Understanding the Muslim Youth

by AbuSharmin

The youth of today are excellent in their secular knowledge. They have achieved much in terms of education, sports and socializing. They think broadly and have found new platforms of interaction such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. All these platforms emerged in the last 5 years or so. Inadvertently, these interactions have exposed our Muslim youth to globalization esp. westernization.

Instead of applying western methods to promote Islamic concepts, the youth of today have taken western concepts and methods per se. Take for example, the applications in mobile phones. Very few download Quran apps like uQuran that would help them recite Quran on the bus or in the comfort of their rooms. They do not use Google maps to identify the nearest masjid for congregational prayers. They do not say Assalamualaikum in their SMS messages. Very few use the YouTube to listen to Islamic lectures. Youth are wasting their young years in idle chats, attempts to meet and impress the opposite sex, fashionable clothes that expose their awrah and finding comfort in things that make them look 'cool' in the eyes of their peers.

It is our duty and responsibility to educate the youth in Islamic moral behaviour. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) placed utmost importance in educating the youth. In an article on youth education, Dr Seyfullah Kara points out 4 methods Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) used in the education of the youth.

1. Addressing the emotions of the young people

2. Avoiding embarrassing young people

3. Being tolerant and gentle towards young people

4. Attracting their attention by asking questions

We hardly take note of the emotions of the youth. We usually take a disciplinarian role in the education of the youth. We fail to understand why they are behaving in such manner. How many of us have sat with youth and listened to them? Most of the time, we are only interested in telling them what to do and even how and when to do. We hardly ask what they would like to do or how they would like to proceed..

There have been cases of elders admonishing youth with tattoos when they come to the masjid for prayers. Result? Such youth have stopped coming to masjids. In worst case scenarios, they have converted to other religions which are willing to accept them. Have we not heard of a Hadith where the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) accepted a man into the folds of Islam even when he conditioned that he will not stop drinking alcohol or womanizing? By listening to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) words and advice, that man became a good Muslim in time. Have you ever heard of the Prophet (peace be upon him) using rude or harsh words when educating or correcting someone? Where is that patience in us today? We say we are emulating the Prophet (peace be upon him) as best as we can but we lack patience.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was gentle-mannered and he remained calm even in situations that made him angry. He (peace be upon him) did not rebuke or scold when educating the young. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for 10 years. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for 10 years. He never once sighed in exasperation about me. He never scolded me for an action, saying "Why did you do this?" Morally, he was the most perfect of humans." (Al Tirmidhi)

See how tolerant and gentle the Prophet (peace be upon him) was. We, on the other hand, are quick to judge and admonish the behaviour of our young Muslims.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) attracted the attention of youth by asking questions. For example, when teaching Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) what to say when in difficulty the Prophet (peace be upon him) first asked him "O Ali! Shall I tell you what to say when you are in a difficult situation?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) then told him: "Say ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, wala Hawla wala Quwatta Illa Billahi'l-Al'yyi'l-Azim' and this will prevent all troubles that might come to you."

In another example, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Do you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of Allah? Those who when given what is right accept it, when asked for something give freely and who judge in favour of others as they do for themselves." (Al-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Shall I tell you who are the best among you? The best of you are those who when seen are a means of Allah being brought to mind." (Al-Tirmidhi)

See how gentle the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in giving advice. How do we give advice? "Hey don't do that." "Why in the world are you doing this?" "Are you insane? What are you doing?" In worst case scenarios, "Hey Shaitan, why are you like this?" Are we emulating the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the education of our youth? Can we blame globalization or westernization as the sole cause of our youth's waywardness?

Our Muslim youth are looking for a listening ear, proper guidance and answers. As a first step in engaging the youth, are we prepared to listen to them?

Source: AbuSharmin (http://abusharmin.blogspot.com)