The most fundamental duty and responsibility incumbent upon the youth is to make the most of their time rather than allowing it to slip away aimlessly. Instead, they should advance their lives through careful planning. A group of youth once asked a scholar to guide them in solving their problems. The scholar replied, “Can you stop the sun; if you stop, I will stop with you. Otherwise, my time will be wasted.”
In the words of Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him: “Time and the power of time are like a sword; if you do not cut it into pieces, it will cut you and leave you unprepared.” This means that if you do not utilize the moments of your life wisely, time will eventually take its toll, impacting your life in ways that may benefit you or lead to your detriment.
It is crucial to apply our intellect, talent, and energy toward the service of religion and honest service to humanity. If you find yourself in a position where you can contribute to both religion and society, you should feel a deep sense of gratitude. It is unfortunate if a young person becomes involved with a band of thieves and revelers or spends their life in coffee shops and gambling houses.
Hazrat Ubaidullah bin Hasan said: «لأن أكون ذنبا فی حق أحب إلی من أن أكون رأسا فی باطل» “If I am an ordinary person and a servant on the right path, it is better than being a master on the wrong path.”
Imam Ibn Qayyim Jozi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “When my master Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, was being taken to prison, he said: “Do you know who is the real prisoner? He is the one who does not have a place in his heart for Allah Almighty, and the real captive is the one who has taken by carnal desires”.
Youth are sometimes so trapped by carnal desires that they even protest against Sharia. Allamah Iqbal, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“Man in the world knows little about good and evil”.
“No one knows what is ugly and what is good, where is smooth and rough road”.
“Sharia arises from the depths of life, bright from its light the darkness of the universe”.
Youth at the forefront of Islam
When Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was sent as a prophet, he chose people to convey the divine messages so that through them he could convey the call of Islam to Allah’s servants. Most of these people were faithful, liable, mujahid and brave young people who became role models for today’s youth.
The first young forefront of Islam, the conqueror of Khaibar, the fourth caliph, the bridegroom and possessing outstanding qualities of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was Hazrat Ali Mortaza, may Allah be pleased with him. Two other persons, one was Hazrat Saad bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, and the other was Hazrat Zubair bin Awam, may Allah be pleased with him.
Among human schools and philosophies, there is no school that has given value to young and provided the means for their growth as much as Islam. Despite what is proposed in today’s world to brainwash the youth, dear Islam cares about awakening, building and guiding the brains.
Islam is of the opinion that the worst type of poverty is the poverty caused by the aimlessness of the youth, for which a solution should be thought and more attention should be paid to this group than any other group.
The arrival of Islam, with its spirit-giving rules and teachings, awakened the young generation from a deep and neglectful sleep in such a way that under the shadow of this awakening, the young enjoyed a new life and his participation was paved in all political, social, economic and cultural fields. The middle-aged and old fought against the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in spreading the idea of monotheism and simply did not accept the way of Islam with the stupid and deep-rooted method of idolatry, but the young agreed with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and showed their loyalty to Islam and guarding their honor, and they were made worthy of it.
