ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Bilal's Bedtime Stories (part Two) The Aant Prays For Rains Once there was a big famine in Palestine. It was during the time of the Prophet Hazrat Sulaiman (King Solomon). He came out with his people and proceeded to an open place in the desert to pray for the rains to come. Suddenly, he saw an ant standing on its two legs, raising it hands up towards the sky and saying, "Oh Allah! We are but very small among all Thy creatures.

We cannot survive without Thy grace. Please bestow upon us Thy sustenance and do not punish us because of the sins of human-beings. Please send down the rains so that trees can grow, farms become green and grains become available and we have our food to eat." Hazrat Sulaiman knew the language of all Animals. He told his people, "Let us go home. The prayer of this ant is enough." It then rained heavily and all the land became green and productive. The ant is an intelligent creature.

During warm days, it collects and stores grain inside the holes. It knows that during wet and cold months, it would not be able to go out to search for food. For fear that grain may start growing because of wetness, it splits it into two or more pieces. At times, during moonlight nights, it brings the split grains out of the stores for drying and preservation against decay.

The holes under the ground are made very carefully and covered with shelter to prevent the rain water from getting inside the holes. The ant, unlike the other animals, can lift a burden twice its own weight. It is not a selfish creature. When an ant finds some store of food grains, it runs up to its group and takes its fellow ants to that place. It shows everyone of them its own find of the store. They always behave in this manner. They work and live in co-operation with each other.

This shows how the Ant works for the group and how each of them fulfils the needs and livelihood of its fellow-beings. How shame-full it is for a man, who has no regard for another man; who has no concern for his fellow humanbeings who could be starving because of want of food. Once, while Hazrat Sulaiman was travelling together with hosts of men, jinn and birds, they reached a valley of Ants.

When the chief of these Ants witnessed the pomp and the glory with which Hazrat Sulaiman and his companions were approaching toward it. He warned all the ants to get into their holes lest they got trampled and crushed unknowingly by the approaching men and Jinn.