The Story of the Three Sisters

One day, there were three young sisters named Dafia, Peter, and Simona. The girls lived with their mother in a wooden house in the forest. Days passed, the girls grew up and became beautiful, and the house they lived in became small for them. Their mother gathered them and said to them, “The time has come for each of you to get your own house. I will give you the money your father left. You must be generous like your father was.” ...

The Story of the Lazy Farmer

One day, there was a lazy farmer living with his wife and children. This farmer would wake up every morning, go to the well to bathe, then return to his home to sleep again. Despite owning a large piece of land, he never cared about farming it. His wife was the one who cared for the land to provide them with food. Every day, before going to the field, his wife would try to wake him from sleep so he would go with her. But he would refuse to wake up and pretend to be asleep so he wouldn’t work in the field. His wife felt severe distress from his laziness, but she didn’t know how to deal with him. ...

The Story of the Woodcutter

In ancient times, there lived a righteous man who had three sons: Hamid, Hamdan, and Mahmoud. This man was poor at the beginning of his life, but he worked diligently and sincerely until he had a large trade. He also bought a piece of land that he farmed in his free time from trade, which provided him with a large income. When the man grew old, he gathered his three sons and said to them, “I have grown old, my sons, and have become unable to work. Therefore, I will leave everything I own for you to manage yourselves.” Mahmoud said to his father, “Father, I love trade, and I am skilled in it. If you leave me your trade, I will care for it and develop it.” The father agreed but stipulated that his son Mahmoud must never cheat in trade and must give out zakat money from the wealth at its appointed time. ...

The Tailor Lady

The Tailor Lady suffered greatly from her mischievous children. They would race, play, climb the mountain, roll down the hill, jump from walls, and scatter water around them. They exhausted her greatly. One would say to her: “Mom, sew the pants for me.” Another would say: “Where are my socks?” The mother could no longer bear their mischief, so she ordered them to sleep. “Woe is me, I will lose my mind.” The Tailor Lady was not a successful woman in managing her household affairs. Spiders were nesting in it. She said: “How do I clean my house while taking care of mischievous children?” The Tailor Lady looked at the spiders and said: “Someday I will remove you all.” But the spiders said: “What if we told you that we will send her a girl to help her named Pearl the Weaver.” ...

The Working Ant

The last days of the winter season, and grandfather had received an invitation to attend a meal at one of his uncle’s houses, who was older in age. The weather was cold, and there was a beautiful cat, as well as a bird searching for food, and many poor people. After walking around the house and the cat in the beautiful yards, grandfather went with the other children to the garden where the family had moved there. While the adults were talking, the old cat ran, and the children followed him laughing, running, and playing. ...

The Story of the Magic Handkerchief

It is told that a well-to-do farmer once lived with his wife and five children in a village in the countryside. This farmer lived off the cultivation of his land, providing for his family from its bounty. However, during one particular planting season, the rains were withheld; they did not fall as they usually did to water his small field. The farmer grew deeply saddened, and he began to sing, pleading for the rain to fall, but the sky remained dry. ...

The Story of the Lazy Woodcutter

In a certain land, there lived two woodcutters: one was lazy, and the other was hardworking. Both worked cutting logs in the same forest. One day, the two set out to begin a new day of work, but the weather was scorching and the sun was intensely hot. The lazy woodcutter said, “It is far too hot; let us rest for a while. We cannot possibly work in this heat.” The hardworking woodcutter replied, “What are you saying? You just rested a short while ago.” He picked up his axe and continued felling trees, while the lazy woodcutter sat beneath the shade of a tree and abandoned his work. ...