الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
It definitely goes without saying that the Muslim youth of today will be the leaders of the Ummah tomorrow. This is a role for which they have to be formally groomed by their families, educational institutes, and the society at large. Today, the sad reality is that the youth are “lost” – they lack direction and they are in dire need of role models to emulate and leaders to follow. So, what can be done to improve the situation and channel the youth towards a positive future?
An Islamic Magazine called ‘Hiba’ recently interviewed a few Muslim brothers and sisters, who have worked with the youth in different fields. What I want to present to you is the feedback received from these experts who were interviewed. My talk is simultaneously directed to the elders of the community as well as the youth. After the talk, I would request you all, especially the youth present here, to give your views and suggestions on how to go about doing what we want to do–create a strong and dynamic youth group, here at AMDA, with each member of the group representing Islam. Here are some points for the parents, teachers, and elders on how to work with the youth in order to motivate them to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Respect the youth and nourish their confidence, self esteem and trust. Educate them about the culturally-rich history of Muslim leaders who were pioneers of the Islamic society. Tell them their success stories in the different fields of life. Broaden their vision and keep the global perspective of humanity in mind, while being loyal to their regional identities. We want to produce world leaders. The youth need good contemporary role models to emulate. Be one of them: a sound practicing Muslim and follower of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Be a leader at home and in the community.
Be a visionary and give them a vision. Be their friend and show them ways of achieving their goals. Provide positive feedback to motivate them instead of continuous criticism. Help them focus by removing time wasters that sap their energy. Our youth should be taught to find their special talents and to develop them. They should have more opportunities to channelize their energies. Authentic work experience and involvement in schools, colleges and family and community services will channelize their energies. There are several charitable and nonprofit organizations in our local Muslim community that need the energy and service our youth can provide such as Zaman International, Life for Relief and Development, MMCC, CAIR, Islamic Relief, and even our own Masajid. Positive involvement will help them unleash their potential and help them gain confidence to work towards their vision, and become true ambassadors of Islam.
It is clear from the Quran and the Sunnah that the ultimate success is that of the hereafter, and in this world, one’s aspirations should lie in seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT). As such, try to instill real faith in our youth, and love for Allah and His Messenger (SAW). This can be facilitated through having them keep the company of pious people. Help them get involved in local Muslim youth groups. They’ll be able to relate more to others of the same age and interests as them, and who respect the boundaries of Islam as they do. Attend religious talks and lectures with them. Find out who their favorite Muslim speakers are and make it a point to attend their talks, or ask them to share video lectures they found interesting and discuss the topic with them. Share thoughts on how one can aim to please Allah through one’s studies and work.
· Keep in view the life of the Prophet (SAW). According to the Quran, his role model is the best. Gift your child with a copy of a book of hadith or stories from the lives of the Prophet and his Companions.
· Convey the message that the Muslim heroes of yesterday are as relevant for us today as they were then: The Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and others of the golden Islamic age are not just paragraphs in books on Islamic history; rather they have been real people who led balanced lives in this world.
· Keep the communication lines open—instead of micromanaging the youth, have a trust relationship where they can come to you to discuss any problem. One way to make them feel more comfortable in sharing their thoughts with you is to share time and interests; whether it is through participating in activities together, such as playing sports or even a family board game, or traveling to new places together.
· Educate them not only in the traditional intellectual subjects, but also in emotional, mental, and social areas. Having a PhD or working for Google is well and good, but true education is upholding good character and embracing high moral values, as taught by our religion.
· A good Muslim is not just one who practices the forms of the religion, but who understands why he is doing so. It is imperative that Muslims raise children with refined character, spiritual nourishment, and Prophetic love.
· Trust them: Our youth is constantly kept under check via a strategy of do’s and don’ts till they rebel. We need to realize that after giving them a guideline on the do’s and don’ts that Allah (SWT) has laid down for us; we need to trust them to follow that guideline. Don’t unleash your anger on them, rather, guide them with sincere concern.
What are the some of the issues facing the youth of today?
