I was returning home in the evening, passing by a field. Suddenly, I heard a sound of crying and stopped. I went into the field and saw a small boy sitting and crying!
I approached and asked, “Who are you?”
The boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked at me. His eyes were swollen. I recognized him immediately. His name was Suman, around ten or eleven years old. His father worked as a rickshaw driver.
I sat next to Suman and asked, “What happened, Suman?”
With a tearful voice, he said, “Brother, why did Allah make my parents poor?”
His question struck me deep in the chest! I couldn’t say anything.
“Ismail’s father is so rich. He can buy anything he wants.”
“Suman, it’s getting dark. Go home now. Tomorrow is Friday, so no school. Come to my house in the morning, and I’ll answer your question.”
Suman slowly stood up and went home.
The next morning, I was woken up by my mother’s voice. “Son, a little boy has come to see you.”
“Mom, please bring breakfast for both of us in my room.”
Suman came to my room. His mood seemed down, and he looked helpless.
“How are you, Suman?”
He looked at me and gave a slight dry smile.
“Come sit here.”
He sat on my bed, his head lowered. I went to wash my face and came back to sit beside him. My mother brought the breakfast.
“Here, have some breakfast.”
He seemed a bit shy to eat, taking small bites. After finishing, I turned on the TV. I had downloaded a video of a 400-meter race the previous day.
“Suman, pay close attention to the video.”
Suman was staring at the TV.
“What are you watching?”
In a very low voice, he said, “Everyone is preparing to run.”
“Good. This is a 400-meter race.”
Suman was watching the TV intently. The race hadn’t started yet, and everyone was standing in their positions.
“Suman, look carefully. They haven’t all lined up equally. Some are in front, some are behind.”
Suman looked at me in surprise and then back at the TV.
“Someone is standing behind. Doesn’t he fall behind before the race even starts?”
Suman’s expression showed more surprise. He looked at me and asked, “Why did he do that, brother?”
“Listen, the person standing behind may seem like he’s fallen behind. But look closely, his circle is smaller, while the person in front has a larger circle. This means, to reach the destination, he has to run a much longer distance. The person behind, on the other hand, has a smaller circle, so he can reach the destination in less time.”
Suman was paying close attention to the race. In this race, the person at the back ended up winning.
“Listen, Suman, the world is like a race. It might seem like the rich kids are ahead, they get a lot of advantages because of their money. But the poor kids are often left behind, right?”
Suman nodded his head in agreement.
“But actually, that’s not the case. What Allah does is, He gives poor children a special kind of strength. With that strength, the poor can easily win. Every poor person has the power to change the world!
Did you see who won the race?”
Suman shook his head.
“Usain Bolt. He was born into a very poor family. Not just in running, but look at football—Messi, Ronaldo, and many others were born into poor families. In every field, you’ll see the triumph of the poor! These are the people who make history.
You too have the power that your rich friends don’t have.”
Suman left. As he was leaving, he seemed more confident.
A few months later, I met Suman again. He had come to our house with some sweets.
“How are you, Suman?”
He smiled brightly and said, “I’m doing well, brother.”
“What sweets have you brought?”
“I came first in class five, brother!”
“That’s great news!”
Suman said, “Please pray for me, brother.”
“Suman, listen, our Prophet was also poor!”
