Standing Up to Bandits

Is speaking the truth difficult?

Mostly, it is.

Truth takes courage.

But this courage can lead you to victory – and not just in the battlefield.

“Whenever you speak, speak the truth.”

As an eighteen-year-old boy set out for Baghdad to seek knowledge, his mother bid him farewell with these parting words.

At that time, Baghdad was the hub of political, commercial and cultural activity, and the centre of world learning.

His pious mother, who was keen for her son to pursue higher scholarship, prepared supplies for his journey. For this purpose, she had saved forty gold coins which were cleverly sewn into the inner lining of a coat for safekeeping.

However, the most precious gift from his mother was not the coins but these pearls of wisdom that made him a hero at the age of eighteen.

“Whenever you speak, speak the truth. Remember that Prophet Muhammad (sa) said: Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise… and the Quran tells us: O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to God, and be with the truthful.” (Tawbah 9:119)

This is an excerpt from the print issue. Subscribe to the magazine or buy this print issue here.