Lessons from Master Ayub

I came across this page Humans of Karachi and was instantly drawn to the story of Master Ayub and his school. All images and descriptions are from Humans of Karachi, unless noted otherwise.

“Master Ayub is a legend and we are thrilled to have met this man in Islamabad who is truly devoted to humanity. For those wanting to contact him to help/donate/volunteer- you can just go to the park in F6/1 and look for him any evening.”

Image source can be found here.

“When he was brought to Master Ayub, he couldn’t talk due to some issues with his tongue and speech. Glad to report he fluently and confidently introduced himself to us and even cracked a few jokes. If he had not told us, we would have never even guessed there has been any issue at all in the past.”

Image source can be found here.

“Beauty.” One of the comments was a prayer for this young student: “Oh God, please protect this little one, and make her difficult journey an easy one.”

Image source can be found here.

“He is a legacy of this makeshift school. His father, uncle and aunt are all alums.”

Image source can be found here.

“He works by chopping timber all day and then studying with Master Ayub and also teaching the kids younger than him.

‘It’s so much better than sitting at home and wasting my time.’

He has almost cleared his Metric exams and dreams of joining the army one day.

Here is praying his dreams come true!”

Image source can be found here.

“She did not know what she wanted to be when she grew up, so when I lightly suggested ‘hawai jahaz ka pilot’ [airplane pilot] she got that sparkle in her eyes and that smile on her face.”

Image source can be found here.

“He was that kid; the one who punctured the teachers cycle, threw rocks at cars, ran away from classes, abused the system and rebelled against studying. Master Ayub did not give up on him and today, he is his brightest and most punctual star student of his.

Sometimes, we just need someone to believe and not give up on us.”

Image source can be found here.

“All day he washes dishes at a restaurant and then comes to study with Master Ayub. He also volunteered to be trained to teach students the subjects he has passed.

Future is looking bright for Pakistan.”

Image source can be found here.

“Driving by, I noticed a large group of kids sitting in perfect rows and columns with text books in front of them in the open air today. Curiosity made me walk into the scene and meet an amazing human being.

Master Ayub;
28 years ago this man decided to voluntarily teach kids for free in his spare time daily after the children (mostly from low-come marginalized families) returned home from their day jobs. Many of the fathers of the children he teaches today have been his students.

‘I’m training some of the older kids to take over- after all, I won’t live forever.’

The kids are so attached to him that when he mentioned that they need to continue studying and teaching others even after he has gone they went and dug a final resting place for him right next to where they sit to study, insisting that even if he dies, he must always stay close by and continue to inspire them.”

Image source can be found here.