References to Islam in
BY
J. SAMIA M AIR
The Great Race to Sycamore Street is a fun adventure story featuring two Muslim children. It is
for children aged between 9 and 14, and will not only entertain them but give them some
wonderful insights into the character of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and their faith.
In the story a prominent character is Grandma Hana’s peach tree. This famous and cherished
tree is not only used to find fruit to fill one of Grandma Hana’s famous pies, it also offers the
children Hude and Amani an example for themselves. In order to get the best fruit the tree must
have firm roots, a strong trunk, several branches and an abundance of leaves. And, similarly
in order for people to have good character they must have firm belief at their root, a strong faith
in the oneness of Allah, and the Prophethood of Muhammad, perform several acts that testify to
their faith and belief such as prayer, fasting and giving charity, and follow the abundant actions
of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), our guide. If people have those features their fruits will be
good character, such as such patience, honesty, kindness and generosity. Even when faced
with nasty neighbours!
The Great Race to Sycamore Street also sees Hude and Amani challenged by their Grandma
Hana to follow the example of the Prophet (pbuh), his Sunnah. She encourages them to be kind
to their neighbour’s dog after it eats their cookies, to be quick to calm and slow to anger when
faced with bullying, practice archery and be good to neighbours, even if they aren’t nice to you.
By the end of the story Hude and Amani are challenging each other to act in these exemplary
ways.
Specific verses in the Qur’an and ahadith (plural of hadith) are mentioned in The Great Race to
Sycamore Street because Muslim parents and guardians often refer to these two sources when
instructing children on how to behave and what constitutes good character. Hence, we are
providing the references below to share with readers in case they wish to find the original
sources that inspired the author themselves.
1
Qur’an references in
BY
Al-Baqarah 2:216
J. SAMIA MAIR
p102, p106 and p179
…it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which
is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.
Al-Imran 3:103
p102
And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among
yourselves, and remember Allah's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another
but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren, and you
were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat
clear to you, that you may be guided.
Al-Imran 3:146
p102
…But they never lost heart for that which did befall them in Allah's Way, nor did they
weaken nor degrade themselves. And Allah loves As-Sabireen.
Ibrahim 14:24-26
p37
See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose
root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high).
Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord and Allah sets forth parables for
mankind in order that they may remember.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth
having no stability.
Al-Isra’ 17:44
p104
The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a
thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever
Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.
2
Al-Ahzah 33:21
p37
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes
in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.
Fussilat 41:53
p42 and p76
We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their ownselves, until it becomes
manifest to them that this (the Qur'an) is the truth. Is it not sufficient in regard to your
Lord that He is a Witness over all things?
Al-Taghabun 64:1
p104
Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. His is the
dominion, and to Him belong all the praises and thanks, and He is Able to do all things.
Al-Qalam 68:4
p37
And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.
Al-Qiyamah 75:22-23 p41
Some faces that Day shall be Nadirah (shining and radiant). Looking at their Lord
(Allah).
Al-Zalzalah 99:1-5
p104
When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake.
And when the earth throws out its burdens,
And man will say: "What is the matter with it?"
That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good or evil).
Because your Lord has inspired it.
Translations of Al-Qur’an found at:
http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/
3
Ahadith referenced in
BY
Hadith of Gabriel
J. S AMIA M AIR
p37
'Umar ibn al-Khattab said:
As we sat one day with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), a
man in pure white clothing and jet black hair came to us, without a trace of travelling
upon him, though none of us knew him.
He sat down before the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) bracing his knees
against his, resting his hands on his legs, and said: "Muhammad, tell me about Islam."
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Islam is to testify
that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and to
perform the prayer, give zakat, fast in Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the
House if you can find a way."
He said: "You have spoken the truth," and we were surprised that he should ask and
then confirm the answer. Then he said: "Tell me about true faith (iman)," and the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) answered: "It is to believe in Allah, His
angels, His inspired Books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in destiny, its good and
evil."
"You have spoken the truth," he said, "Now tell me about the perfection of faith (ihsan),"
and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) answered: "It is to worship Allah
as if you see Him, and if you see Him not, He nevertheless sees you."
He said: "Now tell me about the Hour." The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) answered: "The one who is asked about it knows no more than the questioner."
He said: "Then tell me about its signs." The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) answered: "That a slave girl shall give birth to her mistress, and that you see
barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds vying to build tall buildings."
Then the visitor left. I waited a long while, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) said to me, "Do you know, 'Umar, who was the questioner?" and I replied, "Allah
and His messenger know best."
