Big Brother by Five Minutes

Baby Mo had one thing he was very proud of. He was born five minutes before Baby Ais. Five minutes! So, according to Baby Mo, that made him a BIG BROTHER. And a big brother, he said, has an important job: protecting his little sister.

"Mo is big brother," he declared every morning, hands on his hips. Baby Ais just nodded, sucking her bottle, not too fussed about five minutes.

Big Brother's first duty: taste the food first. When Umi served fresh porridge, Baby Mo would spoon a bite for himself, chew with a serious expert's face, then nod. "Safe." Only then could Baby Ais eat. (Really he just wanted to eat first, but shh, don't tell.)

Second duty: walk in front. Whenever they went out, Baby Mo marched ahead like a tiny guard, glancing back now and then to make sure his sister was still there.

But Big Brother's duty was truly tested one afternoon at the park.

Baby Ais was happily playing in the sand when a big dog walked by and barked, "Woof! Woof!" Baby Ais startled, her eyes welling up at once, and she backed away in fear.

And in a flash — even before Umi could move — Baby Mo had run over, stood in front of his sister, and stretched both his little arms out wide. His voice trembled, but he still said to the dog, "No! This is Mo's sister!"

The dog, which turned out to be friendly, just wagged its tail and left. But Umi stood frozen. Such a small child, who was scared too, had chosen to stand in front of his sister.

That night Umi hugged Baby Mo. "You were so brave today. Even though you were scared too, right?"

Baby Mo nodded honestly. "Scared. But Ais was more scared. So Mo had to protect her. Mo is big brother." Then he added solemnly, "Five minutes."

Umi laughed and kissed him. "Yes, sweetheart. A wonderful big brother. Do you know, protecting the weaker one is beloved to Allah."

The strong one is not the one who wins fights, but the one who guards and shows mercy to those weaker than him.

Five minutes really isn't long. But in Baby Mo's heart, those five minutes were enough to make him resolve to protect his sister for a lifetime.

And Baby Ais? She really didn't care about the five minutes. But secretly, she was very grateful to have a big brother like Baby Mo. 💪