Children's Corner

It is Allah Almighty who is the Emperor of all emperors on this earth.


Once King Akbar was riding his horse in the countryside of Agra, he felt hungry and asked a peasant for some food. The peasant believing him to be an ordinary traveller brought some food and cold water and did his best to make his stay in the house comfortable.


When the mighty Emperor was refreshed and was ready to leave, he told the villager: “My good man, I am the Emperor of India. If you are ever in need of any assistance, please come to my palace in Agra without any hesitation. I am pleased by your hospitality and will be glad to be of help to you in every way I can.”


After some time, the villager fell on hard times. Famine had set in his village and food was hard to find. There was no work for the farmers. The villager remembered the words of the Emperor, he decided to go to Agra and asked for an interview with the Great Mughal King Akbar.


He was immediately ushered into the Emperor’s private chambers, where he found to his astonishment that the Emperor who had just finished his prayers was supplicating to Allah, and with raised hands was begging from the Almighty God numerous favours for himself, his family and his subjects.


Soon, the Emperor finished his prayers and his eyes fell on the villager who was waiting to meet him. He recognised him immediately as the same man who had attended to his needs during his journey to the village. The Emperor greeted him warmly and had him seated by his side, and humbly asked him if there was anything that he could do for him.“O’ mighty Emperor,” said the villager, “ will you please tell me what were you doing just now?” “Why certainly” said Akbar, “I was asking from Allah help in solving many difficulties that I face while ruling my great empire, and for His aid in keeping my kingdom in peace.”


“Thank you very much O’ mighty emperor,” said the villager. “Now, I seek your permission to travel back to my village.” The emperor was astonished at the reply of the villager. He said, “Why! What’s the matter? He exclaimed. “Did you not come here to ask for my help” The villager answered him politely, but in a determined manner.


“O’ Emperor, I have learnt a great thing today! I will beg at the same door as the One before which you were begging. For my Lord, though you are the greatest among all the kings of India, I find that you are a poor beggar. And, for me to beg favours from a beggar would bring me disgrace from the Almighty who is the Emperor of all emperors on this earth.”


Moral of the Story: If you ask in Prayer, ask only from Allah, and if you seek help, seek it only from Allah.

Once upon a time there lived in the island of Sicily a king. Sicily is a big island in the warm Mediterranean Sea. The King of Sicily was Roger the second and he held court in Palermo. He had become King at the age of 17. His father had come from Normandy in northwestern Europe. King Roger had great interest in learning about the geography of the world. In the faraway land of Morocco lived an Arab Geographer and a scholar, Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn-Idrisi who was born into a noble family. He studied for many years in Spain and had travelled a great deal. He became known throughout the lands as a wise man.


The King heard of the geographer. People said that there was no one in the whole world who knew about the southern lands of the world better than he. So Roger told his people to invite Ibn-Idrisi to his court. His courtiers sent out the Royal invitation to Idrisi. Idrisi accepted the offer and travelled to Sicily. When Idrisi arrived in Sicily he was received with full honours. Soon, he was invited into the Royal Court and was received warmly by the King.


The King told Idrisi, “Ideas and knowledge are wonderful things. If you and I, each have an apple and we swap, we will have only one apple each. But, if you and I each have an idea and we swap, we will each have two ideas.”


Ibn-Idrisi was pleased to hear the king’s words and agreed to work for him. King Roger, the second, wanted Idrisi to prepare a great map of the world. The King believed that paper was too ordinary to prepare such a map, for it did not last forever. He ordered all the silver in his treasury to be melted down and beaten into the biggest round plate the silversmiths could make. The King wanted the wonderful map to be impressed on it forever!


A king’s word is the law. The silversmiths of his kingdom soon got busy. When the plate was made, it took four men to drag it into the geographer’s study. The plate was two meters in diameter and weighed 126 kilograms. Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn-Idrisi spent the next 15 years at work, drawing, engraving, minting, and pressing the contours of the lands known to him and to King Roger on the precious metal.


King Roger died before the map was finished. But the geographer carried on. The map had all that they had hoped for- all the countries, mountains, seas, and rivers stood out clearly. And, written on it, in excellent script were the directions to read the map. The Arab geographer’s map included everything that was known about the world in the twelfth century.


Unfortunately, the king and the geographer had made one mistake. The silver on which the map was made was not durable. When the king’s heirs needed money, the silver map disappeared. Nobody would have known about it had not Idrisi made copies on ordinary paper. It also proved that ordinary paper lasts longer than silver.