—peace and blessings be upon him. This school was not reserved for a handful of men or for some select women; it was open to everyone, embracing both men and women and permeating society as a whole. That is why the shepherd-girl had internalised the creed: she had never been contaminated by a corrupt environment. She understood the sound doctrine brought in the Book and the Sunnah—something many who claim knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah have failed to comprehend, to the extent that they do not even know where their Lord is, though the matter is plainly stated in the Book and the Sunnah.

Today I say that such clarity, such manifest exposition, is virtually absent among Muslims. If you were to ask—not a mere shepherd-girl, but the shepherd of an entire nation or community—you might find him at a loss for an answer, just as multitudes are perplexed today, except those upon whom Allah has shown mercy, and how few they are!