The Soul Of A Butterfly

by Muhammad Ali

  As life moves forward, I think of the pride of the crown; it all went by so quickly, like a sea of passing clouds. We have but a moment with youth, and although much has changed with time, I remember when I was king, and there are no sad goodbyes, only happy memories.

  when I’m gone

  THEY’LL HAVE TO SAY

  Someone told me once that thousands of years from now, people will still remember my name and tell of what I did.

  WHEN I’M GONE, they’ll just have to look at the records and look at my actions. Then it is up to the people to rank me where they want. They will think what they will, but my record speaks for itself.

  They’ll have to say I was the fastest heavyweight that ever lived. They’ll have to say that I was the best looking—my face was unscratched and unmarked. They’ll have to say that I was the most entertaining and the most clever. They’ll say that even without a college education, I was smart enough to lecture at colleges and debate the best minds on television. They’ll have to say that I was the only real world champion. I fought in such diverse places as Zaire, England, Indonesia, Switzerland, Japan, and the Philippines. They’ll have to say that I was the most famous man in the world, the most famous fighter in history. They’ll have to say that I invented the rope-a-dope and the Ali shuffle. They’ll have to say that I was the boxer who could predict the winning rounds of my fights. They’ll have to say that I was the People’s Champion. They’ll have to say that after I stopped boxing, the sport lost its zest and wide appeal. They’ll have to say that I loved the people as much as they loved me.

  And after they review all the facts, they’ll have no choice but to conclude that I AM the Greatest of All Time!

  (Not bad for a skinny kid from Louisville, huh?)

  the world’s

  GREATEST

  I have said that I am the greatest. In truth, only God is the Greatest. But no matter what I had chosen to do with my life, with God’s help I believe that I would have been the best at it.

  IF I HAD been a garbageman, I would have picked up more trash quicker and neater than anyone else ever had. If I’d been a reporter who got the chance to spend the day with Muhammed Ali, before I came to the interview, I would have thought long and hard about all the other reporters who had interviewed him before me. I would have reviewed all of their stories so that I could get a different perspective.

  After my research was complete, I would have thought some more about what it must be like to be someone that was so controversial. Someone that a lot of people had once hated, but have now come to love. I would have thought about all of the pressures and sacrifices that went along with that kind of responsibility.

  Then, after I came up with one really good question—I would have taken my question and worked on developing it so it could inspire a really great answer.

  I would ask myself to reveal the most important secret of Ali’s success that has never been shared before.

  Then I would answer, first stating the obvious: God. Then I would name the following things, “It is the heart that makes a man great—his intentions, his thoughts, and his convictions.”

  I would tell my reporter-self that while I was proud, I practiced humility; while I was tough, I showed compassion; and while I was firm, I was also forgiving. When all is said and done, these are the things that truly count. They are what I hope people will remember about me.

  I would tell him, off the record, “There will come a day when my records will be broken. There might even be a fighter as fast and pretty as me (maybe my daughter Laila—she shook up the world, too).” Then I would go on: “The one thing that I feel made me great wasn’t my speed or agility. It wasn’t the rope-a-dope or even my three heavyweight championship titles. For me, it was the prayer before every fight, the strength and focus that God gave me.”

  My family at my fiftieth birthday party. FRONT ROW: Muhammad Jr., Odessa (Mama Bird), Lonnie and I holding Asaad. BACK ROW: Miya, Khaliah, Rasheda, Maryum, Hana, Laila, Jamillah.

  The body and the mind are only vehicles for experiencing life.

  This realization helps me to live with Parkinson’s.

  accepting

  CHANGE

  A NEW BEGINNING

  Change is an inevitable part of life. The seasons change, our feelings change, our appearance will change, and our health will change. Life is easier when we accept these changes and recognize how every moment of our journey is an important part of the growth of our soul.

  I SOMETIMES THOUGHT that I would like to be a Muslim Billy Graham. But God had a different plan for me.

  A few years after I retired from boxing, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As a man who spent most of my life developing his physical fitness and athleticism, this diagnosis was difficult to accept. At first there were times when I could push all thoughts of the disease out of my mind. Later, when the physical symptoms could not be ignored, there were periods of frustration and depression, which I had to fight as vigorously as any opponent I ever faced in the ring. The only way I could deal with this challenge was through my faith.

  It was faith that restored my sense of purpose and self-confidence. My faith gave me back my joy and enthusiasm for life. I think maybe my Parkinson’s is God’s way of reminding me of what is important: for example, how we treat each other. It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. Actually people pay more attention to me now because I don’t talk so much. As with every other challenge in my life, I counted on God to be with me through this as well.

