Story
1. Illustration 1 Cover: The Apple Tree
The Prophet Says Series
Written by: Mariam Al-Kalby
Illustrated by: Yee Von Chan
2. Copyright page
3. Design 1 This book belongs to:
4. D2 Dedication: To my little cupcakes, Maimuna and Shaima.
5. Based on the Hadith: Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “When a Muslim plants a tree, whatever is eaten from it is charity from him and whatever is stolen is charity and whatever is subtracted from it is charity” [Sahih Muslim].
6. I2 Little Shaima woke up at fajr and peered out her bedroom window. Baba was in the front yard digging a hole in the ground.
7. I3 Curious, she jumped off her bed, raced down the stairs, and swung the front door open. She plopped down beside the pile of dirt he was digging and asked, “Baba, why are you digging a hole in the front yard?”
8. I4 Tossing the shovel to his side, Baba turned around to face her with a twinkle in his eye and with a bearded smile, gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Habibti, I am going to plant an apple tree inshaAllah, and whoever plants an apple tree gets the reward of charity.”
9. I5 Playing with the dirt around her, Little Shaima asked, “What does reward of charity mean Baba?” He said, "Our Prophet, peace be upon him, said if a person, animal or bird eats from a tree a Muslim planted, it is considered charity. You know habibti, even if someone steals from the tree, it doesn't change the hard work that it took for the good Muslim to plant the tree, so it is still considered giving charity.”
10. I6 “I don’t want anyone to eat from my apple tree!” Little Shaima said. “I want all the apples for myself.” As Little Shaima stood up and brushed the dirt off her embroidered dishdasha, Baba picked up the shovel and said, “Little Shaima, it is good to give and to share.”
11. I7 Pulling on one of her long strands of hair, she thought really hard, “Why?” “Well, you like getting rewarded by Mama with ice cream when you help her with the dishes, right?" Baba said. “Yes,” Little Shaima said. “How about when you do well on a test at school and your teacher rewards you with a sticker?” he said. “Yes,” she said.
12. I8 Baba stood up, offered his hands out to her, and led her to the deep hole he had dug. Dropping a small seed in the palm of her hand, he said, "Little Shaima, let me tell you something. The greatest reward you can receive is from Allah. It is better than all the rewards of the whole world.” Little Shaima’s eyes lit up, and she slowly said, “Wow, I want to plant the seed.”
13. I9 “Place this seed into the hole, and cover it with dirt,” Baba said. “Now take this watering can and sprinkle some water over it.” Little Shaima excitedly helped Baba as they worked on planting the seed. After they were done, Baba and Little Shaima sat in front of the apple tree they had planted together and smiled.
14. I10 Months went by, and the small seed grew and grew until it finally blossomed into tiny flowers. Then, on a clear Sunday morning, it bore the fruit Baba and Little Shaimawere waiting for … apples!
15. I11 That day, Little Shaima ran to the tree and picked some of the apples. She put them into her wicker basket and brought them into the house. Mama made apple pie, and the family sat around the table and ate it together. Little Shaima was happy.
16. I12 On Monday, Little Shaima woke up and peered out of her bedroom window. She saw a little boy climbing the apple tree and trying to reach for a large apple. Little Shaima became upset. She raced out the door and yelled at him. “Do not take my apples!”
17. I13 Startled, the little boy slid down the tree and said, “I'm sorry. My family is hungry, and we don’t have money. I saw these delicious apples and wanted to bring them some.” Little Shaima became sad that the little boy and his family were hungry. She offered him a basket and told him to take some apples.
18. I14 On Tuesday, Little Shaima woke up and peered out of her bedroom window. She saw a furry creature eating something on her front yard. She looked closer and saw a squirrel eating one of her apples! Little Shaima became upset. She stomped down the stairs.
19. I15 But when she opened the door, she saw the squirrel feeding the apples to her babies. Little Shaima quietly closed the door and became happy that the squirrel babies were eating the fruit.
20. I16 On Wednesday, Little Shaima was riding her bike in front of her house when she spotted some birds pecking at the apples on her tree. Upset, she was about to shoo them away, but then she remembered what Baba said the day they planted the tree many months ago.
21. I17 She remembered that whoever plants an apple tree gets the reward of charity because of who eats from it. And in the last three days, a boy, an animal, and birds had eaten from it!
22. I18 On Thursday, Little Shaima was lying on the grass under the apple tree and saw that a lot of the apples had fallen from the tree and covered the ground. She thought, "There are so many apples, it is impossible to eat them all myself."
23. I19 Little Shaima had an idea. She ran around to all the neighbors and all the people that lived nearby and told them to bring baskets. People came to her yard and happily picked apples, placing them in their baskets.
24. I20 Little Shaima was so happy that she was sharing with others. She sat down on the grass and once again remembered what Baba had told her that special morning: the greatest reward you can receive is from Allah. It is better than all the rewards of the world.
25. D3 Arabic Words to Learn:
Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn.
Baba is an Arabic nickname for dad.
Habibti is the Arabic expression for “dear one.”
InshaAllah is the Arabic expression for “God willing.”
Dishdasha is an Arabic word for a long dress.
Allah is the Arabic name for God.
26. I21 Back Cover: Little Shaima learns a valuable lesson in giving for the sake of charity and reward from God after planting an apple tree with her dad. By learning to give the fruit to others, including birds, animals and humans, she overcomes the selfishness she feels about wanting to keep all the fruit to herself. Based on an Islamic Prophetic saying - Hadith - this story brings to life the struggle and joy of giving to others and will capture the interest of all.
Front Jacket Flap: About the Author: Mariam Al-Kalby is a storybook writer, poet, blogger, wife, and mother of two young girls from California. She received her Bachelors in English Education and Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach. She is a dreamer and seeks out the creative aspects of life. She loves nature and natural beauty whether it's through art, writing, photography, or architecture...she believes art is in every form and it is up to the person to see the magic within. This is her first children’s book. Visit her website at apocketfulofnotes.com.
Back Jacket Flap: About the Illustrator: Yee Von Chan is a freelance illustrator and designer from Malaysia who was raised in a loving and supportive environment that nurtured her artistic talent. Mostly inspired by nature, her artwork mainly encompasses fairytales and fantasies as she imagines them. Her artwork is her secret diary, sharing her journey and allowing her audience to grow with her. Yee Von also enjoys exploring different forms of artwork, as well as stargazing and watching clouds pass by in a clear blue sky. She also has a line of paper goods with her whimsical designs. Visit her website at chanyeevon.com.
For this book, Yee Von Chan hand drew all the art with ink, then colored it digitally using vintage colors in her famous woodland-in