The Tiny Ant Who Never Gave Up

Maryam was sitting on the garden step, eating a biscuit. A small crumb fell on the ground.

Soon, a tiny ant came along. It sniffed the crumb, walked around it, and then — lifted it! The crumb was many times bigger than the ant.

The ant walked a few steps and the crumb fell. It picked it up again. It climbed over a pebble and the crumb fell again. Again, the ant picked it up.

"Little ant, why don't you give up?" Maryam giggled.

Her father sat down beside her. "SubhanAllah," he said. "Allah made this tiny ant very strong. It can carry much more than its own weight. And look — it doesn't give up when things get hard."

Maryam watched until the ant disappeared into a small hole with its prize. The next day, when her puzzle felt too difficult, Maryam remembered the ant. She took a deep breath, said Bismillah, and tried again.