he would be cross with them.
One day, when all the boys were playing in the garden, Irfan
joined them. They were playing with a new toy of Anas's. Irfan's
arrival made everyone uneasy because they knew that whenever
he joined in a game there would always be an argument. So, this
time, the boys didn't let him play with them. Irfan became very
angry; he took Anas's new toy, threw it on the ground and broke
it. Anas was very upset, and he and his friends started to argue
with Irfan. Uncle Afsar heard the noise of the boys' voices and
looked out the window. Grandpa Afsar loved the boys very much,
always took an interest in them and often talked to them about the
existence of Allah, the blessings He gives and the acts of worship
that He commands. When he saw the boys arguing, he immedi-
ately came down to join them. Irfan was crying. The boys told
Uncle Afsar what was going on and then they all sat down in the
garden to talk.
Anas explained what had happened: "Uncle Afsar, my friends
and I always get along well together and play without fighting. But
Irfan always ruins our fun, and we don't want to be friends with
him anymore."
"But they don't do what I want," Irfan complained.
Uncle Hanif then said: "Come on boys! We all want to feel
good and lead a secure life and to find friendship and happiness
where we can. But it's not enough to desire these things. And we
can't wait for someone else to give them to us. Feeling good in a
safe environment and making good friendships require special ef-
fort and self-sacrifice. If everyone insisted on having only what
they wanted and thought of themselves rather than giving in to
others, there would only be unhappiness and arguments among
us. But believers who fear Allah behave differently; they are pa-
tient, forgiving and don't insist on having their own way. Even
when someone wrongs them, they don't take offense; they put the
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