My two daughters, aged 22 months and nearly four, enjoyed listening to 'Leyla the Sparrow'. The little one loved the sparrow-singing, while the elder one was captivated by the entire story. As a mother I was pleased that this story taught my children about how kind the holy Prophet Muhammad was to animals. (Aziza, Delhi, India)
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) reports: “We were travelling with the Messenger of Allah (saws). He went to relieve himself. We saw a bird (humarah) with her two young chicks and we captured her chicks. The bird came and began to flap her wings in distress. Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) came and said, ‘Who has made this bird upset by snatching her chicks? Return her chicks to her.’ He also saw an ant village that we had burnt. He asked: ‘Who has burnt this?’ We replied, ‘We did it.’ He said, ‘It is not right for anyone but the Lord of fire to punish with fire.”
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 2675
In-book reference: Book 15, Hadith 199
English translation: Book 14, Hadith 2669
Source: Sunnah.com