My Dad is Always Working

My Dad is Always Working is an Islamic picture book for children aged 7 to 12 about Abdullah, who feels that his busy dad never has time for him, and who learns to see, and to thank him for, everything his dad does.

One Sunday morning, Abdullah's dad rushes out of the house, late for work, with black smudges on his shirt. At Arabic class, the teacher explains that Muslims thank each other by saying Jazakallahu khair, may Allah reward you with goodness, and asks each child to make a Jazakallahu khair card for the person who deserves their thanks. When his mum, not his dad, picks him up, Abdullah decides the card must be for her.

Then his mum asks him to think again. Who laid out his clothes, fixed his bike and cleaned his football boots? Abdullah realises that his dad was late because he had spent the morning doing things for him. He makes Dad a card and slips it into his jacket pocket, and the next evening Dad greets the family with a stack of very burnt pancakes.

The story gives children a way to thank people, Jazakallahu khair, and helps them notice the care that is easy to miss: the work parents do out of sight, because they love them. Written by Hafsah Dabiri and illustrated by Arwa Salameh, it takes about seven minutes to read aloud and is music-free.

A busy Sunday morning

"Wake up, Abdullah," Mum said. "It's time for class." Abdullah moaned and peeked out from under his duvet. He rolled out of bed and gave his mum a hug. His clothes were laid out at the end of his bed, ready for him to put on after his shower.

As he rushed downstairs for breakfast, his dad whizzed past him. Dad looked extremely tired, and there were black smudges on his shirt. Abdullah knew that when his dad rushed around that fast on a Sunday morning, he was going to work, and he was late.

"As-salamu alaykum, Daddy," Abdullah called as his dad opened the front door.

"Wa alaykum as-salam," Dad called back, out of breath. "I'll come and pick you up from your classes today, insha'Allah."

The front door snapped shut before Abdullah had even finished answering. He frowned and thought: Dad is always working.

In the kitchen, Mum had made his favourite chocolate and strawberry pancakes. A small smile appeared on Abdullah's face as he stuffed his mouth with the warm, fluffy pancakes. Mum could see he was feeling a bit down, so she said he could ride his bike to class with Khaled. Abdullah's smile grew wider, and he ran out to grab his bike. As he pulled the door closed, Mum called after him not to forget his football boots for break time.

A lesson about saying thank you

At Arabic class, the teacher greeted the children and told them that today's lesson was about saying thank you. "Does anyone know how we thank people in Islam?" she asked.

"I do," said Mariam. "We say Jazakallahu khair."

"That's right," said the teacher. "And it means, may Allah reward you with goodness."

At the end of the class she set a different kind of homework. Instead of writing, each child was to make their very own Jazakallahu khair card for the person they thought deserved their thanks and gratitude. Mariam turned and whispered to Abdullah that she was going to make hers for her mum, of course.

At home time, Abdullah waited eagerly in the playground for his dad, so that he could tell him all about the project. Then he heard his name and turned round. It was his mum, waiting in the car park. Abdullah's heart sank as he walked slowly towards her. Dad is always working, he thought.

Who did all of that?

Over dinner, Abdullah told his mum all about Jazakallahu khair and his homework. "I think I'll make the card for you, Mum," he said. "You woke me up, made me delicious pancakes and even picked me up from Arabic class. You deserve all my gratitude."

Mum smiled and hugged him. "But what about your dad?" she asked. "Can you think of anything he did for you this morning?"

Abdullah shrugged. "Dad is always working."

"That's true," said Mum. "But this morning, did you notice that your clothes were already laid out, nice and neatly? Your bike was fixed, and even your football boots were super clean."

Abdullah thought back to breakfast, and to his dad rushing out of the door with dirty marks on his shirt. "Did Dad do all of that?" he whispered. "For me?" Mum smiled and nodded.

"There are a lot of things your father does for you that you may not see, because he loves you," she said.

Abdullah realised that his dad had been late because he had spent the morning ironing, fixing and cleaning, all for him.

The card in the pocket

Abdullah ran to his room, took out his colouring pens and set to work on the most amazing Jazakallahu khair card ever. As he worked, he thought about how hard his dad worked so that the family could live in their lovely house and eat all the tasty food in the kitchen. When it was finished, he tiptoed into his dad's room and slipped the card into his jacket pocket.

The next morning, Dad was sitting at his desk, typing busily at his computer, when he felt something in his pocket. It was a card covered in teal, his favourite colour, with a picture of a little boy, a bike, a pair of football boots and the biggest stack of pancakes ever. Abdullah had written: Jazakallahu khair, may Allah reward you with goodness, and lots of pancakes, for all the things you do for me, the things I see and the things I do not see. He was very thankful, he wrote, and he knew that even when his dad was working, it was because he loved him.

Dinner is served

That evening, Abdullah and his mum came home after football. As soon as they opened the front door, they smelt something burning. They ran into the kitchen and found Dad standing in the middle of it, hot and covered in flour, holding a stack of very burnt pancakes.

"Dad, are you okay?" asked Abdullah, as he and his mum tried not to laugh.

"Dinner is served," Dad announced grandly, wiping some flour off his face.

After a rather crunchy meal, as they all cleaned up the kitchen together, Abdullah thought to himself: Dad is always working, for me.