February 25, 2024, 03:04 PM
A woman in Malaysia had no choice but to part with a precious RM50 note given to her by her late father.
Before losing it, 25-year-old cashier Nur Hidayah Mohamad had kept the money close to her heart.
"I had to use it, and at that time, in my heart, I thought, God willing, I can get it back later," she told Malaysian news outlet Sinar Harian.
Parted with note
According to Sinar Harian, Hidayah received the RM50 (S$14) from her father, who died from kidney problems in 2020.
She'd marked the special note with a handwritten message in Malay: “Dad’s last money given to me, 11/5/20”.
Along with it read the words “Al-Fatihah”, a Quranic chapter usually recited for those who have passed away.
Image via Tuah Lim/Facebook
A couple of months after her dad died, Hidayah found herself in a situation where she had no choice but to use the note, as it was the only cash in her wallet.
She had faith that this wouldn't be the last time she saw it.
Drawn from ATM
The note found its way into the hands of one Azfarul Zainol in Kuantan, Pahang.
He'd withdrawn the note from a petrol kiosk's ATM on Feb. 19, 2024.
Upon returning home, he caught sight of the writing scribbled on the bill.
Touched, he took to Facebook to look for the note's owner.
One person commented that the note was in good condition, meaning its previous owner definitely took care of it until they had no choice but to use it.
"I will not use this until I meet the owner. That is my promise," said Azfarul.
The post went viral, racking up about 5,000 likes and 12,000 shares, which was how the note's original owner found it at last.
Reunited
Hidayah contacted Azfarul after coming across his post.
Azfarul said that four other individuals had contacted him, claiming to be the note’s owner.
Cautious, he verified that Hidayah was the rightful one based on her social media posts, which confirmed the date of her father’s death.
In a follow-up post on Facebook, Azfarul shared that he'd met Hidayah to return her the RM50 on Feb. 23, 2024.
It took about four years, but she was reunited with her father's note at last.
Top images via Tuah Lim/Facebook
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