THE BEST INVESTMENT

The grey haired man at the door was weary from his travel but thankful to
be home. A captive for many years, he had only recently been freed. As he
knocked, he wondered if his wife and son were still living there. Would they
recognize and welcome him?
          The young man who opened the door was polite but not inclined to let
the stranger enter. "Who are you?" asked the old man.
"I am Rabia ar Ray," the younger man answered politely, "And who, might I ask,
 are you?"Hearing voices, his mother came to the door in time to hear this last
question. With tearful eyes she gasped, "He is your father, Farukh. Let him come in!"
     The next morning, Farukh, sleeping in his own bed for the first time in years, woke early
to perform the required cleaning before morning prayers. "We should wake Rabia," he said
to his wife, "so he can walk to the mosque-the masjid- with me."
 "Rabia is already at the masjid," she replied. "He always goes before the time of the morning
prayer."
   Farukh left the house and headed towards the mosque, amazed and pleased, to see hundreds
of people also headed to prayer before dawn. Mashaa Allah-wonderful are the ways of God!
so many people attending the masjid early in the morning! The mosque, in fact, was crowded
that Farukh was forced to stand up against the back wall. He could hear an inspiring talk, but
couldn't see who the speaker might be.
    After the prayer, as everyone left the masjid, Farukh looked, but still could not see his son.
He went back home alone. Rabia entered a while later while his father was discussing the family's
finances with his mother.
     "I left you with quite a sum of money. I hope that you've had enough money for your needs,"
He said to her.
    "The money has taken good care of our home and the two of us," she replied. I have invested
all of the rest," she smiled and reached for the Rabia's hand.
   "I see evidence of everything but the investment," Farukh said, looking around the room.
"These are the same furnishings as when I left. What has been the return?" he asked. "How
much has the money increased?"
  Mother looked at son. "I'm certain the increase is 100,000 fold. I hired the best scholar
to tutor our son." She smiled at Rabia. "100,000 is the number of people who have come to the
mosque these many months to hear him talk. A wise scholar now, he is the one that you heard
speaking in the masjid today."His eyes bright, Farukh replied, "Al hamdu lil Allah, all thanks to
God, this is the best investment anyone could make."


REF: Ayat Jamilah