Youth in Islam

The book of Allah SWT is a book of guidance. It is not merely a book for someone for a particular stage in their life but in actual fact, lessons and guidance for anyone at any stage of their lives.

Today’s topic is on Youth and there are numerous lessons to be derived from the book of Allah SWT. One of the main lessons can be derived from the Sura we all endeavour to read on Fridays and from that sura the imam mentioned ayat 13 which is translated to say:

We relate to you ˹O Prophet˺ their story in truth. They were youths who truly believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

Dear brothers, there are many lessons to be taken from just this ayat alone but we will try and outline some in today’s reminder. Alongside this ayat, the imam also mentioned of a hadith of the Prophet SAWS in which he said:

There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but he says: ‘I fear Allah’, a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.

Dear brothers, from this we hear of the youth who grew up in the worship of Allah SWT being one of these chosen seven. We pray that we fall into the shade on the Day insh’Allah but for today’s reminder, how to we encourage our youth in a time when it is increasingly difficult.

This reminder concludes with 3 points to ponder and reflect so that we may be able to benefit practically from todays reminder.

1. Do not apply the experiences of yourself growing up to the youth of today. Dear brothers, you need to adapt your lessons, teaching methods and relationship to the time and place you are raising your children. We are not in Kurdistan or Pakistan, nor are we in a time where it was easy to make distinction between the practices of Muslims and non-Muslims. We are living in a time and place where the lines between right and wrong are blurred even for us so imagine how confusing it is to the youth. Therefore take this into account when raising them.
2. The youth are very good at recognizing hypocrisy -even if they don’t call you out on it. What this means, dear brothers is, you need to practice what you preach. The madrassahs may be closed but are you spending time with them daily listening to them recite Quran? Are you spending time with them daily giving commentary on Quran? You don’t need to be a scholar to do this. The internet has resources on this in abundance, spend time as a family watching a commentary on a Sura and discuss as a family. Remember, the best lessons for them will come from seeing their elders do the same.
3. Encourage love for their deen first. Encourage love for Allah SWT first. Encourage love for the Prophet SAWS first. The time to talk about what is allowed and what is not is a discussion which comes after the love for their faith is instilled into their hearts. Use the lessons of the Quran to illustrate the love Allah SWT has for us. Use the lessons from the life of the Prophet SAWS to illustrate the love he had for us. It will make them want to be better Muslims, not because it’s something they should do, but actually from wanting to reciprocate that love back to Allah SWT.

Dear brothers, this past year has rendered the world on a pause. For many it’s a testing time, but we can also make it a time of blessing in which we connect with our youth and have them connect with their religion. Let’s use some of todays reminder in helping us achieve that.