Curious Inquiries of a Small Girl

• Papa!
• Yes.
• I am always with my friend Therese.
• Sure honey, she is your friend.
• In the class, in the break, during lunch.
• Look at you, adorable little ladies. She is indeed beautiful and well-mannered.
• But in the Religion class, I have to go to one room, and she goes to another?

He glimpsed at her mother, who smiled while she was sewing a napkin. He smiled also and said:

• That is only in the Religion class.
• But why?
• Because each of you has a different religion.
• How come?
• You are Muslim and she is Christian.
• Why is that?
• You’re still young. You’ll know later.
• I’m not a baby anymore, papa!
• Yes, you are still a little princess.
• Why am I Muslim?

He paused and took a breath. He’s got to be cautious. It would be a shame to abandon the modern child rearing principles at the first test. He said:

• Your father and mother are Muslims, and therefore you are Muslim.
• And Therese?
• Her father and mother are Christian, that is why she is Christian.
• Is it because her father wears glasses?
• No, it has nothing to do with glasses. Her grandfather was also Christian.

He decided to continue the chain of grandfathers endlessly until he bores her and she shifts to another subject. However, she said:

• Who is better?

He took a moment, then answered:

• The Muslim is good and the Christian is good.
• Shouldn’t one be better?
• Both are good.
• Should I become Christian to stay forever with her?
• No, honey, that is not possible. Each of you stays like her parents.
• Why?

“Bringing up a child in this age is really crushing” he thought and asked her:

• Why don’t you wait until you grow up?
• No, papa.
• You know what; everyone likes a kind of… fashion, right? Let’s say that being Muslim is a new fashion, so you have to be a Muslim.
• Is Therese then an old fashion?

Oh God! Now I hate you and Therese, sweetheart! His feet are tripping despite caution, and he’s been merciless pushed to a bottleneck. He said:

• It’s a matter of taste, but each of you should remain like her parents.
• Do I tell her I am a new fashion and she is an old one?
• All religions are fine. The Muslims worship God, and the Christians also worship God.
• But why do we worship him in different rooms?
• Here we pray for him in a way, and there they pray in a different one.
• What is the difference, papa?
• You’ll know it in the next year or the year after. It is enough to know now that both worship God.
• And who is God, Papa?

He has to weigh his words now very wisely. Extending his time a bit, he asked:

• What did your teacher say at school?
• She recites verses of the Quran, teaches us to pray, but I can’t. So who is God, Papa?

He drew a mysterious smile and said:

• He created the whole world.
• All of it?
• All of it.
• What does it mean that “he created”?
• It means he built everything.
• How, Papa?
• With his enormous might.
• Where does he live?
• Everywhere in the world.
• And before the world?
• high above.
• In the sky?
• Yes.
• I want to see him.
• That is not possible.
• Not even in TV.
• Also not possible.
• Hasn’t anyone seen him?
• Nope.
• How did you know that he is in the sky?
• He is there.
• Who told us?
• The prophets.
• Prophets?
• Yes, like our prophet, Mohammad.
• How, Papa?
• With a special gift.
• Does he has sharp eyes?
• Yes.
• Why, Papa?
• God created him like that.
• Why, Papa?

With patience starting to run dry, he answered:

• He is free to do what he wants.
• How did he see him?
• Absolutely great, strong, and capable of everything.
• Like you papa?

He tried to hide his laugh and told her:

• No-one is like him.
• Why does he live above?
• The earth is too small for him, but he sees everything.

She took a while to think, then asked:

• But Therese told me, he lived on earth?
• Because he sees everywhere, so it is as if he lives everywhere.
• She said, people killed him?
• But he is alive, and never dies.
• Therese said, they killed him!!
• No honey. They thought they killed him, but he is always alive.
• Is my grandpa also alive?
• Your grandpa died.
• Did people kill him?
• No, he died alone.
• How?
• He got sick and died.
• Would my sister also die because she is sick?

He frowned while noticing an objection from her mother:

• No, she will get better.
• So why did my grandpa die?
• He was an old man who got sick.
• You also are an old man, and you got sick. Why didn’t you die?

Her mother couldn’t take that and yelled at her. The tiny girl looked confused and he said:

• We die, if God wants us to die.
• Why would God want us to die?
• He is free to do what he wants.
• Is death good?
• No, sweetheart.
• Why would God want something not good for us?
• It is good, as long as God wants it for us.
• But you said it is not good?
• I was wrong, my little lady.
• And why did Mama get upset, when I said you could die?
• Because God has not decided that yet.
• Why would he decide that?
• He brings us to here, and then takes us back.
• Why, papa?
• To do beautiful things in life before we leave it.
• Why don’t we stay?
• The world won’t fit us if everybody just stayed.
• Then, we would leave the beautiful things?
• We will go to even more beautiful things.
• Where?
• High above.
• With God?
• Yes.
• And we would see him?
• Yes.
• Is that good?
• Surely.
• So, do we have to go?
• We haven’t yet done beautiful things in our lives.
• Did my grandpa do?
• Yes.
• What did he do?
• He built a house and planted a garden.
• And Mido, my cousin, what did he do?

That was an unexpected blow. He had a quick pitying glance at her mother, and said:

• He also built a small home before leaving.
• But Shady, our neighbor, beats me up and never does anything good.
• What a naughty boy!
• But he won’t die!!!
• Unless that is what God wants.
• Although he doesn’t do good things?
• Everybody dies, whoever does good things goes to God, and whoever does bad things goes to hell.

She sighed and finally ceased to ask, and he suddenly realized what an exhausting ride he had. He couldn’t determine what exactly he did answer appropriately and what he did mess up. This flow of questioning excavated him and unveiled some question marks that were buried deep inside.

The young girl turned to continue playing with her toys while saying:

• I want to stay always with Therese, even in the Religion class.

He laughed loudly, and so did her mother, and said while yawning:

• I never imagined that such questions could be discussed at that level.

His wife replied:

• One day, she will grow up, and you would be able to convey to her all the truths that you know.

He turned to her acutely to figure out how much honest or sarcastic her statement was, only to find her busy again with sewing that napkin.