05/2006 New recordings of Sheikh Saad Numani, Imitator of Famous Imams and Quraa's added!!

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zAk Administrator Status: Offline Posts: 20,520 Reputation: 54025 Rep Power: 111 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cyberabad Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Sand and Stone - 11-10-2005 liked the story ? CLICK HERE

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Rabi'ya Ex - Mod Status: Offline Posts: 2,452 Reputation: 4918 Rep Power: 29 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cardiff, Wales Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	4 wives?!?! a good story.. - 11-10-2005 Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant, and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I ! now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was so skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!" In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was send to me via email by Fenix-Angels sister.... Rabi'ya:rose: __________________ Rabi'ya

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meknesi AllahuAkbar Status: Offline Posts: 97 Reputation: 73 Rep Power: 20 Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: london Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: Sand and Stone - 11-10-2005 mashallah i love that i want to be of that character.....

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Protected_Diamond LI Oldskool Status: Offline Posts: 1,812 Reputation: 2460 Rep Power: 26 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dunya Gender: Way of Life: Muslim