First I just want to say THANK YOU…for all the support and encouragement on this line. While most of the buzz was focused on the kids friendly products, I wanted to take a second to talk about some of these complimentary pieces.
…so why the camels?
I am not one to include Camels in my holiday decor without purpose. While of course they are cute, as someone of European descent I don't really connect with them, they are pretty regional. This is something many from my community including people from the balkans, Turkey and parts of Central Asia also don't connect to as much. But camels were one of my favorite parts of THIS story, so I knew they had to make an appearance.
If you aren't familiar, on the Night Journey the Prophet SAW saw and prayed in a few locations (not just Jerusalem) and on his journey he saw a caravan of merchants who lost their camel. He knew the Caravan would return to Mecca around the time of sunrise and was able to describe it.
While this seems like a minor detail, it becomes more important later. When he told the people about his Journey he was met with ridicule. They couldn't believe in such a miracle. Idolaters aside, even the faith of many Muslims was shaken when they heard this story. Well…many of them. Abu Bakr firmly believed the news of the heavens the Prophet SAW brought (this is actually the instance he became known as al Siddiq). He did not need to wait to question or quiz the Prophet SAW about the gates of Jerusalem, he did not need to wait for the camels to arrive in Mecca.
He believed. And that faith and trust in the Truth is something I want to remember and strive for always. While it is an integral part of the story and the the illustrations in many pieces in this collection, I have it in my home as a reminder to not wait for the camels, to believe.
