The search, at any given time, is for the story. The right story. The story which will guide us. The story which will inspire us.The story which will heal us. The story we need to hear. The story we need to tell.
As parents, we are intimately aware that the right story at the right time can do the work of a thousand and one everyday reminders, laying waste to all the reward charts in the world. And it is often when we become parents that we also become most thankful that we are rooted in a faith which teaches us through, literally, story after story about how to live in this world as our best selves and how to navigate any situation in the most sincere manner.
The Qur’an itself is, of course, not a storybook but it has stories within it. Stories which our Creator knows we need. Allah says “We tell you the best of stories in revealing this Quran to you.” (12:3). So whenever you find yourself in a situation which is unfamiliar, where you feel anxious or uncertain, search out the stories from our tradition which mirror your own circumstances and then use them as a guide to find your way through.
It is with this in mind, as many of us struggle with ‘lockdown life’ and social isolation, we wish to highlight and share a story tailor made for the very particular physical and spiritual space we find ourselves in now and one which has helped us and our families immensely.
It is the story of Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him, and the whale in which he found himself. We’ve recorded it as an audio story for you and your families to listen to.
This is a profound story. One which teaches us about understanding frustration, fear, isolation, mercy, being saved and being healed. It shows us what to do and what to say when the situation seems overwhelming and we are out of our own particular depths.
We hope you enjoy listening and discussing with your own families to reflect and find the meanings most valuable to you, as a bonus, we even have a little quiz you can download here.
Now, sit back, relax and click the link below to listen to this deeply touching story, the latest in our Mamanushka Storytime series.
May the One who saved Prophet Yunus, upon him be peace, save us all.
Story Sources:
The Holy Qur’an
The Lives of the Prophets by Leila Azzam
Illustration by: Zarina Teli
17 Comments
My daughter and I have listened to this over 20 times and she still asks for it immediately after it is over. Today when I played it again it was just like the first time and conjures all our emotions. MashaAllah you are gifted. May Allah reward you. This audio book is a gift that keeps on giving.
Ofcourse will join the long lists of requests noting the time and effort put into it.
This was so, so beautifully done, mashaAllah! May Allah bless and increase you and your incredible story-telling. Please make more of these, so I can learn and share them with my children, nephew and nieces!
Please, could you make more of these? I`m selfish, I know, this takes time and effort, and you are mothers too and have so much to do, but it was SO SO beautiful. My son is 4 and german speaking, so I will have to wait until I can show this to him, but it was so beautiful that I shared it with family, friends and strangers regardless if they have children or not. Could you please make more? There are so many beautiful storys to be told…thank you and jazakALLAHkhayr for this beautiful gift!
Thank you Ilhaam, how kind of you to reach out and say so. We love prophet stories and there are no stories we’d love to be telling more. Thank you again for your lovely comment and support.
Sumaya x
My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this narration of the story of Prophet Yunus (AS). The details were so vivid and really helps children imagine each scene. We learned so many new details and the kids retained a lot of it too.. they loved taking the quiz in the end. May Allah SWT reward you all for taking the time to tell this story in such a beautiful and memorable voice. We also loved the inspiring reflections and beautiful artwork to give hope through this tough time.
Thanks Artina ~ so glad to hear your children loved it!
My kids and I loved every bit of this! The detail on the image of the whale and ship, the intro and the story! Thank you! And may Allah reward you tremendously, Ameen!
SO happy to hear this Hafsa! Kid’s feedback is the most important feedback!
sumaya x
Our entire family really enjoyed this story. It is such a peaceful, soothing listen, with beautiful imagery so easy to imagine from the lovely description. Can you PLEASE do a prophet story audio series?!! All the cartoons about prophets I have watched, all the books I have read….NONE have done justice to this beautiful story as you all have here. May Allah grant you Barakat in your efforts and sadakat jaria for this blog, ameen.
Thank you Vanessa and ameen to your dua! We are getting many such requests!
sumaya x
This is so beautiful and soothing, mA. And a great reminder of a Duaa that I need to be reciting more often!
This story is very beautifully narrated mashaAllah. I love the jumps in chronology from the scene of Prophet Yunus AS in the ship and back, the sound effects, and the general wonder and awe that’s emulated in the telling of these important events. The lessons are simple but profound – meeting children where they are at but also taking them seriously enough to contemplate our responsibility to Allah SWT and to others. I myself was my dad’s most avid disciple when it came to bedtime stories of the Prophets PBUT and this takes me back to his gentle cadence in a beautiful way. Thank you for this Sumaiya! I am not a mom yet but I am certainly taking notes. May Allah SWT increase you! Also Zarina’s illustration is gorgeous mA! You all should publish some children’s books!
Thank you Zienab ~ how lovely that it brought back memories of prophet stories with your father. I feel honored! My Mama was the first to tell me these stories too and I hold them even dearer for it. sumaya x
Masha’Allah! How very beautifully told!
Thank you Ariffa <3 Would love to know what the kids thought. x aiysha
A beautiful story of a prophet I was fond of knowing when I was little, and you’ve recited the story very beautifully!
Thank you so much for reaching out and saying so! I have fond memories of my Mama telling me this story in childhood too, something about animals in a story captures the imagination of children like no other! sumaya x