He said, "It was Gabriel, who came to you to teach you your religion" (Sahih Muslim,
1.37: hadith 8)
4
The perfume musk
p18
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, mentioned a woman from the children of Israel who would wear a ring filled with
musk and he said, “Musk is the best perfume.” (Muslim)
It is related that Humayd said, "I asked Anas about the fasting of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'If I wanted to see him fasting during a
month, I could see him, or not fasting, I could see him, or standing in prayer in the night I
could see him or sleeping I could see him. I never touched any raw silk or silk softer than
the palm of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, nor smelt
any musk or scent more fragrant than that of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace*.'" (Bukhari)
Be slow to anger, quick to calm
p33
...It is said that he (saas) mentioned anger, saying, "Some are swift to anger and swift to
cool down, the one characteristic making up for the other; some are slow to anger and
slow to cool down, the one characteristic making up for the other; but the best of you are
those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down, and the worst of you are those who
are swift to anger and slow to cool down." He continued, "Beware of anger, for it is a live
coal on the heart of the descendant of Adam. Do you not notice the swelling of the veins
of his neck and the redness of his eyes? So when anyone experiences anything of that
nature he should lie down and cleave to the earth." (Tirmidhi)
Judged by intentions
p36
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds
depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he
has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his
emigration was for what he emigrated for." (Bukhari)
Be good to neighbors 36–37
A'isha reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Jibril,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, kept on recommending that I treat neighbours
well until I thought that he would order me to treat them as my heirs." (Bukhari)
Abu Shurayh al-Khuza'i reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should be good to his
neighbours. Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should be generous to his
guest. Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should be say what is good or be
silent." (Bukhari)
Come to teach good character
p37
“I was only sent to perfect noble character.” (Ahmad)
5
Good deeds alone won’t save you
p34
Sa'id al-Maqburi related from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, "None of you will be saved by his actions." They said,
"Not even you, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Not even me unless Allah covers me with
His mercy. Seek what is balanced and correct and draw near, and do so in the morning
and the evening and part of the night. Moderation! Cling to moderation and you will
arrive." (Bukhari)
The strong control their anger
p55
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "The person who is strong is not strong because he can knock people
down. The person who is strong is the one who controls himself when he is angry."
(Bukhari)
Backbiting
p69
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "Do you know what backbiting is?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger
know best." He said, "To mention your brother in a manner he dislikes." It was said,
"What if my brother is as I say?" He said, "If he is as you said, you have backbitten him.
If he is not as you said, you have slandered him." (Muslim)
Removing a branch from the road
p82
Abu Hurayra said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, 'Sadaqa is owed by every limb people have. Every day on which the sun rises in
which someone establishes justice between two people is sadaqa. To help a man with
his animal and help him onto it is sadaqa. Or to lift his goods onto it is sadaqa. A good
word is sadaqa. Every step you take to the prayer is sadaqa. Removing an obstacle from
the road is sadaqa." (Agreed upon)
Giving a thirsty dog a drink
p84 and p99
It is related from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "A man saw a dog driven by thirst to eat mud, so he took his leather sock
and scooped up water for it until its thirst was quenched. Allah rewarded him for that and
admitted him to the Garden." (Bukhari)
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "One day a man became very thirsty while walking down the road. He came
across a well, went down into it, and drank and then climbed out. In front of him he found
a dog panting, eating the dust out of thirst. The man said, 'This dog is as thirsty as I
was.' He went back down into the well and filled his show, putting it into his mouth (in
order to climb back up) and then gave the dog water. Therefore Allah thanked him and
forgave him." They said, "Messenger of Allah, will we have a reward on account of
animals?" He said, "There is a reward on account of every living thing." (Bukhari)
6
Following a bad deed with good
p84–85
Fear Allah wherever you are; follow a bad deed with a good one and it will wipe it out;
and deal with people with excellent character. (Tirmidhi)
The whole world is a place of prostration
p102–103
It is related that Jabir ibn 'Abdullah said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, 'I have been given five things which no one before me was given: I
have been helped to victory by terror flooding (my enemies') hearts up to a month's
journey away; for me, the whole earth has been made a mosque and made pure (for
purification by tayammum) - wherever a man of my community finds himself when the
time of prayer comes, he can pray; taking booty has been made lawful for me when it
was not lawful for anyone before me; I have been given the right of intercession; and
whereas every other Prophet was sent only to his people, I have been sent to all
mankind.'" (Bukhari)
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, “The entire earth has been made a place of prayer (masjid) except for the
graveyards and the bathroom.” (Tirmidhi)
Feeding Allah’s creatures
p106
It is related that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, "There is no Muslim who plants a tree or sows a crop from which birds,
man or beasts eat but that it is sadaqa for him." (Bukhari)
Not sent to look at hearts
p114 and p145
It is related that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, "'Ali ibn Abi Talib sent the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a piece of gold ore from Yemen which was in
a piece of tanned leather and had not been extracted from its earth." He said, "He
divided it between four people: 'Uyayna ibn Badr, Aqra' ibn Habis, Zayd al-Khayl and the
fourth was either 'Alqama or 'Amir ibn at-Tufayl. A man of the Companions said, 'We are
more entitled to it than those.'" He said, "That reached the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, and he said, 'Do you not trust me when I am the trustworthy in the
heaven and the news of heaven comes to me morning and evening?'" He said, "A man
with sunken eyes, prominent cheeks, bulging forehead, thick beard, shaved head and
rolled waist-wrapper, stood up and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, be fearful of Allah!' He
said, 'Woe to you! Am I not the most entitled of the people of the earth to fear Allah?'
