A girl of five was with her mother at the till and saw a circle of white pearls in a pink box. ‘Oh please, Mum can I have them? Please!’ Mum checked the price: ‘R20! If you want them, I'll think of extra chores for you then you can save money to buy them yourself. At home Thuwayba emptied her purse and counted out R3.50. After supper she did more than her share of chores. On Eid, granny gave her R10 and she had enough money to buy the necklace.
She loved her pearls and wore them everywhere. Every night, Dad read her a story. One night he asked, ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Oh yes, Dad.’ ‘Then may I have your pearls?’ he asked. ‘Not my pearls. But you can have any of my toys’. A few nights later when her father came in, Thuwayba’s chin was trembling and a tear rolled down her cheek. She lifted her hand up to her father. When she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a quiver she said, ‘It's for you.’ With tears in his eyes, her father took the prized necklace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case. He handed it to Thuwayba and told her, "Thank you for giving me your most prized possession. I wanted to trade with you. As Thuwayba opened the blue velvet box, the glistening sheen of the genuine pearls struck her teary eyes.
Similarly, if we give to Allah what is most precious to us, Allah will give us much more in return.
You shall never attain piety until you spend of that which you love. [Qur’aan]
The Necklace
