I Will Not Clean My Room

I Will Not Clean My Room is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 9, told in rhyme, about a boy called Musa who would rather dream about Jannah than tidy his room, and who learns that good deeds are worth the effort.

Musa loves to play and cannot sit still. When his mama asks him to clean his room, he keeps jumping on his bed and grumbles that his sister Leila made the mess too. His mama reminds him that Allah does not like the unkind things we say. Leila kindly comes to help, but Musa soon sits down among the toys and starts to dream. In Jannah, he says, his room will clean itself. He imagines a castle full of toys, a racetrack with a thousand cars, a milk chocolate stream and flying horses for Leila.

Then he finds his mama sitting on the floor, laughing. She hugs them both and tells them she loves them, clean room or not. Good deeds can be hard and boring, she explains, but it feels great to win reward, and Allah sends help once we try. The whole family tidies up together, and that night Musa says sorry to Allah and asks for His help.

Part of the My Journey to Jannah series, it is written by Saharish Arshad and illustrated by Elsa Estrada.

A boy who could not sit still

There was once a boy called Musa who loved to play. He played with his toys all day and all night, and he jumped a great deal. He could hardly sit still, however hard he tried.

One day, while Musa was jumping on his bed, his mama asked him to clean up his room. Musa kept on jumping. "Please stop it, just stop it," said Mama. She told him to get down from his bed and clean up his room, just as she had asked.

Musa sighed and groaned. "I hate cleaning my room," he moaned. "Ask Leila. She messed it up too. She's a big mess maker!" She should live in the zoo, he said.

"Musa, you must not speak about anyone that way," said Mama. "You know Allah does not like the mean things we say. Now clean up your room before the end of the day."

Leila comes to help

Musa climbed down and looked around. There were things all over the floor. He balled up his fists and looked up at the sky. Mama worked him so hard, he thought. Why did he have to put all these toys away, when the room only got messy again day after day?

Then his sister Leila walked in. "What a mess," she sighed. "I'll go and get the broom."

"So you'll help me, then?" asked Musa hopefully. He had no idea where to start.

"Of course I will help, dear brother of mine," said Leila. "Helping you is well worth my time."

Dreaming of Jannah

They began the chore, but soon Musa sat down among the toys on the floor. Holding up the broom, he announced that when he was in Jannah, he would not clean his room. He would close his eyes tight, and the room would clean itself, just like that.

In Jannah, he said, he would have a room bigger than big, packed full of toys. He would have a whole castle and make lots of noise. There would be horses and maybe a zoo, his own racetrack and a thousand race cars, which he would drive upside down without falling. He would eat fruit salad with lots of whipped cream, sail his own boat on a stream of milk chocolate, fly his own plane and walk on its wings high in the sky. A water park would be just the thing, because he would be living like a king.

Leila could be a princess, he told her, with a glittery crown and a beautiful dress. She could fly through the clouds on winged horses and slide down big mountains. Together they would blow giant bubbles that never popped, jump on the clouds, fly to the stars and make their own moon.

Musa jumped on the pillows and bounced on the bed. His room was still messy, but his head was full of dreams. He galloped and skipped around the room, then banged on the door handle with the broom still in his hand.

A funny, loving mama

The door swung open, and there was a surprise. Their mother was sitting cross-legged on the floor, laughing with all her might. She looked up, smiled and opened her arms wide, one for each child. She hugged them and giggled. "I love you, my loves," she said, "clean room or not."

The children felt sheepish, but they were very glad to have such a funny, mischievous mama. Musa felt sorry and let out a great sigh. He looked at his room and cried, "Can I go to Jannah if my room isn't clean? It's just hard and boring."

Their mama held them both tight. Truly loving Allah, she told them, can make things right. Good deeds can be boring and difficult, and there are always more fun things to do. But when you are finished, it feels great to have won, and winning is sweet when you have worked hard for it. "So let's win some reward," she said. "Let's reach for the sky. Allah always sends help once we give it a try."

Tidying together

So they all got up and gave it a go. With help from Mama, from Leila and from Baba, who came to help too, the room was clean in almost no time and looked brand new. Afterwards they had cookies and milk, and they talked and laughed together.

That night, cosy in bed in the dark, Musa whispered a dua. "O Allah, please help me. I'm sorry I whined. I really want Jannah, I've made up my mind. I love You so much, though I might be slow. Good deeds can be hard, but You'll help me, I know."