During those very two years he grew in a way unlike any of his peers… Hardly had he completed his second year with us before he had become a sturdy, well-built boy.

At that point we took him to his mother, though we were more eager than ever for him to remain with us and stay in our household, because of the blessing we saw through him. When I met his mother I reassured her and said, “If only you would leave the little lad with me until he grows even more robust and strong… I fear the illness that spreads in Mecca might reach him….” I persisted in persuading and encouraging her until she agreed to send him back with us, so we returned home rejoicing and full of hope.

Only a few short months after the boy had come back into our care, however, something befell him that frightened us, troubled us, and shook us to the core