There was once a maid in England who served a family loyally for many years. When it came time for her to retire, her female employer gave her a piece of paper.
The maid was overjoyed at this certificate, a testament to her devotion to the family and had it framed and hung in a place of prominence in her home. She lived for some years. When the time came for her to depart this world, the priest came to minister the last rites. The maid pointed out the certificate with pride.
The priest read it and asked the lady if she knew what it said. She replied in the negative as she was illiterate. He told her that it was no certificate but a cheque for such a large sum of money that she could have lived comfortably in her retirement.
The old lady lost out on benefitting from the cheque as she had no knowledge of reading. We have this valuable cheque of Islam. How sad if we do not benefit from it because of our ignorance and lack of true knowledge of the fundamentals of Islam!
The Certificate
