Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1
Huge clouds of sand billowed in the air as the quad bikes roared across the desert terrain. Flashes of colour appeared momentarily before disappearing behind the sand .
‘Come on!’ Sulaiman shouted, punching the air with his fist. ‘Put your foot down. They’re going to overtake you!’
His grandpa glanced up from his newspaper and tutted loudly.
“Sulaiman! Stop moving. Every time you move - my paper moves and I cannot read.” He slapped his paper with the back of his hand in annoyance.
Sulaiman quickly shuffled along the sofa so as not to disturb his grandpa. He knew how much he liked to do the crossword in peace. Sulaiman’s grandparents were visiting on holiday and he didn’t want anything to spoil their trip.
Sulaiman twitched nervously again, as he watched the quad bike races live on satellite television. Suddenly the adhan interrupted the racing commentary. A picture of the Kaaba with large Arabic writing filled the entire screen. It was time for the mid-day .
‘Oh, why did that happen!’ Sulaiman huffed. ‘Now I’m going to have to go and pray and I’ll miss the end of the race.’
‘No, you won’t,’ his grandpa reassured him. ‘The races on the television are in Dubai and the time is different over there. We’ve still got three hours until we have to pray Zuhr here in Britain.’
Sulaiman was relieved. He knew it was important to perform the five daily prayers at set times throughout the day, but they often clashed with whatever he was doing and he found it hard to steer himself away.
‘Anyway you call this racing?’ his grandpa continued. ‘You haven’t seen a proper race until you’ve seen camels racing. When I was a boy…’
Sulaiman quickly rose to his feet. He could tell Grandpa was going to recall memories from his childhood. His grandpa was well known for his lengthy stories. Having been raised in the desert with a Bedouin family, he was obsessed with camels. Sulaiman loved his grandpa dearly but he had heard his stories so many times before.
‘Er...excuse me, Grandpa,’ he interrupted politely. ‘I’ve just remembered I’ve got to do something.’ Before his grandpa could utter another word, Sulaiman had disappeared out of the room.
‘Oh!’ Grandpa exclaimed, looking baffled. ‘Was it something I said?’
Chapter 2
Sulaiman stared at the raindrops as they trickled down his bedroom window. He raced one stream of water against another, his finger pressed firmly on the glass.
‘Every time I want to do something exciting, it either rains or it’s time to pray,’ he moaned.
‘Don’t complain,’ his dad said, watching from the open doorway. ‘Rain is a blessing. Although we are blessed with it quite often here in England.’
‘Is it? I don’t see how,’ Sulaiman replied, throwing himself onto his bed.
‘Without rain we wouldn’t have drinking water and the trees wouldn’t grow and there’d be no crops for us to eat. And without the prayer we might forget to thank Allah for all these blessings.”
Sulaiman grimaced and glanced away. He didn’t want to grumble, but it was hard to feel happy when he had nothing to do. His sister, Hannah, had gone to play at her cousin’s house and his little brother, Musa, had gone shopping with his mum, leaving him all on his own with no one to play with and nothing to do. His dad smiled and sat down next to him on his bed.
‘What did you want to do today?’ he asked
‘I wanted to play football in the park, but it’s raining,’ Sulaiman replied, gazing gloomily out of the window. He could see the football pitch in the distance, glinting under a sheen of water. He played there whenever he could, but not today; it was far too wet and muddy.
‘I promised I’d take you to the quad bike races in that new stadium just down the road, Why don’t we go today?’ his dad .
Sulaiman sprang to his feet.
‘Oh yes! Yes, please!’ he cried.
‘Get ready then and I’ll ask Grandpa if he wants to join us.’
As his dad left the bedroom, Sulaiman frantically tugged at his pyjamas to change into some clean clothes. His blue trousers clashed with his orange sweatshirt, but he was too excited to notice.
‘Don’t forget to do wudu before we leave,’ his dad reminded him. ‘We may not have time while we’re out.’
Sulaiman dashed into the bathroom and locked the door.
‘And remember to brush your teeth,’ his dad shouted through the key hole.
After washing in the bathroom Sulaiman hurried to the front door to put on his trainers. As he tied his laces, his grandma handed him a small, black knapsack.
‘Here’s your packed lunch. Hurry now, your dad and grandpa are waiting for you in the car. Have fun.’
‘Thank you, Grandma.’ Sulaiman beamed. He took the bag, kissed his grandmother on her cheek and bounded out the front door.
‘Sulaiman! Come back!’ she called.
He glanced back to see his grandma waving his coat from the open doorway.
‘It’s raining! You’ll get wet if you don’t wear your coat,’ she reminded him.
‘Thank you. As-salamu alaykum,’ Sulaiman replied, his voice echoing through the corridor and down the stairwell. His grandma’s reply was drowned out by his quick footsteps, as he ran down the stairs and out through the main door.
Chapter 3
The car was parked on the street where Sulaiman lived. His dad had left the door open so Sulaiman could quickly jump in out of the rain. He slid across the back seat and settled into his position behind Grandpa. He clicked the seatbelt into the fastener and waited eagerly for his dad to start up the engine.
Whirr…chug...chug! Splutter! Splutter! BANG! His dad froze. Smiling nervously at Grandpa, he made another attempt to start the car. There was a dull, clicking sound as he turned the ignition key. He made a third attempt, but still nothing happened.
‘I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere today,’ Grandpa said. ‘It was probably never meant to be.’
Tears welled up in Sulaiman’s eyes and he slumped down into his seat.
‘First it was the rain and now THIS!’
‘Let’s not give up just yet,’ his dad chirped. He pulled a lever under the dashboard to release the safety catch on the car bonnet.
‘It’s probably a spark plug or something,’ his dad muttered as he got out of the car. He disappeared behind the raised bonnet to inspect the engine. Sulaiman and Grandpa waited patiently in the car until he had finished. Sulaiman was used to his dad tinkering around, mending things, like the time Dad fixed his kite after it got snagged on the branch of a tree.
‘Let’s try again, shall we?’ Rainwater dripped from his dad’s curly, black hair and off the end of his nose. He grabbed an old rag from the glove compartment and wiped his face. He then wiped the grease from his hands and turned the ignition key once more. Still nothing happened. Sulaiman’s anticipation turned to disappointment.
‘Pity we haven’t got a camel,’ grandpa said. His eyes glazed over as he remembered his beloved childhood pet. ‘You can always rely on a camel!’
‘Not to worry,’ said Dad. ‘We can take the bus instead. The stadium is only a few miles down the road.’
Sulaiman had been sure his dad would find a solution. Now he grabbed his knapsack, leapt out of the car and ran briskly with his dad and grandpa to the nearest bus stop.
Evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah
In Islam, the prayer is very important and unlike any other act of worship. It is the first action we will be asked about on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet said:
“The first thing of the slave to be asked about on the Day of Judgment will be his prayer. If it is good, the rest of his deeds will be (accounted as) good, and if it is bad, the rest of his deeds will be bad.”
‘The first thing about which the people will be called to account out of their actions on the Day of Judgment is prayer.…If it is perfect, that will be recorded perfect.’
Bukhari & Muslim
The punishment of the one who does not pray is Hellfire. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, when the people of Hell are questioned:
‘“What led you into Hell-fire?” They will say: “We were not of those who prayed.”’
Surah al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One) chapter 74 verse 42-43
If our prayers are performed well they can be a way to enter Paradise.
Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, which means:
‘Those who humble themselves in their prayers. And who (strictly) guard their prayers; these will be the heirs, Who will inherit Paradise: they will dwell therein (for ever).’
Surah Al-Mu’minun (The Believers) chapter 23 verses 1-11
