IMAGINE FLEEING YOUR home. You leave everything behind, your family, your friends, your livelihood, because your iman is under attack. You cross the seas, you walk into an unknown land, hoping only for safety and freedom to worship Allah.
This was the reality of the early Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia. They had escaped the persecution of the Quraysh, yet danger followed them even there.
The Quraysh sent envoys, skilled, cunning men, bribing ministers, spreading lies, and demanding that these refugees be handed back. Can you imagine the fear in the hearts of those Muslims? One word, one misstep, could have cost them their lives.
But when summoned by the king to speak their case, they did not falter. They did not bend the truth. They declared: “By Allah, we will say only what our Prophet ﷺ taught us, regardless of the consequences.”
Pause for a moment and think: Would we have that courage today? Could we speak truth even if it meant danger, even if it meant losing everything?
And so, they spoke. They chose the best amongst them, Ja’far bin Abi Talib, who spoke truthfully, courageously, wisely. Twice tested, twice under pressure, and twice their honesty shone so brightly that even the king was moved to protect them. The Quraysh left defeated. Their plots had failed, not because of power or wealth, but because the truth cannot be defeated.
This story is not just history; it is a mirror for us.
Today, the Muslim community faces increasing pressure in the West from politics, media, and public discourse, to dilute or downplay our Islamic values. To integrate or assimilate or to go back to where we came from. We are confronted with loaded questions that imply suspicion: “Answer incorrectly,” and we risk being labeled an extremist or outsider.
Some respond with silence, hoping the storm will pass. Others, out of fear or calculation of what may occur rather than what will occur, or desire for acceptance, begin to compromise their faith claiming that Allah’s guidance is outdated, or that Islam has no clear stance on certain liberal issues.
Pause and reflect: What is the cost of such compromise?
Allah ﷻ warns us:
فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِ
And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah or denies His signs.
(al-A’rāf 37)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever deliberately lies about me, let him take his seat in the Fire.” (Bukhari)
Truth is not negotiable. Integrity is not optional.
But steadfastness does not mean recklessness.
The Muslims of Abyssinia did not just speak truth, they spoke wisely. They balanced courage with tact, integrity with prudence. They knew their words mattered so they chose the who, the how and the what to speak with great care. The Qur’an instructs us:
ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَـٰدِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in the best manner.” (an-Naḥl 125)
Engage with wisdom and the best speech and arguments; this is our model. Words must be careful, truthful, and respectful and sometimes silence is best.
So how do we live this today?
Muslims do not need a new “fiqh” that reshapes Islam to suit the pressures of the day. But they do need:
- unity and brotherhood,
- deep īmān and clarity about their own principles,
- and the willingness to engage in the prophetic manner.
They must neither distort their deed nor present it recklessly. Instead, they can uphold the truth with grace, just as the early Muslims did in Abyssinia.
Allah promises:
وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًۭا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
And whoever fears Allāh – He will make for him a way out. and provide for them from sources they could never imagine. (at-Ṭalāq 2–3)
And the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah even if it angers people, Allah will suffice him regarding the people. And whoever seeks the pleasure of people by angering Allah, Allah will entrust him to the people.” (Tirmidhi)
Pause and reflect again: Will we seek the pleasure of Allah first, or will we chase the fleeting approval of people?
The lesson is clear
Stand firm in truth. Speak wisely. Trust Allah. Do not bend Islam to the pressures of the world. Live your faith fully, beautifully, courageously, just as the early Muslims in Abyssinia did.
Let their courage inspire us. Let their wisdom guide us. And let Allah be our protector in every test we face. Ameen.
Living For Islam 