Stubborn Sa’eed

Ask our children:

1. What does it mean for a child to be stubborn?
2. Why should children not be stubborn?
3. What should we do if we damage someone’s property?

Now tell them the story:

There was once a young boy named Sa’eed. Sa’eed was tough and strong, could run very fast, and was known by everyone to be very brave. The only problem with Sa’eed was that he was stubborn. If his mother and father told him to do something, or stopped him from doing something, then he would not listen to them. Rather, he would ignore them and do whatever he wanted.

Sa’eed did not realize that his parents knew better than him, and whatever they told him was for his own good and benefit. So, when Sa’eed would be stubborn and ignore his parents’ instructions, he would get into trouble and cause problems for himself. Sometimes, he would even get hurt, damage his things, or cause damage to other people’s things.

One morning, Sa’eed woke up in bed, bright and early, feeling refreshed and energetic. As he recited his dua for waking up, he could hear the rooster crowing. He went to his bedroom window and opened the curtain, and as he looked out, he saw something that made him feel very excited. He saw that there was a huge, green, shiny avocado hanging from a branch high up in their avocado tree.

The avocado tree in their yard was very tall – even taller than the house! When Sa’eed’s father would pick avocados, he would use a long pole with a net to reach the avocados that were high up in the tree. Sa’eed’s father always warned him not to climb the tree, as if he slipped and fell to the ground, he could be injured quite badly.

Sa’eed was stubborn and did not want to listen to his father. He wanted to climb the tree and pick the avocado quickly, because he was afraid that the wild monkeys that came into their yard every day would pick it first and eat it. So, he quietly slipped out of the house, went to the tree, and began to climb.

A few minutes later, Sa’eed had made it to the top of the tree, close to the avocado. Sa’eed held onto a branch with one hand, and with his other hand, he reached out to pick the avocado. However, what Sa’eed had not realized was that there was a bird’s nest nearby. Just at that moment, the bird returned to its nest, and thinking that Sa’eed was trying to steal its precious eggs, it pecked him.

Sa’eed got a shock, and with a yell, he let go of the branch he was holding onto, and began to fall, sliding down the tree trunk! Moments before Sa’eed could fall from the tree, his pants got caught on another branch, bringing him to a sudden stop. But then, his pants tore with a loud rip, and he landed on the ground.

Fortunately for Sa’eed, he was not hurt, but unfortunately for him, his pants were ruined. Sa’eed was afraid of his mother scolding him, because these were new pants, and his mother had told him that he should not wear these new pants when playing outside. However, since Sa’eed was stubborn, he did not listen to his mother, and now the new pants were ruined. Hoping that his mother would not notice, he wore another pants and hid the torn, dirty pants in the back of the laundry cupboard.

Thereafter, Sa’eed went to ride his bicycle. Sa’eed’s father had instructed him to only ride his bicycle in the yard, and had warned him against going out onto the road alone with his bicycle. His father had warned him that it was dangerous to ride on the road, as he could get knocked by a car. However, Sa’eed, as usual, was stubborn and felt that he did not need to listen to his father. So, he quietly took his bicycle, slipped out of the gate, and went onto the road.

At first, Sa’eed was having fun, riding up and down the road, pedalling as fast as he could, but then, as he came to the end of the road, a car suddenly turned onto his street. Sa’eed was in the middle of the road, and as the car driver hooted at him, he panicked and swerved, knocking the car of their neighbour which was parked on the roadside, damaging the door and causing the car alarm to start ringing.

Now Sa’eed knew that he was in trouble. He quickly raced home, while the man who had turned his car onto the street shouted for him to come back.

On reaching home, Sa’eed tiptoed back to his bedroom where he waited, knowing that at any moment, his father would learn of what had happened and call him. Exactly as expected, the bell rang as the neighbour arrived, and a few minutes later, Sa’eed’s father shouted for him.

Sa’eed came to his father’s study where he made salaam to his father and their neighbour. Then, Sa’eed’s father began to scold him saying, “Sa’eed! What have you done now? Why are you always so stubborn? You never listen to us! Now tell me, how did you damage our neighbour’s car?”

Sa’eed may have been stubborn, but he always spoke the truth. He told his father exactly what he had done and how the accident had taken place. After hearing the story, Sa’eed and his father both apologized to the neighbour, and Sa’eed’s father told him that he would pay for the damage. The neighbour accepted their apology, was happy that they would pay to fix his car, and left.

As soon as the neighbour left, Sa’eed’s mother came into the study. She held something out in her hand and asked Sa’eed’s father, “What do you think this is?” Sa’eed’s father looked at it and said, “It looks like some dirty cloth that is torn. Why are you asking me this?” She was furious and said, “This is what is left of Sa’eed’s pants – the new pants you bought him last week! Ask him how he ruined it so badly!”

Now Sa’eed was in even MORE trouble, but he spoke the truth once again and explained how he had torn and ruined his pants. Sa’eed’s parents both looked at him in frustration for a few moments, and then Sa’eed’s father said to him, “Sa’eed! You must not be stubborn! Islam teaches us that we must always listen to our elders! That means that you must always listen to us – your parents! In the Qur’aan and Hadith, Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) have commanded us time and again to obey our parents. Whether or not you like or understand what we are telling you, you must listen and be obedient. If you are stubborn and do not listen, you will have many problems in your life in this world, and can have problems in the Hereafter as well.

“You were stubborn and did not listen to me when I told you not to climb the tree. When you fell, you could have broken your arm, leg or even your neck, becoming seriously injured. Then, you were stubborn and rode your bicycle on the road when I told you not to do so. As it is, you damaged the neighbour’s car. Imagine if a car had knocked you! You could have even been killed if the car was driving fast!”

By now, Sa’eed understood that his stubborn attitude was very bad, and not listening to his parents was very harmful for him, in this world and in the Hereafter. He lowered his head in guilt and apologized to his parents.

Finally, his father said to him, “Sa’eed, since I have to pay to repair the neighbour’s car, and since you ruined the new pants I bought for you, I will not be giving you any spending money for the next two months.” Hearing this, Sa’eed was devastated, but then he realized that the punishment was only fair. In fact, it was a small punishment, as two months’ spending money was a small amount compared to the amount that his father would pay to fix the neighbour’s car.

So, instead of complaining, Sa’eed accepted his punishment and said to his father, “I promise that in future, I will not be stubborn anymore, rather I will always listen and be obedient!”

Lessons:

1. A stubborn child is a child who does not want to listen to his parents and obey them. When they tell him to do something or stop him from doing something, he ignores them and does what he wants.
2. Children should not be stubborn. Islam teaches us that we should listen to our elders. In the Qur’aan and Hadith, Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) have commanded us many times to obey our parents.
3. If we damage anything belonging to anyone, we must apologize to them and pay to repair and fix the item. If the item is completely broken, then we should replace it. If it cannot be replaced, then we must give them the money for it.