Camping in the Back Garden

"Tonight we're camping!" said Abi, carrying the blue tent out of the shed.

Baby Mo and Baby Ais jumped up and down with excitement. Camping! Like real adventurers!

They helped Abi put up the tent in the back garden. Baby Mo held the pole. Baby Ais carried the little pegs. Umi brought blankets, pillows and a camp lantern that glowed warm yellow.

When the sun went down, the sky turned pink, then purple, then deep blue. The crickets began to sing: creak… creak… creak…

"Now let's switch off the house lights," said Abi. "So the night feels like the forest."

Click. The house lights went out. The back garden became very dark.

Baby Ais grabbed Abi's arm at once. "Abi… it's dark. I'm scared."

Baby Mo was actually scared too, but he pretended to be brave. His voice wobbled a little. "I-I'm not scared."

Abi sat in front of the tent and hugged them both. "The dark does make our hearts beat fast. But now try… looking up."

Baby Mo and Baby Ais looked up.

And they went silent.

The sky was full of stars! Big ones and little ones. Some twinkled as if they were winking. A crescent moon hung by the tree, like a smile in the sky.

"Wow…" whispered Baby Ais. Her fear disappeared, who knows where.

"When the lights are bright, we can't see the stars," said Abi. "The stars only come out when it's dark."

Baby Mo pointed. "Abi, what's that star that's moving?"

Abi laughed softly. "That's not a star, Mo. That's a firefly!"

Little fireflies flew over the grass, switching on their tiny lights. Blink. Twinkle. Blink. Twinkle. Like stars that had come down to play.

Baby Ais started counting the stars. "One, two, three, four… so many! Who made all of this, Abi?"

"Allah," said Abi. "Allah created the sky, the stars, the moon and the night. Allah says in the Qur'an:"

"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding." (Qur'an, Ali 'Imran 3:190)

"So the night is Allah's creation too," said Baby Mo quietly. "So the night is… not bad."

"That's right," said Abi. "The night is for resting, for looking at stars, and for remembering Allah."

Baby Mo and Baby Ais lay in front of the tent, heads on their pillows, eyes on the sky. They whispered in turns, "Darkness comes, the stars come too. Allah keeps me, calm and true. Darkness comes, the stars come too. Allah keeps me, calm and true."

Not long after, the whispers turned into slow, steady breathing. Two little adventurers had fallen asleep, under thousands of stars that Allah made.

Talk it over with your little one: which of Allah's creations can we only see at night? Let's peek at the sky from the window tonight! ⭐