Zak and His Good Intentions

Zak and His Good Intentions is an Islamic picture book for children aged 7 to 12 about a boy whose good deeds keep going wrong, until he learns that Allah rewards a good intention even when the deed does not happen.

One day, Zak's sister Hana decides to do as many good deeds as she can, and Zak wants to do the same. But everything he tries ends badly. He trips on the way to take cookies to his friend's house and lands in a pile of dirt. He climbs a tree to rescue the cat, Miss Ginger, and ends up covered in sticky sap and grass while Hana carries her home. He turns on the tap to water the lawn, forgetting to move the sprinkler, and soaks his father. Each time, Hana seems to get the good deed instead.

Upset and annoyed, Zak even blames Hana. Then, just as he is about to give his last gummy bear to her, a worm lands on his head and the sweet falls in the dirt. That is when his mother explains: the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that whoever intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, still gets a reward for the intention. Zak realises he has earned four good deeds that day after all.

With plenty of slapstick humour, the story teaches children that Allah looks at what is in our hearts, and that trying to do good is never wasted, even when things go wrong.

It is written by J. Samia Mair and illustrated by Omar Burgess.

A terrible day

"What a terrible day," Zak thought, staring out of his bedroom window. No matter how hard he tried, everything had gone wrong. Down in the garden, his sister Hana was helping their mother, and they were laughing and having fun. "It's all Hana's fault," he said to himself. "Hana and her good deeds." Zak thought back over the day.

The cookies

That morning, Zak had woken to the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and his father had told him they were going swimming after lunch. Zak could not wait for the day to begin. He ran down to the kitchen just as Hana went out of the back door carrying a plate of cookies.

"Where is Hana going?" he asked.

"Hana has decided to see how many good deeds she can do today," said Mama. "She's taking some cookies to Mrs Wilson."

Good deeds? Zak could do that. He quickly put some cookies on a plate. "I'm taking these to Ahmed's house!" He was so excited that he began to jog, then to run. Then something terrible happened. He tripped on a bump in the pavement, the cookies went flying, and he landed in a huge pile of dirt.

"There goes that good deed," he said. Back home, covered in dirt, he threw the broken cookies in the bin. "Things didn't go as I had planned," he told his mother.

Miss Ginger

Later, Mama called out: had anyone seen their cat, Miss Ginger? She had not been home since last night.

"I'll find her, Mama. It will be another good deed," said Hana, dashing out.

"Not if I find her first," said Zak, and he headed straight for the tree in the neighbours' garden. There was Miss Ginger, high in the branches, looking terrified. Zak started to climb. Then something terrible happened. He grabbed a higher branch and sank his hand into a big blob of sticky sap, and he got it all over his face too. His scream startled Miss Ginger, who shot down the tree and ran for home. Zak jumped down to chase her, tripped on a pine cone and rolled across the grass, which stuck to every sticky part of him.

"There you are, Miss Ginger," said Hana, picking her up and carrying her inside. "Mama, I found her!"

"There goes that good deed," said Zak, pulling a blade of grass out of his mouth.

The sprinkler

"I've already done two good deeds today," Hana told Baba.

"Well done," said Baba. "Why not do a third and pour me a glass of iced tea? I'll be on the patio reading the paper."

"Let me do it!" said Zak, but before he could say more, Hana had poured the tea and was out of the door.

Then Mama called from upstairs for Hana to water the front lawn, and to move the sprinkler first. "I'll do it!" shouted Zak, and he was out of the house before she had finished. He turned the outside tap all the way on and went back in. At least this was one good deed Hana could not ruin.

Then something terrible happened. The kitchen door burst open, and there stood Baba, dripping from head to toe, with a soggy newspaper under one arm and a glass of watered-down iced tea in the other. "Who gave me a sprinkler shower?"

"Sorry, Baba," said Zak, and he stomped up to his room. "There goes that good deed."

The last gummy bear

Now, staring out of the window, Zak decided to go outside. The hot sun had dried up all the sprinkler water. He flopped onto a patio chair.

Mama asked Hana to fetch her garden gloves from her sweater pocket, and Hana found a packet of gummy bears there. Mama said they could have them if Hana shared with her brother: four each. Hana gobbled hers. Zak chewed his slowly, because he did not feel very hungry.

"I don't want my last one," he said sadly.

"I want it!" said Hana, digging in the garden with a trowel.

It would be a good deed, thought Zak, and he had not managed one all day. "OK, you can have it." He started to hand it over. Then something terrible happened. Hana pulled her trowel out of the soil, and a big, wet, wriggly worm flew through the air and landed on Zak's head. As he shook it off, the gummy bear fell in the dirt. No one could eat it now.

"There goes that good deed," said Zak. "I just can't get a good deed today."

What counts

Mama smiled. "But you did get a good deed."

"How? I never gave Hana my gummy bear."

"But you intended to," said Mama. "And that's what counts. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that whoever intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, still gets a good deed for the intention."

A big smile spread across Zak's face. "That means I've done four good deeds today! One for meaning to take cookies to Ahmed's family, one for meaning to bring Miss Ginger home, one for meaning to water the lawn, and one for meaning to give Hana my last gummy bear."

Just then, Baba came running towards them, waving the sprinkler. "Is this a good deed? It's a hot day, after all!" Mama and Hana screamed and ran into the house, but Zak ran straight towards his father.

What a great day, Zak thought, even if nothing had gone the way he had planned.

• Sahih al-Bukhari 6491: Whoever intends to do a good deed but does not do it, Allah writes it down as a complete good deed.