Getting things cosy…
Getting things cosy…
One crisp, sunny day in Leicester, Ayaan and Abbu went to the park.
There was the big blue slide, tall and shiny!
Run, run, run went Ayaan. "My turn! My turn NOW!"
But there was a queue by the steps. A girl in a yellow coat. A boy in green wellies. A big boy in a bobble hat.
Ayaan's lip went wobbly. "I want it NOW, Abbu!"
Abbu knelt and held his hand. "I know. Waiting is hard," he said softly. "Shall we wait together? Let's count the steps."
One, two, three, four, five.
Up went the girl in the yellow coat. Whoosh, down!
Wait, wait, wait…
Scritch, scratch! A grey squirrel ran up a tree, flicking its bushy tail.
"Allah made the squirrel," said Abbu. "SubhanAllah!"
"SubhanAllah!" said Ayaan.
Up went the boy in green wellies. Whoosh, down!
Wait, wait, wait…
Quack, quack! Three ducks paddled on the pond. Wave, wave, wave went Ayaan!
Up went the big boy in the bobble hat. Whoosh, down!
Wait, wait, wait… MY TURN!
Ayaan climbed the steps. One, two, three, four, five. He sat right at the top. Abbu waited at the bottom, arms open wide.
Wheeeee!
Down, down, down went Ayaan, and BUMP! Right into Abbu's arms.
"You waited and waited!" said Abbu, swinging him round. "That's sabr. The Prophet ﷺ said that when we try to be patient, Allah gives us patience."
"I tried!" said Ayaan.
"You did," smiled Abbu.
That night, Ayaan was snug in bed. On the pond, the ducks slept with their beaks tucked into their feathers. High in a tree, the squirrel slept in its cosy nest.
Ayaan gave a big, slow yawn. Tomorrow, In sha Allah, he would go down the slide again.
But first… wait, wait, wait… for morning.
Night night, Ayaan.
Waiting is genuinely hard for little ones, and naming that feeling helps. The Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever tries to be patient, Allah will make him patient, so every small wait practised with a loving grown-up helps patience grow.
Because every little heart deserves a real answer.
Sabr means waiting without getting cross and without giving up, even when you really, really want something right now. Ayaan wanted the slide straight away, but he waited for his turn, counting steps and waving at ducks.
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever tries to be patient, Allah will make them patient, and that nobody is given a better gift than patience. So every time you try, Allah helps your patience grow!
Next time you have to wait for your turn, try what Ayaan did. Count something, find something Allah made and say 'SubhanAllah', or give a little wave. And when your turn comes, you can say, 'Wait, wait, wait… my turn!'
“And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience”
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — Sahih al-Bukhari 1469
Graded SahihRead it on sunnah.com ↗
Snuggle up and wonder together. There are no wrong answers.