The Spider and the Doves

This is a brief re-telling of the famous story about the Hijrah recommended for children above the age of 4. Unlike in some other stories, the author has departed from the norm by using a pair of doves and a spider to narrate the story and bring it to life. In so doing, readers get a stronger sense of that extra dimension that the Prophet had.

After providing background information for the Hijrah, Thawr is introduced as a cave in a rugged mountain of Makkah and, simultaneously, as a home to a tiny and lonely spider. One day, a pair of doves decided to build their nest to protect themselves from the wind and sun near the cave. The spider is happy to have friends. These doves are special because they can fly every day to Makkah.

In Makkah, the doves eat, drink and gather news during the day and re- turn to the cave at night. The spider learns from them about a man called Muhammad and other events taking place in Makkah. As the story unfolds, the spider discovers that the Prophet is an exceptional person. He is at once principled, shuns material temptations, forsakes fame, gives rights to all crea- tures and is a peace-maker. As a result, the spider falls in love with him.

Events turn horrible in Makkah, the Prophet and Abu Bakr are driven out of their beloved city. They seek refuge in Thawr. This leaves the spider and the doves with a dilemma: What will happen to the Prophet? Can they help the Prophet in any way?