Little Birdie

Little Birdie is an Islamic animated nasheed for children aged 4 to 9: a gentle song, good for bedtime, about a little bird and the lesson of trust in Allah it teaches.

The song opens with a line to remember: have faith like the bird, who feels the sun and sings before the dawn has come. The bird does not yet see the morning, but it sings anyway, sure that the day will come. That, the song says, is a great lesson for people: tawakkul, trust in Allah's plan.

Then the chorus asks the little birdie to sing, so sweet, from its house up high in the tree. The girl in the song sits and watches the bird, and says she has learned a lesson from it today. The song ends with praise and thanks to Allah.

In the animation, a girl sits at a picnic table under a big tree with her lunchbox, and the little bird lands on her finger. She follows it past its nest, to a pond with reeds, through a field of golden wheat, and into a dreamy sky of soft colours and rainbows.

The song is slow and calm, and it is short, about 4 minutes. It can lead to a quiet talk with children at bedtime: the birds do not worry about where their food will come from, and Allah looks after them; He looks after us too. The app lists it as music-free.

• Jami at-Tirmidhi 2344: If you relied on Allah as He should be relied on, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds; they go out hungry in the morning and come back full.