Sometimes it feels like the good you bring to the world is just a small flame surrounded by evil winds threatening to snuff it out.

But our religion teaches us not to underestimate any good deed. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face” (Muslim).

We also learn this from the Qur’an: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it” (99:7-8).

This is an important lesson to teach our children—to inspire hope and optimism in them, and to empower them to always look for ways to make a difference.

Here are some stories from our bookshelf that showcase how an individual effort can have a big impact:

• In Bismillah Soup, Hasan’s clever idea ends up feeding the whole town!
• In The Green Dinosaur Umbrella, Ibrahim’s kindness leads to his umbrella exchanging hands and helping many pilgrims.
• In Not too Little to Make a Difference, Sofia’s efforts help earn money for her school tuition.
• In both Ahmed and the Very Stuck Teapot and Zaid and the Gigantic Cloud, the main character shows kindness to an animal and learns a valuable lesson.
• In Blackout, Yusuf and Ahmed have a brilliant idea that brings the whole neighbourhood together.
• In Stuck in the Middle, Salma restores her relationship with her brother when she tries to fix her mistake.

Let’s teach our kids to look at every new challenge as an opportunity to make a difference, accumulate good deeds, and learn something new!