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If you were to look under a certain tree on the brink of a hill, you would see a young man sitting quietly looking at the sky from time to time and heaving a sigh. He obviously looks sad but it's impossible to tell the source of his sorrow. But I know him, so I want to relate his story to you. His name is Mustafa and he had a friend called Hany.
For many years they were friends. In fact, during the final years of high school, they were hardly apart. It was difficult to tell who was better or more noble in character — he or his friend. When the Adhan was heard he and his friend, who lived in the next building, would meet downstairs and walk to the mosque to pray. This mosque was just a few doors down and was not only a place of worship but also a place of learning and a place to meet people and catch up on each other's news.
Mustafa is a serious kind of guy. He likes to laugh with his friends but never excessively. When the others would still be roaring with laughter at some story, Mustafa would be sitting and smiling quietly but always with a somber look reflecting his deep thoughts. Hany tended away from seriousness.
They both entered the university and studied languages. It was somehow expected among their circle of friends that they would do everything together — even studying in the same field. Mustafa was committed to his books and could pore over each page soaking up the knowledge like a sponge and do this for hours and hours. His thirst for knowledge never seemed to be satisfied and the more he learned, the more he wanted to know.
The imam in the mosque called Mustafa one day and asked him to prepare the Friday sermon. At first Mustafa declined and excused himself by saying that he didn't have enough knowledge as yet to take on such a responsibility. Hany was there at the time and didn't say anything. He wasn't really sure he felt comfortable with Mustafa giving the Friday sermon and not him. After all, they were both studying in the same field. Time went on.
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Hany passed his studies well. All his projects were handed in on time and he did well with his exams, but he lacked the talent and eloquence of Mustafa. Deep down Hany knew that he was no match for Mustafa and he didn't want to lose face in front of his best chum, so he decided to try to take it all lightly. He shrugged off the fact that the imam still wanted Mustafa to do the Friday sermon, and not him. He shrugged off the fact that Mustafa's grades were obviously consistently better than his. But he just couldn't shrug off the fact that more and more Mustafa was choosing to spend his time with his books rather than with him.
Hany felt left out. He felt unappreciated and undervalued. As time went on, Mustafa became more and more enthralled in his path to knowledge, and Hany felt more and more left behind and more and more inadequate. For some unknown reason, the pair of them never sat down and discussed their feelings. It just didn't seem to be a manly thing to do. So being afraid to step out of the framework of what they'd been taught was "manly," they remained silent and slowly but surely drifted apart. What had been a happy, caring relationship in the beginning faded and slowly turned into something else.
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One day Mustafa found himself sitting under a tree. His books were at his side and he was gazing around at the beauty of the sky when he sensed a feeling of sadness within himself. After thinking for some time, he realized he was lonely and he began to miss Hany. He missed his corny jokes and happy face. He missed his company. He could not quite figure out why they had drifted apart. He didn't know that under another tree not so far away, Hany was sitting with a few of the guys laughing and talking about what a great friend he used to have — someone called Mustafa whom he hadn't seen in ages. He wished he could see him again.
Sometimes relationships have the potential to be really special; they have all the ingredients, but the people involved have to put in the effort to make it work. From this story I think we learn about the importance of communicating — how important it is to say what is on your mind. I believe that if Hany had told Mustafa how he felt, Mustafa would have reassured him and that the feelings of jealousy in Hany would not have become so strong.
What advice would you give Hany and Mustafa?
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