"A ruler assigns each of his two servants 24 gold coins and sends them to reach his farm two months away. One servant spends just a little before reaching the transit point and prudently uses the last coin to buy his ticket—his master multiplies his wealth a thousandfold. The other gambles away 23 coins in vain before reaching the station, and with only one coin left, he must decide: it must pay for his passage, or he'll suffer hunger and hardship on foot.

The ruler is our Creator, the 24 coins are the 24 hours, the farm is Paradise, the transit station is the grave, and the journey is this life followed by the next. The ticket is the prescribed prayers, which can be offered in about an hour. Spending 23 hours in worldly pursuits and neglecting that one hour is the folly of a person who fails to invest even a small portion for everlasting gain"