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HUSSEIN AND THE ELEPHANT
Hussein's mother took him to
the zoo one week-end. It was the first time he had seen so
many different animals in one place. They went to the elephant
house. A young elephant was tripping over his trunk and falling
down, and the baby's mother came to his help every time he
did so.
The mother elephant
saw Hussein looking at them and explained: "You see, my baby
is so young, he doesn't know how to use his trunk yet. He
will not leave my side for 12 full years, and for the first
six months I will teach him to use his trunk properly."
Hussein answered: "I have always
wondered what do elephants use their trunks for? Do you breathe
through them?"
The mother elephant told him:
"It is our trunks that make us different from all other animals.
Our nostrils are at the end of our trunks, and we use them
to carry food and water to our mouths, pick things up and
to smell things with; we can hold up to 1 gallon (four liters)
of water in them. And did you know, we can pick even up a
tiny pea with them? We didn't acquire our trunks by chance.
They are a gift from the mercy of Almighty Allah, Who created
everything."
Hussein then enquired, "How
do you manage to find enough to eat?"
The mother elephant explained:
"We are the biggest animals on Earth. An elephant eats about
730 pounds (330 kilos) of plants every day. We have to spend
16 hours a day eating."
Hussein thought of another question,
"What about your teeth?"
The mother elephant answered:
"As you can see, on either side of my mouth I have two long,
sharp teeth. We defend ourselves with these teeth and also
use them to dig holes to find water. Of course, our teeth
wear down a lot doing all this work, and for that reason,
Almighty Allah has given us a special ability. A new tooth
grows from behind to replace the old, worn out one. Because
Allah created us in this way, we are able to grow a new tooth
and use it properly."
Hussein thought for a moment,
"You must be hungry, your stomach is rumbling."
The mother elephant
smiled: "We make these sounds to communicate with one another.
We can talk to one another from as far away as 2.5 miles (4
km)."
Hussein was puzzled, "So, how
do you talk to one another?"
The mother elephant said: "Allah
created a special organ in our foreheads that makes sounds
that human beings can't hear. So we speak in a code that other
animals can't understand and we can hear one another across
very long distances. As you can see, Allah's magnificent creation
can be seen very well in us elephants. Don't forget that we
have to think about these things and thank Allah all the time!"
 Hussein
nodded: "Thanks for telling me all those things. Now I have
to go back to my mother."
"Good-bye Hussein," said the
mother elephant.
On his way back to his mother,
Hussein wondered, "Who knows how great Allah's miracles are
in other animals?" |
