🌿 A Lesson in Friendship 🌿
Zafar and Nadeem had been great friends since the age of five. They used to go to the same primary school. When they finished primary school, they both went to the same secondary school. That school was a 20-minute walk from their village in a town on the other side of the river. Every morning, Zafar and Nadeem used to walk there and back together.
Zafar and Nadeem didn’t always see eye to eye. They didn’t use to argue much, but occasionally, they had arguments about school. They were both competitive and wanted to get the best marks in their class.
One wet Wednesday afternoon, they were walking back from school together, as always. But on this occasion, Zafar was angry with Nadeem. Nadeem had gotten the highest mark in a test that day and kept talking about it. Zafar thought Nadeem was only doing it to make him feel bad. Anger took control of him, and finally, in a moment of madness, he turned and slapped Nadeem in the face.
Nadeem was shocked at first, but then he picked up a stick and wrote in the sand by the side of the road:
📝 “Today, my friend Zafar slapped me.”
The pair of friends carried on their way home in silence. The rain kept on falling. As they got closer to the river, a section of the riverbank broke because of the rain, and the water carried both boys into the river. Nadeem couldn’t swim, but straight away, Zafar was there by his side, pulling him to safety.
After Nadeem had calmed down, he took a sharp stone and wrote on a big rock:
🔹 “Today, my friend Zafar saved my life.”
Zafar asked, “Earlier, you wrote in the sand that I hit you. But now you’ve written on a rock. Why?”
Nadeem replied, “Writing in the sand disappears quickly. When our friends do something bad to us, we should forget it quickly. But when friends do good things and show us kindness, we should always remember it—just as the writing on a rock remains forever.”
When Nadeem had finished speaking, Zafar put his arm around his shoulder, and they continued on their way home.
Zafar and Nadeem had been great friends since the age of five. They used to go to the same primary school. When they finished primary school, they both went to the same secondary school. That school was a 20-minute walk from their village in a town on the other side of the river. Every morning, Zafar and Nadeem used to walk there and back together.
Zafar and Nadeem didn’t always see eye to eye. They didn’t use to argue much, but occasionally, they had arguments about school. They were both competitive and wanted to get the best marks in their class.
One wet Wednesday afternoon, they were walking back from school together, as always. But on this occasion, Zafar was angry with Nadeem. Nadeem had gotten the highest mark in a test that day and kept talking about it. Zafar thought Nadeem was only doing it to make him feel bad. Anger took control of him, and finally, in a moment of madness, he turned and slapped Nadeem in the face.
Nadeem was shocked at first, but then he picked up a stick and wrote in the sand by the side of the road:
📝 “Today, my friend Zafar slapped me.”
The pair of friends carried on their way home in silence. The rain kept on falling. As they got closer to the river, a section of the riverbank broke because of the rain, and the water carried both boys into the river. Nadeem couldn’t swim, but straight away, Zafar was there by his side, pulling him to safety.
After Nadeem had calmed down, he took a sharp stone and wrote on a big rock:
🔹 “Today, my friend Zafar saved my life.”
Zafar asked, “Earlier, you wrote in the sand that I hit you. But now you’ve written on a rock. Why?”
Nadeem replied, “Writing in the sand disappears quickly. When our friends do something bad to us, we should forget it quickly. But when friends do good things and show us kindness, we should always remember it—just as the writing on a rock remains forever.”
When Nadeem had finished speaking, Zafar put his arm around his shoulder, and they continued on their way home.