Irish Muslim Magazine

I was on my way to the surau this afternoon and at the bookshelf right in front of the surau my eyes spotted the Irish Muslim Magazine. I picked it up and read a short story in it. You might have heard it before just as I did but even so, I still got teary eyed anyway. huhu... Here I'd like to share it with you :) May it touch your heart like it did to mine.

Ever wonder why do we read the Quran even if we can't understand a single Arabic word? This is a short story to demonstrate.

An old American muslim lived on a farm in teh mountains of Eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, "Grandpa" was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa, I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand, I forget as soon as I close the book. There is no use reading the Quran then?"

The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said " You'll have to move a little faster next time..." and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he we to get a bucket of water instead.

The old man called him & said , "I don't want a bucket of water, I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into the river but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See grandpa? It's useless!"

"So you think it's useless?" The old man said, "...take a look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and now was clean inside out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Quran. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside out time by time. That is the purpose of reading the Quran in our lives."


Simple and sweet don't you think? :)