The Great Race to Sycamore Street. J. Samia Mair

      “Why do you think Mr. Carr is so mean, Grandma?” Amani asked, looking at the new neighbors’ house.

      “Amani.” Grandma paused, smiling. “Do you have something to say?”

      “Astaghfirullah,” Amani said reluctantly, for she was not that sorry for what she had said. “But I still think he is.”

      “Thinking is different than saying,” Grandma smiled. “Anyway, you might want to consider that there are many reasons why Mr. Carr may have been short with you both yesterday. Maybe he was tired from the move or missing his family. We just don’t know.”

      “But we tried to be so nice to him. Hude cleaned up the cicadas. You and I baked him cookies. Mr. Carr doesn’t even know what we did for him.”

      “But Allah knows what your intentions were and that’s what counts,” Grandma Hana said. “We always have a choice to do what is right in any given circumstance. With respect to Mr. Carr, we have a duty to treat him well because he is our neighbor, even if he is not particularly nice to us. Do you remember the story about the neighbor who used to try to annoy the Prophet, peace be upon him, by throwing garbage in his path? One day he walked out of his home but did not see anything. The Prophet wondered what had happened to the neighbor. He found out that she was sick and visited her. That’s a great example of what it means to be a good neighbor and a good Muslim.”

      “It’s hard to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to you,” Amani said.

      “It is,” Grandma Hana agreed. “It takes a lot of work to be a good person, and it’s often hard to know what is right to do. That is why Allah tells us to follow the example of the Prophet, who is the best of creation, peace be upon him. If you think about it, a good person is like this peach tree. Why do you think the peach tree never fell down in any storm all of these years?”

      “Because it has strong roots,” Hude said.

      “Exactly.” Grandma Hana smiled. “Can you see the roots?”

      “No,” answered Hude.

      “Even though we can’t see them, we know they are there because the tree hasn’t blown over. Strong roots keep the tree stable during storms. In the same way, our faith keeps us strong during difficult times.

      “Who remembers the Hadith of Gabriel and the six principles of iman?”

      “I do,” Amani said. “We believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His prophets, the Day of Judgment, and divine destiny.”

      “Can you see all of these things, Amani?”

      “No, Grandma.”

      “Just like the roots of a tree, our beliefs keep us strong. There is more to our peach tree than just roots, isn’t there?” Grandma Hana said.

      “It also has a trunk, branches, leaves...,” Hude said.

      “And the peaches, of course!” Amani said.

      “And we can see all of those,” Grandma continued. “The trunk, branches, and leaves are our actions. All of the parts of the tree, both the visible and hidden, work together to produce the fruit, just as our actions and faith work together to produce good character.”

      “I don’t understand, Grandma,” Amani said.

      “Here, think about it this way,” Grandma Hana began to explain. “The trunk of the tree represents the shahadah. It is what someone says to become Muslim. ‘I testify there is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ But that is only the first action we take. It takes a lot more to be a good Muslim. What else are we required to do?”

      “Praying five times a day, paying zakah, fasting during Ramadan, and performing the hajj, if we can,” Hude said.

      “Those four things that we do are the branches of the tree. What connects the roots and branches?”

      “The trunk,” Amani said.

      “Exactly,” Grandma Hana said. “And taking the shahadah connects our faith with our actions. We need both working together to make the tree healthy.”

      “What about the leaves, Grandma?” Amani asked.

      “The leaves on a tree are the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, how he taught us to act in all kinds of situations. The leaves are the things by which we recognize someone as Muslim. In the same way, we recognize a peach tree by its long slender leaves. When we say ‘as-salamu ‘alaykum’ and ‘alhamdulillah’, people know that we are Muslim.”

      “Don’t forget the peaches!” Amani exclaimed.

      “Not a chance,” Grandma Hana said. “What is the main purpose of a peach tree?”

      “To make a peach?” Hude said, not quiet sure of his answer.

      “You’re right. The roots, trunk, branches and leaves all work together to produce the fruit. In the same way, our faith and everything we do as a Muslim work together to help us to be a good person, the type of person that Allah created us to be. The fruits of Islam are such things as patience, honesty, kindness and generosity. Part of that is being nice to our neighbors, even if they are not nice to us.”

      “I think I get it now, Grandma,” Amani said.

      “And as you know, it’s not always easy to do what is right, just as it is not easy to produce good fruit. Growing a fruit tree requires constant care.”

      “Like pruning,” Hude said.

      “That’s right,” Grandma Hana agreed. “A tree needs to be pruned. Developing good character needs constant attention as well. Pruning is like cutting out bad habits or anything haram.

      “There is one more part of the tree that we haven’t discussed. It’s hidden, and we can plant it.”

      “The pit!” Amani blurted out.

      “Right, and the pit is important because it has a seed inside it. And what protects the seed?” Grandma asked her grandson.

      “The fruit,” Hude answered.

      “Just as a fruit protects the seed, good character protects our hearts. What does a seed grow into, Amani?”

      “A new tree.”

      “In the same way, just like a seed grows into a tree, a sound heart gives new life to a person in jannah. Everything we do is to protect our hearts so we can be with Allah in jannah. But remember it is only with Allah’s mercy that anyone gets to jannah. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told his Companions that no one’s good deeds would get them to jannah without Allah’s mercy, even his own. He then said: ‘Therefore, do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target.’

      “Hude, what is ‘target’ referring to here?” Grandma Hana asked.

      “Target means paradise. It means that doing good deeds and worshipping Allah will help us to reach paradise.”

      “There’s a lot we can learn from a tree, Grandma,” Amani said.

      “There certainly is, Amani. So, tell me. What do you both have planned for the rest of the day?”

      “I’m hoping to practice with some new adjustments I made to my bow,” Hude said. “The County Fair is just over a week away.”

      “Good character takes practice too,” Grandma said. “And what about you, Amani?”

      “I haven’t written in