Once upon a time, Prophet Muhammad (SA) and his Companions set out on a long journey. Suddenly, a bird flew over to Prophet Muhammad (SA). The bird was flapping its wings and circling the Prophet’s head. She looked worried!
Then the bird spoke to the Prophet (SA) and told him that one of the Companions had taken its eggs from the nest.
I wonder how Prophet Muhammad (SA) understood what the bird said. I think it is because Allah (swt), the Creator of all the birds and animals, made the Prophet (SA) understand its language.
Isn’t that amazing?
Well let’s see what happens next.
Prophet Muhammad (SA) then told his Companions to stop all the caravans, horses and camels. This was not an easy thing to do as there were so many of them. However they all stopped. Then Muhammad (SA) asked: “Who took the eggs from the bird’s nest?”
The Companions were silent as they waited for someone to step forward.
Sure enough, one of the Companions stepped forward and said: “I did, O Rasulullah!”
Prophet Muhammad (SA) said: “Then you should give them back to the bird.”
The Companion walked over to the nest and returned the eggs. The bird then thanked the Prophet (SA) and flew away.
What a beautiful story of mercy and kindness. Here are some important lessons from it:
- We should never take things that don’t belong to us.
- We must always be honest and admit our mistakes.
- We should always be kind and merciful, even to animals.
- Allah is Able to do anything. He made Prophet Muhammad (SA) understand what the bird was saying.
- Prophet Muhammad (SA) was sent as mercy to the worlds, not just to humans and jinns but also to all creatures. He stopped the entire caravan and gave importance to the concern of a little bird and did not move on like a tyrant ruler or an arrogant world conqueror.
If you were on an important mission with your army, would you stop to feed a hungry cat or take care of an injured bird on the way? How can we follow our beloved Prophet (SA) and be kind to animals around us? Do you have pets? How well do you take care of them?