Islamic Short Stories
Reading Comprehension Series
Assalam alaikum. The lesson was originally written as worksheets for children. I encourage you to print out the free PDF by clicking the icon on the right, and have the child complete the reading and exercises on paper. I am including the lesson here because, inshallah, it will be beneficial even without a download required or a printer.
A Special Baby
is Born
Vocabulary
Clan - a group of people from the same family
Tribe - a group of people, families, or villages that share the same language, social customs, and ancestors.
Caravan - a band of people traveling together. Caravans are often formed for safety when crossing a remote area like a desert.
Fertile - producing or able to produce farm crops or other plant life
Story
Many years ago, more than 1,400 years past, a man named Abdullah and his wife, Aminah, lived in a city named Mecca in the desert of Arabia. Mecca was a very large city, but it was not very fertile, so caravans came to trade food and supplies for the people of Mecca. A tribe called the Quraish were the ones that brought the caravans to the city, so the tribe was both rich and powerful. Abdullah and Aminah were part of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe.
Aminah found out that she was going to have a baby! An angel came to her before the baby was born and told her the special name of her baby boy. She was going to name him Muhammad. Sadly, Abdullah died before Muhammad (as) was born, but Muhammad (as) lived with his mother and grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. On the day that he was born, his grandfather took him to the Ka’bah to pray to Allah and thank him for his grandson!
After some time, the baby Muhammad (as) went to live in the desert with a family there so that he could grow up strong. A woman named Haleemah fed him and took care of him. The family received many blessings while the baby lived with them. They did not want the baby to go home because the loved him and enjoyed all of the blessings of Allah. Haleemah begged his mother to let him stay and reminded his mother that many people in the city were ill. Aminah was worried that her son may also get sick if he came back, so Muhammad (as) stayed with the desert family for a few more years.
When Muhammad (as) was five years old, the angel Gabriel came to him and helped him. This scared the Haleemah, so they brought him back to live with his loving mother and grandfather in Mecca.
Abu Bakr
A Wise Young Man
Vocabulary
idol - a statue or image of a god that is used as an object of worship
shatter - to break suddenly into small pieces
prostrate – to lie or throw (oneself) face down on the ground in an act of humility or worship
Story
One day, before Islam was taught by the prophet Muhammad, a young man named Abu Bakr walked with his father, Abu Quhaafah, in the desert. They were going to pray in a room filled with idols. Abu Bakr’s father told him to worship the idols, then left Abu Bakr there alone.
Abu Bakr walker around and looked at the statues. He stopped in front of one statue and told it that he was hungry. He asked it for food but the idol did not reply. He looked at the idol and told it that he needed clothes, but again the idol did not reply. He decided to try a final test. He picked up a rock and threw it at the idol. The idol did not defend itself or move, so the rock hit it. The idol fell to the floor and shattered so Abu Bakr decided to go home.
Abu Bakr thought about what happened in the room of idols. He knew that the idols were not God. They could not help him or hurt him. They could not see him, hear him or speak to him. He never prostrated to a single idol but instead believed that there is only one real God.