The Earliest Rooster

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Every morning, before the sun was truly up, the neighbour's rooster, Mr. Rooster, woke the whole village. And every morning, Baby Ais felt a little annoyed. "Mr. Rooster always wins," she grumbled. "Ais wants to wake up earliest in the world!"

So one night, Baby Ais made up her mind. She went to bed early, hugging her teddy bear tight. "Tomorrow," she whispered, "Ais wins."

The next day, Baby Ais opened her eyes in a darkness still tinted blue-grey. No rooster yet! She leapt to the window. "Ais wins! Ais wins!" — her hair sticking out in every direction, exactly like Mr. Rooster's crest. Baby Mo, who'd woken too, giggled at the sight.

But wait… Baby Ais wasn't alone.

From the tree outside, a little bird began to sing. Then a second bird. Then a third. Slowly, the whole tree filled with chirping — like a choir. (Did you know? Experts call it the "dawn chorus". Birds really do sing loudest as morning arrives, as if saying good morning to the world.)

"Wow," whispered Baby Ais, amazed. "The birds woke up earlier than Ais."

Then — "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" — Mr. Rooster joined in. Baby Ais laughed. She tried to copy him, "Cock-a-doodle-doooo!" Her voice was so funny that Baby Mo rolled over giggling.

Umi came in smiling. "Masha'Allah, awake so early. Do you know, there's one thing that wakes up even before the birds and the rooster?"

"What, Umi?" asked Baby Ais.

"A grateful heart," said Umi gently. "When we sleep, we are like something 'entrusted' to Allah. Then every morning, Allah returns our life and strength, so we can open our eyes again. That's a huge gift! So we say thank you first."

So they sat cross-legged and recited, slowly, the waking-up du'a:

Alhamdulillahilladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilaihin-nushur. — All praise is for Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the return.

"So," said Baby Ais, thinking hard, "Ais didn't really beat the birds. But Ais wins because she said thank you first?"

Umi hugged her. "That's the most beautiful kind of winning, sweetheart."

That morning the sun finally rose, warm and golden. The birds still sang, Mr. Rooster still crowed, and two little twins began their day with one sentence of gratitude.

Good morning, world! Good morning from Baby Mo and Baby Ais. ☀️