As young Muhammad Ali began to grow, so too did his curiosity about the world around him. The dusty streets of Karachi became his first classroom. Though formal education had only just begun to take root in colonial India, Poonja Jinnah was determined to give his son every opportunity. He enrolled the boy in Sindh Madressatul Islam School, an institution known for its emphasis on modern education alongside Islamic values. The building was modest, yet the ambition within its walls echoed loud.
From the beginning, Muhammad Ali was not an ordinary student. He wasn't particularly playful or mischievous like many boys his age. Instead, he observed more than he spoke, and questioned more than he accepted. His teachers would later recall a boy with an upright posture, neat appearance, and sharp gaze — qualities that marked him as different. He was intensely focused when it came to lessons, particularly interested in subjects like history, literature, and languages. Though he wasn't yet fluent, the English language intrigued him, and he took to learning it with notable enthusiasm.
Yet life in Karachi wasn't easy. The city was changing rapidly under British rule. There was wealth, but it wasn't evenly spread. Colonial officials walked in white suits under the same sun where barefoot traders toiled. Young Muhammad Ali began to notice these disparities. His father, often frustrated by trade imbalances and British favoritism in business, would mutter about injustice at the dinner table. Though still a child, Muhammad Ali listened.
At home, discipline was balanced with affection. Mithibai, his mother, made sure he never missed prayers or meals, and gently encouraged him to be honest and firm in character. She often reminded him, "Truth and dignity are a man's true strength." These words, though simple, rooted themselves deeply within him.
In these formative years, Muhammad Ali wasn't just becoming a student of books — he was slowly becoming a student of people, of systems, and of fairness. The quiet boy who once sat still at the edge of the classroom was beginning to look at the world with eyes of responsibility.