The letter Jeem is the fifth letter of the Arabic alphabet, following the letters Alif, Ba, Ta, and Tha (أ-ب-ت-ث). It is written in several ways: at the beginning of a word as جـ, in the middle as ـجـ, and at the end as ـج. It is one of the “Lunar Letters.” In formal Arabic, it is pronounced with a strong, “mu’attasha” sound. It is a letter found in words like Jamil (beautiful), Jadd (grandfather), Jumu’ah (Friday), Jaza’ (reward), and many others.
Now, friends, we are going to tell you some lovely stories about the letter Jeem.
Jaida’a at Her Grandfather’s House
My name is Jaida’a, and I live with my beautiful family: my father Jaber, my mother Jalila, and my brother Jamal. When Friday (Jumu’ah) arrived, we all woke up early and were very happy because on Fridays, we go to our grandfather (Jadd) and grandmother’s (Jadda) house to spend a wonderful day together.
When we arrived at my grandfather’s house, we greeted my grandparents. Then, my brother Jamal said, “Let’s go ride our bikes!” Jamal and I rode our bikes until we reached a magnificent place in the village called “Flower Island” (Jazirat al-Azhar). It was given this name because it is filled with beautiful flowers. My brother and I played and ran until we were exhausted. In the afternoon, Jamal told me, “I’m hungry, let’s go back to Grandpa’s house; perhaps Grandma has prepared some food.”
Sure enough, as we approached the house, we smelled a delicious aroma. We rushed inside and found that Grandma had prepared a delicious coconut (Jawz al-Hind) cake. Jamal went to take a piece, but Grandma told him, “We must eat first.” She had prepared a meal of delicious chicken (Dajaj) with rice seasoned with nutmeg (Jawzat al-Teeb) and spices. We ate until we were full, and then we enjoyed cake after lunch.
We sat with my grandfather and grandmother as Grandpa told us beautiful stories. When evening came, my father told us it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes to my grandparents, thanked them for the lovely day, and promised to visit them again next Friday, God willing.
Neighbor Abdul-Jalil’s Guavas
We had a neighbor named Uncle Abdul-Jalil. He owned a small shop next to our house where he sold vegetables and fruits, such as carrots (Jazar) and pears. Uncle Abdul-Jalil would close his shop at every prayer time to go to the mosque.
One Friday, I told my mother that I wanted to eat mangoes. She asked me to go to our neighbor Abdul-Jalil to buy some. When I arrived, Uncle Abdul-Jalil had gone to perform the Friday prayer. I waited for him until he returned. He said to me, “What would you like, Jamila (beautiful)?” I replied, “I would like some mangoes, Uncle Abdul-Jalil.”
He said, “There are no mangoes today, but there are guavas (Jawafa).” The guavas looked beautiful, so I said, “Alright, I will buy guavas today, and tomorrow, God willing, I will buy mangoes.” When I returned home and my mother saw the bright, beautiful color of the guavas, she said, “How wonderful are the blessings of God!”