the soul of a butterfly

241 Pages·2010·4.32 MB·English

the SOU L BUT T E R FLY
ofa
Refleaions LijeJsJourney
011
Muhammad Ali
with Hana Yasmeen Ali
Photographs by
Howard Bingham
Simon & Schuster
New York London Toronto Sydney
To my parents Odessa and Cassius Clay, with love
-Muhammad Ali
To my Guardian Angels. They know who they are.
-Hana Yasmeen Ali
With my third wife, Veronica,and our daughters, Hanaand Laila.
contents
A Letter to the World x
Introduction xv
The Early Years 1
The Middle Years 43
The Current Years 143
InTroubled Times 185
Postscript 211
Acknowledgments 220
coauthor's note
a THE
LETTER
WORLD
to
Mythsareabout gods, legendsareabout heroes,andfairytalesdescribe the
endless worlds of magic and dreams. This book is neither myth nor fairy
tale, but the story of a legend with unwavering conviction. In the following
pagesyou will read about a man who asked his heart what actions to take,
and his heart replied like the beat of a drum that has yet to fade. Youwill
readabout a man who stood upforthose whocould not stand upfor them
selves. About a man who stared adversity in the face. A man who shared
himself with the world and all who came hisway.
Youwill read about a man who embodies the conflicts, struggles, and
hopes of hundreds of years, a man who mesmerized the world with his
artistry in the boxing ring, and won its respect with his courage outside it.
Yet, hisgreatestaccomplishments-love, kindness, and generosity-all oc
curred outside the spotlight. Throughout his life, he has moved us to tears,
ofbothjoyand sorrow.Hehasfound ahome inthe heartofthe peopleofall
nations,and becomethe epitome ofachampion and a hero.
Itissaidthat morehasbeenwritten about Muhammad Alithan anyother
living person.Whenyou haveaheartas bigasthe world, the world wantsto
writeabout it.Thedifference betweenthis bookand allthe othersabout him
isthat this bookisfrom hisheart.
In the following pages,you will seethe world through my father's eyes.
Youwill learn about his dreams, hisobstacles, his heartbreaks, and hisvic
toriesfrom hisyouth to the present moment. This book isajourney through
the defining moments in my father's life. It isfilled with his personal recol
lections, occasionally sprinkled with my own memories, and laced with the
storiesand poemsthat touched his heart.
Ihavewitnessedthe humanity and compassion ofthis man whoseinno-
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cence of heart hasgone untouched bytime, a manwith thesoulofabutter
fly. Ithas beena gift and an honor working with myfather to helpshare his
thoughts, beliefs,and motivations with the world. Ifweall havepartsto play
in life,this isthe storyofthe man who playedthe part of love.
Daddy, you are my constant truth, my strength,
my heaven on earth. Thank you for being there
for me, thank you for believing in me, thank
you for holding my hand in the dark andal
ways standing byme. You have been more
than just my father; you have been my teacher
oflove, my friend, andmy guardian angel. I
cherish you andadore you more than you
could ever know God bless you, Daddy. You
are my inspiration.
with love,
hana yasmeen ali
xii
You will never truly know
the depth ofmy father's soul,
how deep his dignity flows. Ali
To love and give isall he's known,
And his honor is a virtue ofits own.
Words are not enough to tell his story.
Colors aren't lovely enough to depict his face.
Legend is not sturdy enough to uphold his name.
His spirit has surpassed our descriptive plane.
A billion stars could never replace,
The space his heart has filled.
A universe ofdoubt could never erase,
The faith his heart has embraced.
No picture has ever sufficiently captured
The smile in his angelic eyes,
And no book will ever fully explain
the beauty that Ali has defined.
-HANA YASMEEN ALI
xiii
INTRODUCTION
People were always asking me what! was going to do after I retired from
boxing. My responsethen wasasitisnow: During my boxingcareer,you did
notseethe rea!Muhammad Ali.Youjust sawalittle boxingand alittleshow
manship. It was after I retired from boxing that my true work began. i had
more time then todevelop myspiritual being the waythat i once developed
my muscles and agility.
When I look at the world, I see that many people build big beautiful
houses but livein broken homes.Wespend moretime learning howtomake
a livingthan wedo learning to make alife. What Ihopetosharewith youare
the beliefsthat Ihavecome to liveby:Manyofthe philosophies, stories, and
ideals that havetouched my soul and inspired my heart I learned from my
studyof Islam. Ihavesharedthis knowledgewith myfamily andfriends; now
Ioffer ittothe world.
xv
Overthe yearsmy religion haschanged and myspirituality hasevolved.
Religionand spirituality areverydifferent, but peopleoftenconfuse thetwo.
Somethings cannot betaught, butthey can beawakened inthe heart.Spir
ituality isrecognizingthe divine lightthat iswithin usall. Itdoesn't belongto
any particular religion; it belongstoeveryone.
Peoplehaveasked me if Istill work on myfaith. The truth is, Ican talk
all dayabout my faith because more than anything elsein my life, I believe
in God.Ifallofthe oceanson Earthwereink, and allofthetreeswere pens,
they still would not be sufficient to write down the knowledge God has.
Knowingthat Godhas power like that keeps me humble. The more Istudy
about Godand Islam,the moreIrealizehowlittle Iknow.So,Iam stillstudy
ing, and I'm still learning because there's nothing as great as working
for God.
Trulygreat people in history neverwantedto begreatforthemselves. All
they wanted wasthe chance todo goodfor others and becloseto God. I'm
not perfect. I know that I still havethings to work out, and I'm working on
them. Therearecertain things Ihavedonethat Iam notproud of,especially
when theycaused pain toothers. Iask Godfor forgiveness.
No matter where I go, everybody recognizes my face and knows my
name. Peopleloveand admire me;they look upto me.That'sa lotof power
and influence for one man to have,so I know I havea responsibility to use
myfamethe rightway. That'soneofthe reasonsI'vealwaystried to begood
to everyone no matter their color, religion, or position in life. Though some
people may see themselves as better or more important than others, in
God'seyesweareall equal, and it'swhat isin our heartsthat matters.
Peoplesaythat Igaveawaytoo much money during my boxing career.
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