Then the man turned away. Khalid ibn al-Walid said, 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I strike
his neck?' He said, 'No, he may pray.' Khalid said, 'There are many who pray and say
with their tongues what is not in their hearts.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, 'I was not commanded to pierce into the hearts of people
nor to split open their bellies.'" He said, "He looked at him while he was turning away and
said, 'From the offspring of this one will emerge a people who recite the Book of Allah
easily and constantly, but it will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the
deen like the arrow passes through game.' And I think he said, 'If I were to meet them, I
would kill them like Thamud.'" (Bukhari)
7
Abu Dharr’s conversion
p114
It is related from Abu Jamra, "Ibn 'Abbas said to us, 'Shall I not tell you of how Abu Dharr
became Muslim?' We said, 'Yes indeed!' He said that Abu Dharr said, "I was a man of
the Ghifar and it reached us that a man had come out in Makka who claimed to be a
Prophet. I said to my brother, 'Go to this man and speak to him and bring me his news.'
So he went and met him and then returned. I asked, 'What have you got?' He replied,
'By Allah, I saw a man who was commanding the good and forbidding evil.' I said to him,
'You have not satisfied me with your information.' So I took a bag and a staff and set out
to Makka. I did not know him and I disliked to ask about him, and I continued to drink
Zamzam water and reamined in the mosque."
He said, "'Ali passed by me and said, 'You seem to be a man who is a foreigner.' I said,
'Yes.' He said, 'Go to the house.'" He said, "I went with him and he did not ask me about
anything nor did I inform him. In the morning, I went to the mosque to ask about him, and
there was no one who told me anything about him." He said, "'Ali passed by me and
said, 'Has not the man recognised his house yet?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Come with me.'
He asked, 'What is your business and what has brought you to this city?' I said to him, 'If
you conceal it for me, I will tell you.' He replied, 'I will do so.' I said to him, 'It has reached
me that here a man has come out claiming to be a Prophet. I sent my brother to speak to
him and he returned without enough information to satisfy me. So I wanted to met him.'
He said to him, 'You have been rightly guided. I am going to him now, so follow me and
enter where I enter. If I see anyone who may cause you some alarm, I will go to the wall
as if I were fixing my sandal. Then you should go away.' So he went and I went with him
until he entered and I entered with him to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace. I said to him, 'Present Islam to me,' and he presented it and I became
Muslim straightaway. He said to me, 'O Abu Dharr, conceal this matter and return to your
land. When it reaches you that we have been victorious, then come.' I said, 'By the One
who sent you with the truth, I will shout it out in the midst of them!'
"So he went to the mosque where Quraysh were and said, 'O company of Quraysh! I
testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His
Messenger!' They said, 'Get this heretic!' And they got up and beat me nearly to death.
Al-'Abbas reached me and put himself over me and then turned to them and said, 'Woe
to you! Will you kill a man of Ghifar when your commerce and your communications
pass through Ghifar?' So they left me. The morning of the next day I went back and said
the like of what I had said the day before. They said, 'Get this heretic!' and the like of
what had been done to me the day before was done. Al-'Abbas got to me and put
himself over me and then turned to them and said the like of what he had said the day
before." He said, "So this was the beginning of the Islam of Abu Dharr, may Allah have
mercy on him!" (Bukhari)
*Most hadith translations found at: http://spl.qibla.com
8