Synopsis
In a story recounted through the daily log of Captain Allan Hope, the sailors aboard the Rita Anne become mesmerized and transformed by a mysterious glowing rock, and only music and books can restore them to normal.- ★★★★★
- ★★★★☆
- ★★★★★
- ★★★★★
- The island where the stone is discovered is described in contradictory terms. Can you give an example? fruitless vegetation; sweet odor; lush yet lifeless; bitter spring
- What do the descriptions symbolize? How is the island a metaphor for the dunya (the material world)? Those that lose themselves in the distractions of this world, are left unfulfilled, hollow with an insatiable desire for more.
- This story was written in 1991. What do you think the stone symbolized then? What do you think the stone can symbolize now?
- How did the sailors transform into apes? What kind of person does the ape symbolize?
- Turning into an ape is an outward manifestation of the inner state. Can you think of examples when someone’s inner state is reflected outwardly?
- In the Quran, Allah ﷻ tells Prophet Adam and his wife, peace be upon them, “eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers”(7:19). The command is not “do not eat from this tree”, rather Allah ﷻ commands them to not even go near it. What can we learn from this about the power of temptation?
- The sailors were lured to the island by its outward appearance but soon found it was not as it seemed. Should they have taken anything from an island that was eerie and unnatural?
- Have you ever engaged in an activity that was entertaining and became a habit, but was difficult to give up?
- Let’s load your tool box! What are some things you can do to increase self-discipline?
- Apply the divine advice Allah ﷻ gave to Prophet Adam, peace be upon him: don’t go near the (insert temptation).
- Surround yourself with peers that pull you in the right direction.
- Listen to your heart when it tells you something is wrong.
- Be mindful of the effects of the activities you engage in. Do they drain your energy? Do they alienate you from your loved ones? Do they distract you to the point of mindlessness?
Mindful Muslim Review
In this thought-provoking allegory told in epistolary form, author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg weaves a powerful story about the dire consequences of becoming overly consumed by the distractions of this world. A ship captain recounts a stop at an unmapped island, finding it to be a deceptive paradise. In search of clean water and fresh fruits, they find instead a bitter-tasting spring and fruitless vegetation. Their only discovery is a strangely beautiful glowing stone–a device which ultimately leads to their demise.
Entranced with the stone, accomplished sailors, storytellers, musicians, and readers turn into apes, succumbing to the hypnotic effect of the ‘glowing’ stone. What they are consuming begins to consume them, affecting both their inner and outer states. In their stupor, they lose all sense of reason, abandoning their responsibilities completely, rendering them incapable of preparing for the looming storm on the horizon. It is not until the stone is removed from the ship, that the crew begins their long road to recovery. Those that know how to read recover most quickly. At the end, though they seem to have returned to normal, some still show remnants of the sickness that consumed them, showing us that the consequences of how we choose to spend our time can have lasting effects.
The stone itself is never shown in the illustrations which ultimately keeps this story–written in 1991–as relevant then to television use as it is to today’s screen addiction. The Wretched Stone earns our Gold-Star as a timely nuanced story which can spark an important discussion for young and old readers alike when read aloud.
