One Story, One Miracle

A Bird’s Cry for Help!

Abu Hafs Madani

Grandad had just come home after performing the Asr salah when he was greeted by an unusual sight in the hallway. There on the floor was Khubayb, meticulously counting coins with a stack of notes beside him. A shattered savings box lay close by.

Khubayb and Suhayb had both offered salah with their Grandad in the masjid just then. The imam stopped Grandad to speak with him, and both brothers then went home. Khubayb was just about to ask his Grandad what the imam wanted to speak about, when Grandad lovingly inquired, “Khubayb, where are you planning on travelling to with all this money?” 

Khubayb smiled before Suhayb chirped in; “You know Khubayb, Grandad. Soon as he sets his mind to something, he won’t rest until he does it!”

“So, what has interested my grandson this time?”

“I’ve been saving up to buy Australian parrots!” exclaimed Khubayb with excitement. “It’s been a month of careful saving.”

“He saw a parrot at his friend Umayr’s house, and he’s been going on about it ever since!” Suhayb remarked. “He doesn’t even go outside his school classroom at break anymore. He thinks the smell of fresh food from the canteen will make him go and buy it, and he doesn’t want to spend the money he has saved!”

Grandad and Khubayb both smiled at the last part of Suhayb’s rant. “These things will go on, but we must now prepare for Maghrib salah; it’s just around the corner,” Grandad said.

That evening, after dinner, the brothers were seated beside Grandad. Khubayb turned to Grandad. “I’ve managed to save enough only for two parrots,” he remarked. “But I don’t have a place to keep them. Could you possibly buy a cage for them? Think of it as a welcoming gift for them.”

“You’ll have to ask them if they like gifts like this”, Grandad smiled. “Hearing you mention a cage reminds me of a message I once heard.” Suhayb asked what message this was.

“I’ll tell you the message right at the end”, Grandad explained, “You already are aware of how every animal knows who our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is. In fact, everything Allah Almighty created knows who he is. Not only this, but they ask him for help and take their issues to him so he may resolve them.”

With a smiling face, Grandad then said, “I’ll tell you about an amazing miracle he once performed.” Both brothers were excited by this. As both focused on what he was saying, Grandad began:

“Our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was once journeying with his noble Companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم. Along the way, some of them spotted two young birds perched on a tree and picked them up. This was done whilst our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was not there at the time. The mother of the birds flew in front of him, spread her wings and began falling to the floor. In other words, she was asking our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to have her two children given back to her.

Our cherished Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, who was sent as a mercy for all beings, turned to the noble Companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم and asked, “Who has caused distress to this bird by separating her from her children?” The honourable Companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم said they had taken two baby birds from a tree, which our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then ordered for them to return. The noble Companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم did so, and the mother bird was reunited with her children.[1]

Grandad continued: “The way this highlights a miracle of our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, this also shows we should not cause harm to animals without reason. Recently on Madani Channel, a fellow Muslim shared an inspiring message urging others to plant trees. He said, ‘If you want to hear birds chirping, don’t put them in cages, but plant trees instead.’”[2]

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Suhayb smirked, “But Grandad, who can convince brother Khubayb not to get parrots now? Who can convince him otherwise?” Grandad and Khubayb both smiled.

“Grandad, hearing the last part of our beloved Prophet’s miracle has changed my mind”, Khubayb declared. “I’m going to spend this money on seeds, and I’ll plant them so they can grow into trees. I won’t be buying parrots anymore.”