The Correct Way of Reading

An account, a miracle

The correct way of reading

Maulana Arshad Aslam Attari Madani

Both brothers were reading a book whilst lying down. A small bulb was on in the room. When Granddad saw this, he switched on all the lights in the room and sat with them.

Suhayb said: ‘Granddad, why have you switched on all the lights? We were fine in the dim light.’ Suhayb looked towards Khubayb and said, ‘Isn’t that right?’

‘Yes, Granddad. Suhayb’s right’, replied Khubayb.

Umm Habibah also came into the room. ‘Is it OK to read using a dim light?’ she asked.

‘No, child. It is not OK. I will tell you the best way to read’, replied Granddad.

Suhayb said, ‘Ok, Granddad. That’s good.’

Telling the children the incorrect ways of reading, Granddad said, ‘It is not good to (1) read using a very bright or dim light, (2) read whilst lying down or walking, (3) read in a moving car, or (4) lean over the book when reading. Dear children, reading in these ways can damage our eyes. And reading or doing homework whilst leaning over forward is even more harmful, as this can cause back and lung problems.’

Suhayb said: ‘Granddad! So how should we read then?’

Umm Habibah said: ‘Suhayb is always hasty. Be patient! Granddad will tell us about that too.’

Granddad said: ‘Sit in a place where the light shines from above or behind and does not cast a shadow on the book. And remember one more thing: sitting in a place where light shines from in front is harmful for the eyes.’

All three children said, ‘Okay, Granddad. From now on, we will keep these things in mind when we read.’

Granddad added: ‘My children, our eyes are a very beautiful and special gift from Allah Almighty. We should look after this gift as much as we can.’

Granddad finished speaking, and so Umm Habibah said: ‘Granddad, today you have told us things that we did not know about before.’

‘Honestly, Granddad, we really learned a lot’, added both brothers.

Khubayb proclaimed: ‘Tomorrow, I will tell my friends everything you just taught us.’

Suhayb and Umm Habibah said: ‘Yes, yes! We will tell our friends too.’

Granddad smiled and said: ‘Okay, in that case, you should also tell your friends about a Prophetic miracle involving an eye.’

Just hearing the word ‘miracle’ made all three children excited.

Mentioning the miracle, Granddad said: ‘During the time of our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, the disbelievers wanted to finish off the Muslims. Once, when they attacked the Muslims, a companion of the Prophet was struck in the eye with an arrow. As a result, his eye fell out onto his cheek.’

Hearing this, all three children felt sad.

Granddad, seeing their emotions, remarked, ‘Children! Don’t worry! Listen to what happened next.’ He explained: ‘The companion held his eye in his hand and went straight to our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.’

Khubayb asked: ‘Why? Why did he go to our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم? He should have gone to a doctor!’

Granddad said: ‘Khubayb, my child. He was a Companion. He knew that Allah Almighty had granted our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم such power that he could solve the most difficult of problems in a second. This is why he went to him.’

Khubayb asked, ‘Well, what happened next, Granddad?’

‘The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم held the eye in his hand and put it back in its place. The companion’s eye healed immediately. In fact, it became better and more beautiful than before.’^[1]

Umm Habibah asked in amazement: ‘Granddad, how was the eye put back in its place to heal without surgery?’

Granddad said, ‘Child, this is a miracle of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. It is doctors who are dependent on performing surgery, but our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was able to cure and heal even without the need of surgery! There are so many other miracles of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم like this too. I hope you enjoyed learning about this miracle; now you can carry on reading your book.’

Saying this, Granddad left the room.