Magical
Stories

You know, humans don't just like to eat and drink

and do things to keep themselves safe and warm.

They also like to laugh, and think,

and wonder about things, and imagine.

And a lot of the time they do that by telling each other stories,

which can be funny, or exciting,

or sad, or scary, or magical.

And sometimes they are true,

but the most magical ones are usually made up.

And the muslims are famous for having written some of the most famous magical stories ever written,

known all around the world

and loved not just by muslims.

Some have been made into Disney movies,

and they can even turn up in theatres as their Christmas pantomime.

The most famous ones are told in the Book of 1001 nights,

and you probably know some of them yourself.

There's the stories of the amazing journeys of Sinbad the sailor,

and Ali Baba and the 40 thieves,

and Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp,

with its reminder that not all new lamps are better than old.

And there are tales of Djinn,

and flying horses, and magic carpets,

and animals that could speak and get up to all sorts of adventures,

and stories of the struggle between good and evil.

Being muslim was never just about praying and going to the mosque,

although that is important.

Life goes on in all we do in every hour of the day,

with all its fun and excitement,

its trials and temptations,

its hurt and its sadness,

and the muslim Way of Life is about the way that we deal with all of it,

the good and the bad of it.

God wants us to do good, for ourselves and all of the rest of our fellow humans,

and to live our lives in the best way possible

all the time

And muslims do that by surrendering to God

and following that way of life muslims know as the straight way,

the way of life that is the Deen.