Animals are an important part of the ‘circle of life’, but did you know that animals have been integral to Islam and to the lives of many of the messengers of Allah Almighty?

In 12 Animal Stories From Quran, you can know about the many animals whose actions helped or affected Allah’s messengers, from Prophet Yunus to Prophet Mohammad.

This book covers those animals who have been mentioned in the Quran, such as the whale that swallowed Prophet Yunus, the goat that replaced Prophet Ismail before he was sacrificed, the snake that came to Prophet Musa’s aid, and the ant that didn’t eat its food because it trusted Allah more than His messenger. You also get to know about the dog that slept for 300 years while accompanying his masters, and the hoopoe that spied for Prophet Sulaiman. Interesting, isn’t it?

The illustrations in this book tell you all there is to know about some of the animals that have been around for quite some time. Why does a camel have a hump and big eyelashes? How many horses did Prophet Sulaiman inherit from his father? In which Surah is the honey bee mentioned in the Quran and why? And which animals did Allah send to save the Holy Ka’aba when King Abraham attacked it with mighty elephants?

The answers to these questions can be found in this book that is not just fun to watch, but also to read. After all, the sentences are easy to read, the text size is easy for the eyes and the subject is easy to understand, even if you are a small kid, or an elder one.

The best part about this book is the ‘Learning point’ at the end of each chapter, where the moral of the story is laid out for the readers. If you are curious to know how Prophet Yunus survived in the whale’s stomach, how a spider saved the Holy Prophet Mohammad while he was migrating from Makkah to Medina, and how was Allah testing Prophet Ibrahim, this book tells you all.

On the bright side, it will make you understand that behind every decision we make, Allah is there to guide us, even if we don’t understand the logic at first.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 12th, 2021