  A few years ago a man gave my daughter Hana a copy of an inscription that I had written for him in a book in 1976. When Hana gave the copy to me, I was surprised to read what I had written all those years ago. It read:

  People often ask me questions

  I cannot very well answer in words.

  And it makes me sad to think,

  that they cannot understand

  the voice of my silence.

  IT SEEMS STRANGE that I have an illness that makes it difficult for me to speak and move the way I want to. Those two activities once came as easily to me as breathing. Now, I have to work hard at speaking so people can understand me. I sometimes have to think about the steps I take.

  Some people confuse my limitations with brain damage. Maybe that’s because there are those who have said that I stayed in the ring too long, and that boxing caused these problems. But that’s not true. I would have had Parkinson’s if I had been a baker. There aren’t many boxers that have Parkinson’s, and there are lots of people who have Parkinson’s who’ve never even seen a boxing match, let alone been in one.

  Some people speak very loudly when they’re talking to me, some very slowly—or both. I’m not hard of hearing, and my illness has not affected my ability to think and reason. I just move slower and speak softer and less often.

  But there’s something that hasn’t changed with time … I’m still pretty!

  Fortunately, I still seem to be able to make people happy when I am out in public. In truth, I get a lot of energy and pleasure from being around my fans. Although I’d like to be able to talk the way I used to and have the freedom to move around like I once did, I am comforted by the belief that all of this is part of God’s plan. God doesn’t make mistakes.

  remembering

  THE SPEED

  I MOVED MUCH quicker in my youth than I do these days, but for all that quickness, I missed a lot. Parkinson’s has taught me to slow down and take smaller steps. I have learned to move at a different pace. And I have come to appreciate both quickness and stillness. Although I hope that there will be a cure for Parkinson’s, my prayers are for people everywhere who are suffering, no matter what the cause.

  Every day is different, and some days are better than others, but no matter how challenging the day, I get up and live it. And it is the combination of will and faith that helps me do it.

  the power of will

  When our bodies are at work, We are servants.

&n
bsp; When our minds are at work, We are ministers.

  But when divine will is at work, We are leaders.

  Sufi Wisdom

  FOLLOW

  the

  LEADER

  PEOPLE WHO HAVE been diagnosed with Parkinson’s approach me from time to time. Some of them even travel to my home to visit with me. They want to communicate their fears and concerns; they look to me for strength and guidance. I don’t have the answers to all of their questions. The truth is some of them are answering a few questions for me. I am also just feeling my way along.

  I believe that there is a reason behind all things and not all of our questions will be answered in this life. This awareness and acceptance have given me spiritual serenity and peace.

  When I am at home in Michigan, I like to take walks around my farm and observe the beauty of nature. One morning, while I was walking, I came across a trail of ants. As I took a closer look, I noticed that the ants were heading somewhere. They were all traveling in the same direction, following the ant in front of the line. I watched as they came across obstacles. There were rocks in their paths, puddles in their way, and the wind was blowing small branches and leaves around. But the ants continued forward. They went over the rocks and around the puddles. It took them close to an hour to reach their destination, which seemed to be a small tree on the other side of our driveway. Along their journey, I noticed how some of them had trailed off on their own and others had stopped.

  But the majority of them were still following the ant at the head of the line. As I watched them, I was reminded of how great God is. There are signs all around us, most of which go unnoticed, but when we do pay attention to the little things, we witness how even the smallest of creatures have challenges and obstacles to overcome, and then our own don’t seem so insurmountable.

  We are all so small in the scheme of God’s grand universe. When I am traveling in an airplane, I like to watch the ground as the plane takes off. I notice how the houses and cars become smaller the higher we rise, until everything appears to be the size of the ants. We feel big and important here on the surface of the earth, but every so often, when we get the chance to view the world from a different angle, we can see things as they really are. It is during these times that I am reminded of what is important in life. There are thousands of people around the world diagnosed with Parkinson’s and other illnesses every day. I know that a lot of them look up to me for guidance; they count on me to be strong. Knowing this gives me some of the strength I need to keep going. It is one of the reasons I continue traveling, and making appearances around the world. By living my life publicly, I hope to show people who are suffering from illnesses of any kind that they don’t have to hide or be ashamed.

  When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I didn’t know what direction my life would take. I didn’t like the idea of being dependent on medications. For a while, I refused to take my medicine consistently. I even went through a period where I wouldn’t do television interviews, mainly because I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me, and I didn’t want to let my fans down. My shaking and soft speech were harder for me to accept in the beginning. After a while, I began to realize that how I handled my illness had an effect on other people suffering from Parkinson’s and other illnesses. Knowing that they counted on me gave me strength. And I realized again that I need people as much as they need me. I am as much at peace as I have ever been and I don’t feel sorry for myself, so I don’t want anyone else to feel sorry for me. What ever the future holds, I will come out on top.

