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Amer and Maher were brothers who loved each other dearly, moving through life like inseparable friends. They never quarreled or fell out; Maher was always at the top of his class, as was Amer. They were rarely apart, except for the brief moments when each turned to his own special hobby. Amer’s passion was to gaze at the sky, learning the names and positions of the stars, dreaming of one day becoming an astronaut. Maher, meanwhile, searched the earth, excavating for a radiant silver stone he had heard stories about. ...

Once upon a time, there was one of the beautiful valleys full of flowers and large trees with long branches and green leaves, where a small bird was born in a nest at the top of one of the tree branches. That nest was full of eggs. On a bright spring morning, the small birds that emerged from the eggs were born, except only one that was delayed in coming out, as it took a little longer to break the egg and see the light of morning. ...

Parents and those older than us who care about us often advise us not to stand and talk to strangers, or give them great safety and trust when we know nothing about them. The world is full of evildoers who can harm us. In addition to that, listening to parents’ advice makes us dutiful to them, for they know best that in life there are evil people who may attract us with sweet talk and excessive praise until we fall into their traps, and they can attack us later. This is likely what happened to the poor crow. ...

There was a poor boy named Kevin who worked as a traveling products seller at homes in addition to his studies, so that he could complete the necessary expenses to finish his studies. Once, while this little boy was wandering between one house and another, he felt extreme hunger and could no longer take one more step. He thought about knocking on the first door he passed and asking its owners for food. Indeed, the boy headed shyly and knocked on the door. A beautiful girl opened it for him. After a little hesitation, he asked her for a cup of water despite his extreme hunger. The little girl noticed his condition and saw hunger in his eyes. ...

Peace, love, and goodness—all values and dealings advocated by our noble Messenger, who instructed us to practice them with everyone around us. Our friend Amar understood this matter, and this was his way of implementing it. Amar returned from school one day and sat talking to his father about what he had learned from his workshop. He said to his father: Do you know, father, that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to go to the market without having any need in it? His father replied: And how is that, Amar? ...

In ancient times, there was an evil princess, ugly in appearance, wicked in character. She would hate people, rebuke them, mock them, and belittle them. Everyone who knew her and feared her served her because of the evilness of her nature. She had servants and maidens who would cheat people repeatedly, then return to her with their news and secrets. Whenever she heard what was discussed about her, her heart would burn with malice and she would rage terribly, so that no one would dare approach her or look at her face. ...

Frequently, we fight over small matters that do not deserve the struggle. With the passage of time, they grow and take a larger space than they deserve. The matter that makes its resolution an affair not easy, and thus we must try to find solutions before the problem intensifies and worsens. Perhaps the best solution can be in changing that perspective with which we look at the problem. Once there lived in one of the distant villages two neighboring brothers. The older was named Jamīl and the younger was named Jāksūn. The two were accustomed to living in love and happiness with each other’s company. Each of them possessed a farm with the other’s help. For forty years, the brothers lived in happiness and peace, exchanging agricultural labor and tasks and trade. ...

Among those wonderful tales of the Night after a Thousand, there is mention of the phoenix bird, or the Phoenix, named after the land of Phoenicia from which the legend originated. Some say its naming refers to a specific type of Greek palm tree. The bird was called the Phoenix because of its long neck. It is an imaginary bird mentioned in the stories of ancient myths belonging to ancient Eastern civilizations. ...

The little river was flowing laughing happily, planting fertility in its steps and carrying in its palms generosity. It ran between the grasses, singing its songs, scattering sweetness, green joy. It watered the withering flowers so their smiling lips brightened, watered the thirsty trees so their branches danced, and embraced the dead earth so life returned to it. The generous river continued the journey of joy and giving, not favoring anyone or expecting reward. On its side was a small, hard-hearted rock that was annoyed by his much work and addressed him: Why do you waste your water in vain? ...

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. ...