CHILDREN’S CORNER
Selections from Best-Loved Quran Stories
Goodword is an award-winning publishing company with a splendid range of Islamic Books in many languages. It offers innovative products for children, including Quran stories, moral stories, craft and activity books, gift packs, Islamic games, Arabic and Islamic readers for home and school. Enjoy a selection of two chapters from the book Tell Me About The Prophet Musa. It is authored by Dr Saniyasnain Khan. He is recognized as one of the world’s most influential Muslims
.This book presents the life and times of the Prophet Musa, upon whom be peace, from the days of his infancy, when he was put in a box in the river Nile, to the period of his divine mission and preaching of Allah’s words.
A Box in the River
AS the soft ripples of water carried the box containing the little
Musa slowly and gently his sister kept a watch on it. To her utter
surprise, the waves pushed the box slowly towards the royal
palace. A member of Firawn’s household noticed the box bobbing by
the shore, and brought it to Queen Asiya, the wife of the tyrant Firawn.
The queen was not a cruel person like her husband; she was a kindhearted and loving woman. When the box was opened and she saw the little soul lying there, she exclaimed: “This is such a lovely child that whoever sees him cannot help but love him.” The news of the box containing a new born baby spread through the palace. When Firawn heard, he guessed that this must be the act of a woman from the Children of Israel, who was trying to save her child from his order to kill every new-born baby boy. Firawn ordered that the child be put to death immediately. But Queen Asiya pleaded with her husband: “This child may bring joy to us both. Do not slay him.” The queen wanted to keep this baby boy. “He may show promise, and we may adopt him as our son,” Queen Asiya said. Firawn trembled with rage that anyone would dare to disagree with him. But finally the queen’s strong arguments touched his heart. In the end, Firawn relented and agreed that the child should be brought up in the palace under the queen’s care.
Firawn Is Drowned
No sooner did Firawn and his whole army reach the middle of the sea,
than the waves standing obediently on either side like huge walls were
returned to their original form by Allah’s order and fell on them. Firawn
and all his army were crushed and drowned in the raging seas.
Seeing his tragic end, Firawn realized that he had been wrong about Musa and his message. At the last moment Firawn turned to Allah and cried out: “Now, I believe that no god exists except Allah in whom the Children of Israel believe. To Him I give up myself.” But Allah rejected his last-minute confession, “Only now! But before this you were a rebel and a wrongdoer.” (10: 90-91) After Firawn drowned, his dead body was apparently taken out of the sea and, according to the old Egyptian custom, was mummified.
As the people looked on at the destruction of the Egyptians from the safety of the Sinai Peninsula, Musa encouraged them not to forget this day. “Remember Allah’s goodness to you when He delivered you from Firawn’s nation, who had oppressed you cruelly, putting your sons to death and sparing only your daughters. Surely that was a great trial from your Lord. For He had declared: ‘If you give thanks, I will bestow abundance upon you: but if you deny My favours, My punishment shall be terrible indeed.” Musa warned the Children of Israel: “If you and all mankind prove thankless, He does not need your thanks, though He deserves your praise.” (14: 6-8)
Everyone is in search of God. It is God who gives meaning to all phenomena, because, after finding God, Everything falls into place.