  I am like that little ant in the front of the line; a lot of other ants depend on me, and they follow me. Likewise I depend on God to give me guidance so I will know where to go.

  When Ali first met him,

  Parkinson’s was grinning.

  But Ali wouldn’t go down easily.

  Now Parkinson’s is scared,

  But it can’t run,

  And it can’t hide

  From this determined man

  Asserting his hope and pride.

  Dr. Abe Lieberman

  One of the nicest things that I ever heard a person say about me, came from Dick Gregory …

  the representative

  OF FAITH AND LOVE

  (TO MUHAMMAD ALI)

  Ali injected God into the arena. Whenever you saw Ali at the end of a fight, before he said anything else he would give all praise to God. He injected Religion. He injected Faith. He injected Belief. And that turned my grandmother on and my great-grandmother on. Even though he was a Muslim, he turned on the Baptist church and church people like nobody had ever turned them on before.

  And I’ll tell you something else. If people from outer space came to Earth and we had to give them one representative of our species to show them our physical powers, our spirituality, our decency, our warmth, our kindness, our humor, and most of all our capacity to love – it would be Ali.

  Dick Gregory

  The Secret of God is revealed

  Through the knowledge of Love

  a higher

  CONSCIOUSNESS

  One thing that has always amazed me

  is how many people question the

  existence of God. They are always

  searching for proof.

  WOULD YOU BELIEVE a man who told you about a store that ran efficiently without any manager or salesperson to look after it? Would you believe that the store was protected from robbers without someone to look after it?

  Suppose a man told you that he had seen a big factory where everything was running smoothly, without any owner or manager. Suppose he insisted the factory had been built all by itself, that even the machines had just appeared out of thin air and were now running like clockwork, producing wonderful products.

  Or would you believe that an electric bulb could generate light all by itself? Could even the great philosophers convince you that the fabric from which your clothes are made had not been woven by human hand or by machine, but had woven itself? If we find these examples unbelievable, how could we possibly believe that the universe works so precisely without a creator?

  Why does disbelief come so naturally to us, while belief takes such effort? Faith comes naturally to us in many areas of life. For instance, when a person becomes ill and is unable to treat himself, he goes to the doctor. When the doctor explains the cause of his illness and the method of treatment, the patient trusts the doctor and takes his advice. In matters of the law, we do the same; we take the advice of our attorney.

  In education, we have faith in our professor’s knowledge and field of expertise. We accept him and put our trust in him. We do this because we know he is trained in this profession. Belief comes effortlessly.

  When we watch a car driving down the street, we know it is not operating on its own. There is someone behind the wheel steering it in the right direction.

  Yet many people still question whether or not there is a greater power behind the creation of all life.

  It is true that it is more difficult to believe in things that cannot be seen or touched. But this is the very essence of faith—believing in the things the eyes cannot see. Nothing bad will come out of having faith in God, so why not believe? You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

  the evidence of GOD

  In the midst of life’s turmoil and

  confusion, there are signs of God’s

  existence all around us on earth.

  WHEN IT RAINS we sometimes see a rainbow. Moisture and light cooperate to create a stairway to heaven. We witness the seasons come and go in perfect timing. We watch as summer fades into fall, and fall into winter. Then we watch as the snow melts away and spring appears. Just as we trust that the seasons will change, we must trust that we can weather the storms of life. When God is present, nothing can prevail against us.

  All we have to do is trust and believe.

  how my faith

  has

  CHANGED ME

  Islam has change
d my life in every way.

  It pulled me up and kept me clean

  as a human being.

  ISLAM HAS MADE me the man I am today. I do not drink alcohol, eat pork, gamble, smoke, or seek revenge against any other human being. Islam taught me that living a clean life physically, mentally, and spiritually elevates a person’s mind, enabling him to see the world in a new light.

  Some people hold on to hatred, revenge, and prejudice. But there comes a time in every person’s life when he has no choice but to forgive or he will be consumed by bitterness.

  We live in a material world that places too much value on possessions. Although I’ve been fortunate financially, my true wealth is within.

  There was a time when I placed great value on the heavyweight crown, but that was before I had the religious convictions that I have today. One of the greatest lessons Islam taught me is how to recognize what is truly valuable in life.

  WHAT IS REAL

  IF SOMEONE ASKED me what in life I considered real, I would have to say that for me, the only thing that is real is the spiritual. Only God and love are real. Pain, sickness, old age, even death, cannot master me because they are not real to me. Fame, wealth, and material things are empty and meaningless without a developed spirituality. We give them value and importance in our lives. But we must be careful not to value them too much at the expense of what really matters in life. Honesty, integrity, kindness, and friendship are the true treasures we should be seeking.