Changing Woman's Blog

This is a beautiful story
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>An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky
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>with
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>his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the
>kitchen
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>table reading his Qur'an. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried
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>to imitate him in every way he could.
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>One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Qur'an just like
>you
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>but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I
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>close the book. What good does reading the Qur'an do?"
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>The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied,
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>"Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of
>water."
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>The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back
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>To the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a
>little
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>faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try
>again.
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>This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he
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>Returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was
>impossible to
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>Carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man
>said,
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>"I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not
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>Trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
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>At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his
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>grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would Leak
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>out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into
>river
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>and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again
>empty.
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>Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
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>"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
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>The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the
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>basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket
>and was now
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>clean, inside and out.
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>"Son, that's what happens when you read the Qur'an. You might not
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>Understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be
>Changed, inside
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>And out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."