Yusuf and Suhayl were in the same class in school. Yusuf was new in class and he did not have any friends. None of the boys had asked him to play with them and he was to shy to ask if he could join them. Suhayl however had lots of friends. Everyone liked to with Suhayl.

One day it rained quite heavily. As the boys were leaving the school, Yusuf slipped. SPLASH! He fell right into a puddle of mud. Mud splashed onto his face, his hair and his clothes. Some of the mud even got into his shoes. What a sight he looked! The mud felt really gooey and Yusuf felt really dirty. He was so embarrassed.

Suhayl and his friends burst into loud laughter. “Look,’’ one of the boys called out. “Yusuf had a mud bath.” This made the boys laugh even more.

None of them helped him in any way. They just continued to laugh. Yusuf kept his head down so that none of the boys would be able to see the tears in his eyes. Later, even after having had a bath at home, he was still crying.

The next day, although the sun was shining, the ground was still full of mud puddles. During the break, Yusuf sat on one of the benches, far away from the puddles of mud. He really didn’t want to have another mud bath.

Suhayl and his friends were playing soccer that day. They were having a wonderful time. Just then, Suhayl stretched out his leg to kick the ball, he fell. This time it was Suhayl who was covered in mud. He was even filthier than Yusuf had been.

This time, since he was the one full of mud, Suhayl did not find it funny at all. All his friends did though. They all stood around him and laughed. Suhayl’s feelings were hurt. These boys were his friends yet they were all laughing at him. Now he realized how horrible Yusuf must have felt the day before.

In fact, the only boy not laughing at him was Yusuf. Yusuf was so kind that he actually came and helped Suhayl out of the mud. “You are such a kind person, Yusuf,” said Suhayl. “I did nothing to help you when you fell. All I did was laugh. Today, when all my friends are laughing at me, you are being so kind to me.”

Yusuf just smiled and said, “My parents taught me not to laugh at other people. Besides I know just how hurtful it is to be laughed at.”

Then Suhayl realized how cruel it is to laugh at another person and how horrible it feels to be laughed at. Now he is very careful not to laugh at anyone. AND GUESS WHAT?

Suhayl and Yusuf are now the best of friends. Isn’t Suhayl lucky to have Yusuf as a friend?