The benevolent Hatim could never leave any creature in distress. He went straight to the hunter’s house and said to him, “I have come a long way and I need your help. I am suffering from a rare disease that causes my joints to pain so much that I become immobile. My physician advised me […]
Invertebrates, the animals without backbones, first appeared on the Earth during the Cambrian period. The most common early animals were arthropods, the trilobites. They were soft-bodies animals living mostly in the sea. Another important fossils of invertebrates found during the Paleozoic time were molluscs, echinoderms, crinoids (sea lilies: cup-shaped body), starfish and corals. Fossils of
In a jungle, lived a family of monkeys. One day, a hunter came there and saw the baby monkeys. They fascinated him. He caught them in his trap. He then went to the king and sold them to him. The mother monkey could not bear the pain of separation. She approached the hunter and begged
Hatim woke up feeling strange. In his sleep, he had dreamt that a pair of spectacular looking birds was revealing the secret of the pearl eggs to him. When he woke up, he saw the colourful feathers on his lap and he realised that his dreams were the answers to his prayers. He got up
The female Natika stared at her husband in awe, and said, “How do you know so much about these eggs?” “The entire history of the two pearls,” replied the male, “has been preserved by our race from one generation to another. Most of us know about it, but you do not pay attention to these
The male Natika knew how to procure the rare pearl. So, his wife asked him, “How is Hatim going to find this pearl?” He replied, “First, he must walk in the southern direction. Then, he will need a few of our feathers. He will first reach Mountain Kaf, crossing which, he will reach a desert.
Long ago, an owl lived on a tree. But he was upset. He could not sleep as he was disturbed by the constant singing of a grasshopper. The owl pleaded to the grasshopper, “Would you be so kind to stop singing? It disturbs my sleep.” But the grasshopper paid no heed. He increased his singing
The first pearl that was with Chamchan, also passed into many hands. When he died, his enemy took over his kingdom. His pregnant wife took the pearl egg and ran away. A sailor merchant saved her. He was a kind and generous man. He took care of her son when he was born and later
The male Natika, to pass the time, told his wife various stories related to the pearl egg. He said that as their species had lived on the shores of Kaharman since the creation of the world, he knew a secret. It was, that only once in thirty years, a female Natika laid an egg of
Natika couple sat on the tree waiting for Hatim to wake up. To pass the time, the husband started to recount Hatim’s story for his wife’s benefit. “Hatim is the noblest man alive on this earth. He is here, not for himself, but for his friend. He is worried, because he has to find the
Once, two brothers lived on adjoining farms. One day, they had a quarrel and stopped speaking. Days later, a carpenter said to the elder brother, “I am looking for some work.” The elder brother said, “Look across the creek at that farm. That is my younger brother’s. I want you to build me a fence,
Natika, the special birds of splendid beauty, were found on the shores of the sea called Kahrman. Their wings displayed a spectrum of all seven colours. One day, Hatim decided to rest under a solitary tree in the desert. As if through divine intervention, a Natika couple also decided to rest on the branches of
Hatim was shocked to know that he was in Yemen. He needed to be in Shahabad so that he might recount his adventure to Husna Bano and his friend Munir. He left a message with the peasant to be delivered to his family that he would return soon after he had solved the seven puzzles.
Hatim’s journey into the golden sea and the golden mountain was mesmerizing. He saw beauty that surpasses human description and it made him bow in respect to the Great Creator. The golden sea glittered in the brilliant sun and the lofty mountain raised its head amidst the clouds. Everything, like trees, fruits or birds, was
The adventure of the silver sea and the silver mountain is worth mentioning. The boat that carried Hatim to the silver sea contained food and water and sailed into the sea all by itself. The silver water was so tempting that Hatim touched it and magically his hand turned into silver! The silver mountain was