Free The Soul Of A Butterfly by Muhammad Ali With Hana Yasmeen Ali Page A

child into his palace. No one knew he was Rafael’s son. This was the opportunity the king sought. Over time the child became a great fighter. He was so strong and powerful that no one in the land could match him.
    Then, after many years, Rafael returned from his journey. The king did not tell Cushman that Rafael was his father; he only said that a powerful warrior had come from far away to do them harm, so Cushman was told to fight him. Since Rafael’s departure, it had become the custom of every wrestler to kill his beaten opponent if he did not surrender. Everyone in the land went to see the bout between two undefeated warriors. The king was sure that the son would conquer his father, and with great energy and strength, he did. But Rafael was so proud of his great power throughout his life that he would not surrender.
    So Cushman took out his dagger and aimed it at Rafael’s heart, whereupon Rafael revealed he was Cushman’s father. Cushman fell at his father’s feet, saying “Father, I would rather be killed than be your conquerer.”
    His father replied, “Do not let it grieve you, I am happy to know that I have not been defeated by anyone other than my own son, who is my own self.”
    What a change there would be in the world if we all recognized God in our fellow man. We may see him in ourselves and in our friends, but how much better if we could also recognize him in our so-called enemies?
     
    standing
TALL
    IF I HAD not been forced from boxing during the height of my career, I might never have known how strong my faith and beliefs were. The greater our level of understanding, the harder the tests become. The more we master the challenges, the deeper our faith becomes.
    When I was stripped of my title and banned from the ring, I didn’t keep faith as part of some deal with God where I would come out on top again. I didn’t know what was going to happen or if I would ever be allowed to box again. But I believed purely and confidently that in the end, even if it meant going to jail, I would be all right.
    When God is with you, no one can defeat you. I put all my faith in God, and in return he filled me up with courage and strength.
    During the years I was not allowed to box for money, I opened a restaurant called Champ Burgers to support my family. I also took a part in a Broadway play called Big Time Buck White. The show didn’t run very long, but I got great reviews for my performance and I had a lot of fun doing it. I still like to sing songs from the show, like “Black Balloons.”
    But what I enjoyed more than anything was giving lectures to people as diverse as brothers in Harlem and college students in America’s leading universities.
    I just put on my suit and tie, picked up my briefcase, and went out to share my beliefs. My lectures, based on Islamic teachings, were on various subjects. Some of the titles were, “The Intoxication of Life,” “The Purpose of Life,” “The Real Cause of Man’s Distress,” “The Journey to the Goal in Life,” and, one of my favorites, “The Heart of Man.” They contained important insights that spoke to something deep inside me.
    In addition to the lectures, I would often share some of my poetry. My poems were not great literature, as my critics often pointed out, but they served my purposes, which were to entertain, to challenge, and hopefully to inject a little humor into the particular situation I was in at the time.
    Following a lecture at Harvard University, I was asked to give a short poem. I thought for a moment and said, “Me, Wheee!” I learned later that the shortest poem had been, “Adam had ’em.” Now, I had a record in poetry as well—for the shortest poem!
    Someone jokingly asked me to become a professor of poetry at Harvard. I was honored, but I declined …
    Pay heed, my children, and you all will see
    Why this is not the time for your university.
    It’s not the pay, although that’s small,
    I have to show the world I can still walk