Getting things cosy…
Getting things cosy…
Cheep, cheep! Cheep, cheep!
It was a sunny spring morning in Leeds. Haroon and Mum were in the back garden.
Cheep, cheep! Haroon peeped under the hedge.
A baby bird was hopping in the dry leaves. Hop, hop, hop. It had fluffy brown feathers and a tiny, stubby tail.
"A baby bird!" whispered Haroon. He reached out both hands. "I want to hold it!"
Mum knelt beside him. "Still hands, Haroon. Let's leave it where it is. This baby is learning to fly. Its mummy is close by, looking after it."
Haroon put his hands behind his back.
"Long ago," said Mum, "some people took two baby birds from their mummy. The mummy bird came, flapping and spreading her wings. Then the Prophet ﷺ came. He asked who had upset the mummy bird by taking her babies. He told them to give her babies back."
"Babies need their mummies," said Haroon.
Swish, swish went a stripy tail. Out padded Mishmish the cat.
"Oh, Mishmish, you might frighten the baby bird," said Mum. "In you come." She carried Mishmish indoors. Miaow!
Haroon and Mum tiptoed to the doorstep and sat very still. Shh, shh.
Flutter, flutter! A big brown bird flew down from the fence. She had a wiggly worm in her beak.
"The mummy bird!" whispered Haroon.
"Alhamdulillah," whispered Mum.
The baby opened its beak wide. Cheep, cheep! Gulp! Down went the worm.
Haroon smiled and smiled. "My hands stayed still, Mum."
"They did," said Mum. "Still hands…"
"Kind heart!" said Haroon.
That night, Haroon snuggled down in bed. "Is the baby bird sleeping too?"
"Yes," said Mum softly. "Tucked up in the hedge, with its mummy close by."
Haroon closed his eyes. "Thank you, Allah, for the baby bird."
Still hands. Kind heart. Cheep… cheep…
Goodnight, little bird.
Haroon wanted to hold the baby bird, but the kind thing was to leave it with its mother, just as the Prophet ﷺ told those travelling with him to return a distressed mother bird's young to her. Mercy to animals means thinking about what they need, not only what we want. A fledgling on the ground is usually best left alone, with pets kept indoors, while its parents care for it.
Because every little heart deserves a real answer.
Being kind to an animal means thinking about what it needs, not just what you want. A baby bird needs its mummy, so the kindest thing you can do is leave it where it is and watch from a little way away.
Animals have feelings too. The Prophet ﷺ noticed when a mummy bird was upset because her babies had been taken, and he told the people to give them back to her. When you are gentle with animals, you are following the Prophet ﷺ.
If you ever find a baby bird, don't pick it up. Tell a grown-up and ask them to keep any pets inside, then step back, keep very quiet and watch for the mummy bird to come. Still hands, kind heart!
“We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during a journey. … We saw a bird with her two young ones and we captured her young ones. The bird came and began to spread its wings. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came and said: Who grieved this for its young ones? Return its young ones to it.”
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — Sunan Abi Dawud 2675
Graded SahihRead it on sunnah.com ↗
Snuggle up and wonder together. There are no wrong answers.