Safiyya and the Waiting Cake

Little Safiyya was baking a cake with Mummy.

Crack went the eggs. Whoosh went the flour. Stir, stir, stir went the big wooden spoon.

Safiyya poured the squishy mix into the tin — careful, careful! — and Mummy put it in the oven.

"Is it ready yet?" asked Safiyya.

"Not yet, little star," said Mummy. "The cake needs time. This is called sabr — waiting nicely, with a calm heart."

Safiyya looked through the oven door. The cake just sat there. Safiyya wriggled. Safiyya jiggled. Waiting felt so, so long!

"Is it ready NOW?" asked Safiyya.

"Not yet, little star," smiled Mummy. "Sabr, sabr. Shall we wash the bowl while we wait?"

So they washed the bowl. Splish, splash, splish.

"Is it ready NOW?" asked Safiyya.

"Not yet, little star. Sabr, sabr. Shall we look for birds out of the window?"

So they looked for birds. One, two, three little birds! And the kitchen started to smell sweet. Mmmm.

"Waiting nicely makes your heart big and strong," said Mummy. "And do you know, the Prophet ﷺ said that sabr is a brightness? Bright, like sunshine!"

Safiyya took a deep breath of yummy cake smell. She waited. And waited. And waited with a calm heart.

Then — DING! went the oven.

"NOW it's ready!" laughed Mummy, putting on her big oven gloves.

Out came the cake, all golden and warm. "Bismillah," said Safiyya. She had a soft, sweet piece. Oh, it was the yummiest cake ever, ever, ever!

"Alhamdulillah!" said Safiyya. "The waiting made it extra yummy!"

And Mummy gave her a squeeze. "That's sabr, little star. Good things come to hearts that wait."

Safiyya leaned her head on Mummy, warm and cosy and full of cake. Sabr, sabr. Mmmm.