One thousand years after the birth of Christ, in a small town called Zuzan, which lies high in the mountains of Khorasan in northeast Persia, a baby boy came into existence. He was what every parent wanted in a baby: healthy, beautiful, bright, and full of energy. An innocent smile adorned his face and reflected a clear expression of content and happiness. His eyes were bright and full of excitement. His energy was obvious by his constant motion and the movements of his limbs. His parents decided to name him Hamza, which means bright and energetic.
As Hamza was the only child, his parents felt a special attraction toward him. He was always quiet and never complained. He seemed very content, self-disciplined and rarely needed instruction.
Hamza was always conscious and aware of his surroundings. His curiosity was noticeable from his eager expressions and looks; he never missed anything that took place around him. His powers of concentration and observation were obvious in his bright and keen eyes. Learning and knowledge were attained easily by Hamza. He could speak at a very early age and learned to read and write in a very short period.
During his childhood and early teens, Hamza was educated by special tutors, as was the tradition in those days. Because of his excellent powers of absorption and good memory, his teachers never felt the need to repeat a lesson. His great ability to digest knowledge and information was amazing.
Hamza worked in the fields, helping his father to cultivate the land. He was very attentive and enjoyed his father's companionship. His father taught him a lot about agriculture and the different kinds of plants. He pointed out to him the good plants and the bad weeds, and explained the different benefits of each. He also showed him how animals could identify these different types of plants, and benefit from them when the need arose.
His father also taught him how to care for domestic and wild animals. Hamza realized that there were so many things in nature that he needed to learn about. Most of them existed within his immediate surrounding. The perfection that exists in nature was an inspiration to Hamza, as it taught him to be more productive and efficient in his work.
Hamza’s favorite hobby was construction. In his free time, using sticks and stones, he would cut the wood into different shapes, and according to his needs, would build many different structures -- a small bridge over a little creek, or a little shelter on the ground for an animal, or on a tree for the birds. He was always very proud of his work and was admired by others. Other parents would look at him in envy, which made his parents proud for having him.