Ahmad and the Green Frog

At the weekend Ahmad went fishing on a lake with his father. While his father was preparing the rods, Ahmad asked him for permission to wander round a little. His father allowed him to do this on condition that he did not go too far away.

Ahmad began walking amongst the thickets at the edge of the water. A frog jumped out suddenly from between two bushes and landed on a stone right in front of him.

"You nearly trod on me!" complained the frog.

"I'm sorry," said Ahmad. "You are exactly the same color as the leaves, so I didn't notice you, little frog. My name's Ahmad and I'm taking a walk."

The frog smiled: "Pleased to meet you, Ahmad. It's quite normal that you didn't notice me. I live among these bushes and my color matches the leaves. That way my enemies can't spot me any more than you could. I can hide from them very easily."

Ahmad thought for a moment: "Yes, but what if they do see you? Then what do you do?"

"If you look carefully," said the frog, holding up a foot, "You'll see there are webs between my toes. When I'm jumping I open my toes out and that way I can glide in the air. Sometimes I can fly as much as 40 feet (12 meters) in a single bound."

"What about when you want to land?" wondered Ahmad.

"I use my legs when I fly. I use the webs on my feet like a parachute to slow myself down when I land," the frog explained.

"That's very interesting," mused Ahmad. "It never occurred to me before that frogs can fly."

The frog grinned: "Some species of frog can fly as far as they can swim. This is a blessing our Lord gave us. Allah created our colors to camouflage us in the surroundings we live in. That allows us to survive. If Allah hadn't created us like this, we'd soon have been killed off by other animals."

The Webbed Feet of Frogs One of the striking creatures which Allah has created is a kind of frog that lives in virgin forests. The most interesting characteristic of this little tree frog, which has thin legs and webs between its toes, is that it can use its legs to fly by gliding. When it flies from trees it uses its legs like parachutes when it wants to soften its landing. By opening the webs between its toes it doubles the surface area of its body. Flying frogs can glide through the air for up to 40 feet (12 meters) before landing in a tree. By moving their legs and changing the shape of their webbed feet they can even control the direction they fly in.

Ahmad saw the point: "The webs between your toes are necessary for you to be able to jump long distances. I don't have webs on my feet because I don't need them. The needs of every living creature are different, aren't they?"

"Yes, you're right, you put it very well."

Ahmad answered: "Allah created us in the best way to make our lives easier. We should be very grateful to Him for that."

"Right again, Ahmad," agreed his friend. "Our Lord created all living things according to the environment they live in. He gave us everything we need when we were born."

"Yes," said Ahmad. "Now, little frog, I have to go, otherwise my father will be wondering what's happened to me. It was great talking to you. If I come here another time, I'll visit you again."

"I shall look forward to that. Nice to have met you. Goodbye, Ahmad..." croaked the frog as it hopped back into the bushes and disappeared from sight.