Stories from the Quran 3

Stories from the Quran 3 is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 6 with two short stories from the Qur'an: the Prophet Yusuf (AS) in the well, and the Prophet Musa (AS) as a baby in his cradle.

In the first story, Yusuf's big brothers, who are jealous of him, take him to the hills to play, throw him into a well and tell their father, Yaqub (AS), that an animal ate him. Yaqub does not believe them and prays that his son is safe. In the dark well, Yusuf prays to Allah for help, and a camel caravan finds him and takes him to Egypt. Many years later he meets his family again, hugs his parents and forgives his brothers.

In the second story, Pharaoh orders his soldiers to find a baby boy. Allah tells Musa's mother to weave a basket, and promises her that He will keep her baby safe. She feeds Musa, kisses him goodbye and puts the cradle in the river. It floats past birds, frogs and palm trees until it is found and taken to the palace, where the queen loves the baby and raises him as a prince.

Both stories show very young children that Allah hears their prayers and keeps His promises, and that forgiving is better than holding a grudge. The book is written by Nura Durki and takes about seven minutes to read aloud.

Yusuf in the well

Yusuf (AS), called Joseph in the book, was a very special boy. His father, Yaqub (AS), called Jacob, knew that his son would one day become a wise prophet. But Yusuf's big brothers were jealous of him. They huddled together in a corner and whispered, "Let's get rid of him. Let's throw him away."

They went to their father and said, "Father, let Yusuf come and play with us in the hills." Yaqub did not want to let Yusuf out of his sight, because he was afraid that something would happen to him. At last, he let him go.

The brothers walked far away, up into the hills. It was beautiful up there. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. Suddenly, the brothers grabbed Yusuf, threw him down a well and ran all the way back home. They told their father that an animal had eaten him, but their father did not believe them at all. He prayed that Yusuf was safe.

It was very dark down in the well, and Yusuf was very scared. "Please, Allah," he prayed, "help me to get out of this dark hole."

He waited for a long, long time. At last a camel caravan came by. The travellers looked in the well for water, and they found Yusuf. Yusuf was very happy. Allah had answered his prayers.

The travellers took him with them, far away, to a land called Egypt. Yusuf grew up there, and after many adventures he became a prince and a prophet. Much later, he met his whole family again. He hugged his father and mother, and he forgave his brothers.

Musa in the cradle

Pharaoh sat in his huge palace. He was worried. He had just heard that a baby boy had been born who would one day become far more important than Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh ordered his soldiers to capture the baby and kill him.

Musa's mother heard the news, and she was worried for her baby. She had to hide him from the soldiers. Allah told her to weave a basket for him, so she quickly twisted reeds and grasses together. She made the basket strong on the outside and soft on the inside, and she covered it with a sticky coating so that the water could not get in. It was like a little boat.

She fed baby Musa well, because she did not want him to cry. Then she put him in the cradle and kissed him goodbye. Allah had promised her that He would keep Musa safe. Carefully, she put the cradle into the river.

Musa smiled and closed his eyes, and the cradle bobbed up and down on the water while he slept peacefully. He did not see the big birds, the frogs or the fish. He did not see the palm trees waving overhead. He did not even see the Egyptian ladies coming down to the river to bathe.

The ladies took off their slippers and put their feet in the water. Then they saw the cradle. They waded in and pulled it to the bank. "A baby!" they cried. "Let's show him to the queen."

The queen loved Musa. She took him to the palace and raised him as a prince. Many adventures later, Musa became a great prophet.

• Surah Yusuf 12:8-21: Yusuf's brothers plot against him, throw him into the well and tell their father a wolf ate him; a caravan finds him and takes him to Egypt.
• Surah Yusuf 12:92-100: Yusuf (AS) forgives his brothers and is reunited with his parents.
• Surah Al-Qasas 28:4-13: Pharaoh kills the sons of the Children of Israel; Allah inspires Musa's mother to put him in the river and promises to return him; Pharaoh's wife asks to keep him.
• Surah Ta-Ha 20:37-40: Allah reminds Musa (AS) how He inspired his mother to put him in a chest in the river and returned him to her.