By Khadijat Abdulrasheed
A short play on Peer Pressure, Courage, Confidence, and Modesty.
CHARACTERS:
1. Amina: Hijabi girl, shy but spiritually strong. Calm and polite.
2. Toke: Trendy, confident girl who loves teasing others. Loud and playful.
3. Zee: A follower. Often supports Toke but watches and thinks deeply.
4. Teacher Fatima: A teacher who is Kind, firm, and respected.
SCENE 1: School Corridor (After Break)
[The school bell rings. Students return from break. Some are laughing, others are walking in groups. Amina walks in quietly, her hijab well-arranged. Toke and Zee stroll in together, looking fashionable.]
TOKE
(laughing loudly)
Ha! See our aunty again. Amina, the hijab ambassador! You no dey ever gree show small swag?
ZEE
Her own swag na hijab and long skirt. Babe, this is 2025 o, not 1925!
TOKE
(pretending to whisper)
Na only God go help her. Fashion don pass her by.
AMINA
At least I cover myself the way Allah wants. That’s my absolute confidence.
TOKE
Confidence ke? You dey hide beauty under a scarf. If I get your fine face, I go use am blow on IG! You go just dey hear likes everywhere.
AMINA
But if beauty is only for likes… what happens when you lose followers?
ZEE
She get point o.
TOKE
Abeg joor. I no get time for all this hijabi wisdom. Let’s go jare.
[Toke and Zee walk off. Amina walks the other way with a peaceful look.]
SCENE 2: Classroom, Next Day
[Students are chatting. Teacher Fatima walks in. The class becomes quiet.]
TEACHER FATIMA
Good morning, class.
STUDENTS
Good morning, ma.
TEACHER FATIMA
Today, I want to talk to you about something important, which is Dignity in Modesty.
(She pauses)
Modesty is not weakness. It’s not for the old. It’s not backwardness.
It is honour and it is strength. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said Modesty is part of faith.
Even when people laugh at you… be like Maryam (AS). She was mocked, but she remained pure and firm.
We dress modestly, not because we are ashamed of our beauty but because we are grateful for it.
[Amina listens with a soft smile. Toke shifts uncomfortably. Zee watches them both.]
SCENE 3: Corridor After Class
[The students come out. Amina is by her locker. Toke hesitates, then walks up to her.]
TOKE
Uhm… Amina.
AMINA
(looks up, smiling)
Yes?
TOKE
About yesterday… I was just catching cruise, but… You really dey try sha.
AMINA
It’s not me. It is Allah who gives strength.
TOKE
(chuckles)
I wish I could get your kind courage. Me, I dey fear people’s opinion die.
AMINA
You can ask Allah for strength, too. He listens.
ZEE
Maybe courage is not about talking loudly. It may be about standing firm.
[They all walk off slowly. Peaceful music fades in.]
SCENE 4: Two Weeks Later, School Debate Competition
[The school is holding a debate. Topic: “True Confidence From Appearance or Inner Values?” Amina and Toke are in the same group. The hall is packed. Teacher Fatima is in the audience.]
TOKE
(nervously looking at Amina)
I have never joined anything like this before.
AMINA
You will do well. Just speak the truth from your heart.
[Toke steps up, clearing her throat. She speaks slowly.]
TOKE
Before, I thought confidence was how you walk, dress, and trend online.
But I met someone who never followed the crowd… yet she stands taller than all of us. She wears her scarf with pride… and doesn’t need to shout to be heard.
That kind of confidence…
Comes from knowing who you are, not who people want you to be.
[The audience claps. Amina looks down shyly. Zee claps too, smiling proudly.]
SCENE 5: Corridor, After School
[Toke, Amina, and Zee walk together. Toke now wears a scarf, not a full hijab, but modest.]
ZEE
Wonders shall never end. Our slay queen don join hijab squad.
TOKE
(laughs)
But honestly, I feel freer and more comfortable.
AMINA
That’s because obedience to Allah removes the burden of impressing people.
ZEE
And between peer pressure and modesty… I think we know who really won.
TOKE
Modesty won because it gave me peace. Not pressure.
[Teacher Fatima walks by slowly and overhears. She stops and smiles.]
TEACHER FATIMA
When a heart chooses Allah over people, that heart has already won.
(she looks at them all)
May Allah keep your steps firm. Always.
ALL THREE GIRLS
Ameen.
[They walk off together, smiling. This time, not as different girls, but as sisters.]
✨ THE END
MORAL MESSAGE:
Modesty is not a cage. It is not something that locks you away or hides your beauty in shame. It is an honour, a beautiful shield that protects your dignity, your heart and your purpose. It is a quiet strength that says, I know my worth and I choose to honour it the way my Creator wants. True confidence is not found in the approval of the crowd, not in likes, not in views, and not in trends. Crowds change, opinions shift, but Allah’s pleasure never changes. When He is pleased with you, that is the highest success. Peer pressure is loud, it laughs, it whispers, and it tries to make you feel small for not joining the crowd. But modesty doesn’t need to shout. It walks calmly through the noise, stands firm, and in the end… it lasts longer.