The identity crisis is the main issue which has developed in our youth. Muslim youth are often caught between having to choose either engaging in what they may see as “normal youth behavior” and risk disapproval from their family and religious community, or acting in accordance with their family and community’s wishes and facing alienation, loneliness, and rejection by their peers due to their differences in lifestyle and beliefs. Many have lost confidence in being recognized as Muslims. They have to restore their confidence in asserting their Islamic entity. Several Masajid have taken the initiative of having a youth director who can relate well to, and advise Muslim youth on struggles they are facing, as they have grown within the same environment. We too, at AMDA, are working on having this support for youth available.
We need to educate the youth about the communication revolution and have one-to-one conversation with them as parents and teachers. Without guidance, technology becomes a giant monster where information is equated with knowledge and knowledge with wisdom. This communication revolution can revolutionize the fate of the Ummah if our adults and youth are educated to use it for acquisition of beneficial knowledge and for da’wah purposes.
In today’s secular environment, freedom of expression is an attempt to have freedom from religion. The youth are confused. Constant hammering of slogans of freedom to choose their lifestyle is redefining their conceptual framework.
Foremost, we need to teach our children to think. At school and at home, we must give them practice in developing their thinking skills, so that they grow to be reflective individuals, just as the Qur’an encourages.
We need to instill an awareness of their relationship with Allah (SWT) from an early age. They need to understand that Allah (SWT) loves us and He is Merciful, but He has also made us responsible for our own deeds and we will be held accountable for them.
They need to be cognizant of the fact that “worship” is not only the ritual worship such as Salah, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj. Along with my prayer and my fasting, I must be honest in my dealings with people. Too often, we pray, yet we cheat; we recite the Qur’an, yet we backbite; we give charity, yet we spread rumors without verification. Unfortunately, kids learn this dichotomy from adults.
We have to sponsor events that allow the youth to meet like-minded friends, interact with multi-generational society and provide Halal fun and entertainment so that they are pulled away from the Haram all around us.
Here are some points addressed to the youth:
Your friends are important, but do understand that just because they are ready to embrace you just the way you are, with no demands whatsoever doesn’t mean that it’s always a good thing. Having someone older, wiser and more experienced as a guide post, who can distill all those “brilliant” ideas and plans, is truly essential in this age. Ideally, this person should be a parent.
It’s cool to log into your Facebook account on your smart phones and have wires sticking out of your ears all the time, but too often, we are exchanging real, purposeful experiences for meaningless encounters. Find a healthy balance between staying connected with those who really matter, listening to content which is truly inspiring and having social experiences which really challenge you to learn to live with people despite the differences.
All issues are linked with bad companionship; be it media or society. One’s relationship with the Qur’an and its lessons should be stronger than the relationship with Facebook and its communities. Without guidance, the bombardment of technology leads to self-love and narcissism: an excessive fascination with oneself, the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or simple selfishness.
The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said: “Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free-time before your preoccupation, and your life before your death.”
One of the things that most people take for granted is their youth. When people are young, they are full of energy and are capable of doing so many things for the sake of Allah SWT, but often we see that this energy is wasted in one way or another. When people lose their youth, they inevitably find it harder to do those deeds and acts of worship that they found somewhat easier to do at a younger age. With old age, people find it hard to fast during Ramadan. They may not be able perform Wudhu properly or pray properly, and they may not have the energy to recite Qur’an very often. It is common to hear young people claim that they will start ‘practicing’ Islam when they get older. We should always be mindful of the fact that we do not know whether we will reach old age at all. We have no guarantee that we will even be alive tomorrow, let alone be alive to see our pensions, or our grandchildren. And even if we are blessed with a long life, how can we be sure that we have the health – physical and mental – to practice Islam? On top of all this, we should remember that people do not just magically become ‘good’ overnight; often, we find that bad habits are hard to shift – what if we can’t get rid of our bad habits when we get old?
To conclude, one can only hope that these problems are addressed and these solutions are implemented, in order to ensure that the youth turn out to be the bright future of our Ummah.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
