In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Everyone loves a good story. Samirah and her
sister Ruqayyah loved stories too. They especially
loved stories told by their grandma. She made them
sound so interesting. They could almost picture what
she was saying, she made it sound so real. And after
she finished, she asked them questions to make sure
they had listened well. Join Samirah and Ruqayyah
for a story telling session at Grandma's home. Then
answer the questions.
Today, said Grandma, I am going to a story about the
Ka'bah and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Listen well,
for you will learn many things from it.
One day, a long long time ago, when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was only thirty years old, the Quraysh decided to
repair the Ka'bah. Because of floods and storms,
the Ka'bah was damaged. All the tribes were eager
to have the honor of repairing the Ka'bah, and so
each of them took on the task of repairing one
part of the Ka'bah.
First, they took down the damaged parts, until
the pillars that Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام had
built were left. Then they started rebuilding it.
Each tribe worked hard to make sure they built
firm and strong walls for the Ka'bah. The weather
was hot and dry, but the tribes worked on. When
it was finished they gazed at their work proudly.
They had done a good job. It was now time to put
on the Hajar al-Aswad in its place. But they could
not all put it together. One of them would have
to do it. Each tribe wanted the honor of doing that.
Confusion arose as no-one could decide who would
have the special task of placing the Hajar al-Aswad.
The confusion turned into a harsh argument. The
people were ready to do battle to win the special
honor. Nobody wanted to allow another to do the
task. The Quraysh were known to fight long battles
over small arguments, and many were afraid that
the fight over the Hajar al-aswad could become
just that; a long unnecessary battle.
Finally one wise man came up with a solution.
''I have a suggestion'' he said. ''Lets us wait to
see who will be the first to enter the Masjid
today. We shall tell him to decide, and what-
ever he says will be accepted by all of us .''
Everyone agreed as it seemed a reasonable
suggestion. Now they all turned towards the
entrance to see who it would be who came
first to the Masjid.
Who would come along, but the Prophet
Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلم himself. This event
took place before the Prophet announced his
Prophethood, but the people respected him
for his honesty and trustworthiness. ''Here
comes al-Amin'' shouted one of the Quraysh
excitedly. ''Yes ! Let Muhammad decide'' said
another ''we can trust him as we always have ''.
They explained their problem to the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم . He told them not to worry as
he would help them solve it.
''Get me a piece of cloth'' he said. They were
surprised, but did as they were told. The Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم spread out the cloth, and placed
the Hajar al-Aswad on it. Then he asked each of
the leaders of the tribes to take a corner of the
cloth and lift it up. When this was done, and the
cloth was raised to the point where the Hajar
al-Aswad was to be placed, the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم himself took the stone and
put it in its place.
The Quraysh smiled at one another. Everyone
was satisfied and a bitter fight had been avoided.
Thank You, they said. You have indeed solved
the problem well.
Grandma's Questions
So, said Grandma, I think you have enjoyed the story.
Let me see if you were listening.
( Try to answer these questions without reading the story again )
1. How old was the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he
solved the problem of re-building the Ka'bah? ------------------------------
2. What special task did each of the tribe want to do ?
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3. What title had the Quraysh given the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم before he announced his Prophethood ? -----------------------------
4. What was the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم 's suggestion to
solve the problem of the Quraysh? ----------------------------
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