Naeem and the Pretty Peacock

At the week-end, Naeem went to the zoo with his mother and sister. He was amazed to see how cute and beautiful all the animals were. He fed some of them and watched others from a distance. A naughty baby elephant sprayed water on his sister's dress. Naeem and his mother laughed and continued on their way.

"Look at that pretty peacock!" said Naeem's mother.

Naeem and his sister were really impressed by how beautiful the peacock was. Naeem drew a bit nearer to see the peacock from right up close.

"Hello, Naeem," said the peacock. "I am known as the most splendid looking creature in the animal kingdom."

Naeem answered: "Your tail is really beautiful. Are all peacocks' tails like that?"

The peacock replied: "No, my little friend. Only we male peacocks 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 attractive when we open our tails this way."

Naeem looked more closely at the peacock and was amazed to see the magnificent colors and perfect features 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 features in my tail?" asked the peacock "Of course not, my little friend. The extraordinary 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.