In order not to go hungry in winter, we must only collect nuts, pine
cones and other such foods that will last. See? I will store these nuts
away to eat in the winter."
Dawud added: "It is Allah Who teaches all creatures how to find
and store their food; it is He Who gives its daily food to every crea-
ture He has created. One of the attributes of Allah is 'the Provider' be-
cause He gives food to every living thing He has created. The Qur'an
tells us how merciful and compassionate Allah is: 'How many crea-
tures do not carry their provision with them! Allah provides for them
and He will for you. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' (Surat
al-‘Ankabut: 60)"
The squirrel then said: "Allah has given every creature He has cre-
ated qualities to help it adapt to the environment it lives in. It is not
enough for us to find food and store it; when winter comes, we also
have to find the place where we have stored it. We can do this be-
cause of the wonderful sense of smell our Lord has given us. We can
even smell nuts covered with 12 inches (30 cm) of snow.
We store the food we collect in more than one place. But later we
forget where we have put it. Yet Allah makes us forget for a
definite purpose. In time, the
food we have stored under
the ground in the forest will
sprout and new trees will
grow."
Bilal had been thinking:
"Nuts and chestnuts have very
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