Parables and fables

A fly could never wreck a china shop on its own. But if it flew into a bull’s ear, the panicked animal could destroy the whole place.

The fly represents superstition, falsehood, and prejudice. The bull represents an ignorant person who acts without thinking.

Moral: A small lie whispered into an ignorant ear can cause enormous destruction. Knowledge, critical thinking, and strong moral values are our best protection against it.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A traveler passing an elephant enclosure was surprised to see the enormous animals tethered by one front leg to a stake with only a short rope. There were no chains or cages. They could surely snap the ropes, yet none tried to escape. He asked a nearby trainer why they stayed so obediently.

The trainer explains:

“When they’re young, a rope like that is strong enough to hold them. As they grow, they keep believing they can’t break it. They never realize they now have the strength to free themselves.”

The traveler was astonished. Imagine: The elephants could break free at any moment, yet stayed where they were because they believed freedom was impossible.

Moral: Often it is not the rope that binds us, but the lack of confidence born of past failures. To become free, we must also overcome the fear of what others might say.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

One day, a donkey became king of the forest. Soon afterward, he decreed that everyone must go to bed at six in the evening and rise at six in the morning. For those twelve hours, the forest must be completely silent. Anyone who disobeyed would be punished.

For a time, the forest was quiet.

Then one morning, a rooster began crowing at five. The forest erupted in uproar. A court was hastily convened, and by the donkey's verdict the rooster was executed. After that, for fear of the king, no one dared break the law.

Years passed, and the donkey grew old and weak. As he lay in a quiet corner of the forest awaiting death, a lion came to visit him. After asking how he was, the lion said:

“You have little time left, and there is something we want to know. What was the wisdom behind your law about sleeping from six until six? We often thought of rebelling against it, but held back for fear of disturbing the peace. We assumed there must be some wisdom in it that we failed to understand.”

The donkey smiled and replied:

“I’ve wondered about that myself for years. Why did all the wild animals follow like sheep a law born of nothing more than a donkey’s foolishness?”

Moral: A senseless law is kept standing not by the power of the one who made it, but by the silence of those who obey. Behind an order there is not always wisdom; sometimes there is simply a donkey's foolishness. Do not be afraid to question it; nonsense left unchallenged can become an accepted rule.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Until the lion learns to write, every story will praise the hunter.

African Proverb

Moral: The one who tells the story often presents himself as the hero. If you do not speak your own truth, others will make you known as they themselves see you.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A boastful but cowardly hunter entered a forest while tracking a lion. He met a woodcutter and asked:

“Brother, have you seen a lion around here, or his track?”

The woodcutter replied:

“I’ve seen the lion itself. Come with me, and I’ll show you where it is.”

The hunter turned pale.

“No, my dear, thank you. It’s only the tracks I’m looking for, not the lion.”

Moral: A person is known not by his words, but by his action in the moment of trial. Many people "look for a lion" from afar, but when they come face to face, most of them retreat.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Someone asked a tortoise:

“How long will it take you to reach the next village?”

“It’s a three-day journey, allowing for rain, mud, wind, and hills. I’ll give myself six.”

Six days later, the tortoise was still missing. They searched and found it halfway there. “What’s this — you could not even finish a three-day road in six days?”

“Don’t even ask, friends. I allowed for the rain, the mud, the wind, and the hills,” the tortoise said in distress. “But I forgot to allow for unkind people. Every time I tried to go a little faster, they caught me and turned me on my back.”

Moral: You can calculate every difficulty in life, but not people with bad intentions. May Allah bring you together not with those who keep you from moving forward, but with those who support you.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Two donkeys saw a monkey in a tree and decided to tease him. “Let’s ask whether he has a friend. If he says yes, we’ll say what fool is friends with you. If he says no, we’ll say what fool would be friends with you?” They approached and called, “Monkey, do you have a friend?” The monkey looked down at them.

“All I can see are donkeys. Who can I be friends with?”

Moral: An attempt to make someone else look foolish can expose your own foolishness instead.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

According to legend, Nimrod, the biblical ruler of Shinar, wanted to punish the prophet Abraham, whom he believed stood in the way of his tyranny. He ordered a huge fire to be built in the town square, intending to throw Abraham into it. Every creature that saw the flames fled.

Meanwhile, an ant hurried toward the fire, carrying a drop of water in its mouth.

Another ant saw it and asked:

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“Haven’t you heard? Nimrod is going to throw the prophet Abraham into the fire!” the first ant replied anxiously.

“You can’t have seen the size of that fire,” the other ant scoffed. “There’s nothing to do but run. Do you really think you can put it out with a single drop of water?”

The first ant replied:

“Even if I can’t put it out, at least everyone will know whose side I’m on.”

Moral: Even when you cannot change the outcome, you can stand up for what is right. Being there for someone you love in a time of trouble matters in itself.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.