Family

In one of the distant villages in India, there lived a small boy named Chandrā with his small family. His father had married another woman after his mother’s death, and the village at that time was suffering from the scarcity of waters, to the extent that all people in the village were going to a distant water well to bring water from there. The small boy would wake every morning to obtain water from that distant place for himself and for his family. The task of bringing water was heavy upon him because of the length of the road and its difficulty, where he would go alone every morning and return. ...

In one of the small cities spread throughout India, there lived a goldsmith named Jifar with his family, living a simple, tranquil life. This goldsmith was very skilled in making antique necklaces and confirming their authenticity. He had been working since his childhood in a large shop for the making of precious necklaces. But his circumstances changed with his family after he died in a severe accident while returning from his work. The family found itself in a great financial predicament due to his absence. He died at a young age without being able to gather the wealth that guaranteed them a dignified life. ...

The sun rose at the beginning of a new day in my life. God had begun to grant me the treasure of the twenty-four hours. But I found myself grieving somewhat, so I spent this day at home and did not go to school. Visit to the Grandmother and Grandfather: For I lived with my grandfather and my grandmother. I went to them to reassure myself about my sick grandfather. He was every day sleeping on the bed, wandering in thought. He would repeat my name: when would I become and when would I sleep? He loved me intensely. ...

Samr entered upon her father and saw him sitting at a table reading in a book. She approached him, asking: “Father, will you take me to the public park today? The weather is beautiful and the scenery is charming.” Her father looked at his little daughter smilingly and said: “I will take you, O my little sparrow. Wait a little until I finish reading the remaining page.” Samr rejoiced and began to contemplate the things upon the table. She saw white papers and a red wax candle, pens placed in a wooden box, and a small earth globe whose blue surface she was touching, mounted on a metal base. ...

One day there was a great king named Sharīf, and he had two sons. The older was named Rafīq and the younger ʿAdil. When the king died, Rafīq became the new king. The King and the Sorceress: On the first night of his kingship, he requested of the soothsayers to bring him all the sorceresses in the lands and ask them what would happen to his kingdom if the neighboring kingdoms waged war against him and seized its throne. One of the strongest sorceresses of the lands answered and said: “Your people will hate you and strive to kill your elder brother.” All the other sorceresses agreed with her according to their magic. ...

Nabīl the little, son of the skilled fisherman Ḥasan, used to go out every day with his father to watch him, during his work in fishing, to witness what he did in amazement. One morning, Nabīl ascended to the surface of the boat. As soon as the engine started, amidst the blue waters of the sea, the fishermen began to prepare their nets to obtain the largest quantity of fish. ...

Frequently, resentment occurs between a brother and his brother because of the differentiation in treatment between them from before their fathers. Thus the younger son sees injustice, even though it may be that the older son is the most deserving of what might be, and what the father does is not injustice as much as it is good use of his children’s resources and cultivation of their potentialities. In one of the distant villages, there were two brothers working on a farm of vegetables under their father’s supervision. After several years from the beginning of work, the older brother noticed that his father gave his younger brother many tasks and great responsibilities and rewarded him generously. ...

Awrā was a very beloved princess in the kingdom. She was distinguished by kindness, gentleness, and beauty. Her parents lived in a beautiful palace that contained everything she desired of things, except one single thing which she had longed for greatly since her childhood: knowing the moon. There were many kings who wished to realize the princess’s dream. They feared they would never be able to realize it, for there was an evil sorceress living in the kingdom. She had worked magic when the princess was a small child, and this magic made the princess fall asleep at night to sleep, distressed by the mere disappearance of the sun. She could never awaken at that time. ...

The little girl Salamā lost her doll. She searched for it in the field, among the trees, near the waterway, and in every place, but did not find it. On the way, she asked a sparrow and said: “Did you see my doll, O sparrow?” The sparrow shook its head and flew away. Salamā walked, weeping near a pond when a turtle emerged. She asked her: “Did you see my doll, O turtle?” The turtle said: “Doll, I do not understand anything you ask about.” It dived into the water. ...

Nūrā was accustomed to sitting in the lap of her beloved grandmother to listen to a story, Samr and the Moon, at the end of each week. Every time her grandmother began the story, she would embrace her to her chest and say affectionately: “There was once a beautiful girl whose name was Samr. Samr would contemplate the sky and watch the stars every night, dreaming of reaching the moon.” The grandmother would look at the sky through the window, and Nūrā would follow her with her eyes, hoping to see something in the sky. ...