tails like that?"
The peacock replied: "No, my little friend. Only we male pea-
cocks have tails like this. We use it to attract the female we want to
be our mate."
Naeem wondered: "When a peacock opens its tail, it can't see
it, so how can it be sure that its tail is beautiful and attractive?
Someone must tell you, right? Even human beings can be sure of
what they look like when they look in a mirror."
"You're right," the peacock agreed. "We don't look in a mirror
to see how beautiful we are. Allah teaches that we will become at-
tractive when we open our tails this way."
Naeem looked more closely at the peacock and was amazed to
see the magnificent colors and designs in its tail.
"It's like I'm looking at a wonderful picture; the colors are so
beautiful…" he sighed.
"Do you think I could paint these beautiful designs in my tail?"
asked the peacock "Of course not, my little friend. The extraordi-
nary beauty of our tails did not come into being by itself. Everyone
marvels at our beautiful colors and, as with all other creatures, it is
Allah Who created this beauty in us."
Naeem told the bird: "Now I understand better that it is Allah
Who created you peacocks so beautifully. Good bye, my good
friend."
Naeem felt a sense of wonder at the great power of Allah and
went back to join his mother and sister. He reminded them that it is
Allah Who created the beauty of the peacock.
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