BACKGROUND:

This story was inspired by the example of Abdul Qadir Gilani.

The main character, Ahmed, was selected because he was close to the age of the students involved in writing this story.  The students studied the geography, landforms, animal life and plant life of the area Gilan where Abdul Qadir Gilani was born.  All efforts were made to ensure that events in the story could possibly occur.  The students studied about caravans and trade in that time period.  The animals involved in the incidents were selected by the students after researching them to ensure that they were native to Iran.

Each student wrote chapters detailing events and assisted in editing.  The storyteller was the main vehicle to relate Islamic history and teachings within the story.  The Islamic stories all related to the events that occurred in the story.

The story started taking on a life of its own.  It ended with the possibility of future adventures.

The students enjoyed this writing process and were very pleased with their efforts.  They would like to thank Allah (SWT) for this opportunity to learn and write for others.