4-AlQudduus

            Soo Chee is watching television while her mother cleans the kitchen. After watching her favourite movie, she plays her game box. She is so engrossed that she did not hear her mom calling for her. After cleaning the kitchen, her mother, Mrs Lin calls loudly, “Soo Chee, it is bedtime now,” she called aloud. “Ok mummy I am coming,” yells Soo Chee as she sluggishly walks into her room and crawls onto her bed.

            “Tonight, you have to sleep early because we are going to the river very early tomorrow morning,” Soo Chee’s mother told her. “Aaalrrrright, I want to jump into the river, Mummy. The other time we went to the river, the water was so clean, fresh, and pure.  I almost swallowed the river water as I swam in it and it does not taste that bad after all,” “Alhamdulillah that must be a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?” Mrs Lin asks her daughter. “Yes mummy, Alhamdulillah, it must be a wonderful feeling,” says Soo Chee. “Now please go to sleep because tomorrow we have to wake up very early in the morning,” says her mother again. So, Soo Chee closes her eyes and falls asleep right away.

            That night Soo Chee has a bad dream. She dreams that she is swimming in the river and is drowning in the river water which is fill up with rubbish. She cannot avoid the water from going into her mouth and down her throat. It tastes so awful. “No, no, no!” she shouts as she drowns in the dirty water.

            Soo Chee cries and struggles so hard to bring herself out of the water. “Help, help, help! Please help me out of this dirty river!” Suddenly, her mother came to the river side. She holds out her arms to pull Soo Chee out from the river filled with rubbish. Soo Chee is relieved and hugs her mother.

            “Alhamdulillah, my girl, you are safe now,” says her mother. “But the river is so contaminated, mummy. It is not fresh, clean, and pure anymore. I hate it that way!” shouts Soo Chee in frustration. “Remember dear all things in life can get dirty except Allah. Only Allah Al-Qudduus is Pure from being dirty in any way at all. Allah Al-Qudduus is the Most Pure and free from any impurities like the white snow falling from the sky,” explains Mrs Lin.

            “Oh Allah Al-Qudduus the Purest, please save the river from all those impurities,” cries Soo Chee as she wakes up from her sleep the next morning. “Mummy, mummy, mummy, I had a bad dream about the river,” said Soo Chee to her mother when Mrs Lin came to her room that morning. “Last night was a dream but today is a reality so don’t worry about your bad dream.” says her mother happily with a wide smile.

            That morning, upon reaching the river, Soo Chee sees that the river is still clean and pure as it used to be. “Alhamdulillah! Subhanallah! This is so wonderful. The river is still pure and not contaminated,” shouts Soo Chee as she jumps into the river to swim. She swims and plays by the river until noon. In the afternoon, she sits with her mother at the river side and they have lunch.

            While having lunch, mother and daughter watch the other picnickers. Suddenly, Soo Chee sees a boy throwing a plastic water bottle into the river. Without hesitation, she approaches him and ticks him off, “How can you do that? The river contains fresh, clean, and pure water. We must not throw rubbish into it and dirty it. If the river gets dirty, it will not be a nice place to play and swim in anymore.”  The boy looks at the river, but it is too late because the bottle has been swept away into the river. The boy apologizes to Soo Chee and walks away but Soo Chee prays in her heart, May Allah Al-Qudduus the Purest keeps the river pure and clean.