By Sheikh Abdul-Bari ibn Awadh al-Thubaiti – 15 Jumada Al-Ulaa 1436

His Eminence Sheikh Abdul-Bari ibn Awadh al-Thubaiti, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “The Youth: Our Hope for the Future”, in which he talked about the youth and the importance of giving them a good upbringing, highlighting the excellence of the youth and the great impact they can exercise on themselves, their society, and the Muslim Ummah at large if their abilities are put to optimum use. He instructed parents to pay attention to their children and give them a good upbringing and also guided the youth to release their energy by engaging in lawful activities that can bring benefit to them and to the Muslim Ummah.

Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, my Lord; there is no god but Him. In Him I trust, and to Him I return in repentance. I praise Him, Glorified be He, and I thank Him for the blessings of good health and youth. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners. There is none to put back His judgement and He is Swift at reckoning. I also bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, who warned against insults and immoral acts. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and his Companions, who were endowed with discernment and understanding.

Now then, I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“O You who Believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allah)].” (Al ‘Imran: 102)

Youth is the age of vitality, giving, and enjoying the pleasure of worship. History has recorded the memorable acts of a number of young men who knew their Lord and adhered to their religion, and so the Qur’an has immortalized them in its verses. Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, says about Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him: “They said: “We heard a young man talking against them, who is called Ibrahim (Abraham).” (Al-Anbiya’: 60)

He also says about the Companions of the Cave: “… Truly! They were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance. And We made their hearts firm and strong (with the light of Faith in Allah and bestowed upon them patience to bear the separation of their kith and kin and dwellings) when they stood up and said: “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any ilah (god) other than Him; if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity in disbelief.” (Al-Kahf: 13-14)

The youth are the hope for the future and they occupy a high position in Islam. Among the seven types of people who will be shaded by Allah under His Shade on the day when there is no shade but His are “young men who grew up worshipping Allah,” as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said. The youth exercise enormous influence on society. They are the symbol of determination, strength, action, and enthusiasm. These qualities require the youth to lead their lives in a prudent way that helps them control themselves, prevents them from giving free rein to their whims and desires, guides them to good and success, sets ambitious goals for them, helps them ascend the ladder of glory, and creates for them an important role to play and a great mission to carry out in this life. If the goal in a young man’s life dwindles, his life will become futile and his interests will be trivial: “And this life of the world is only amusement and play! Verily, the home of the Hereafter – that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end), if they but knew.” (Al-‘Ankabut: 64)

Time is the most valuable asset in the life of a young man. It is in his youth that he starts to build his hopes and seek to achieve his goals by acquiring beneficial knowledge, doing righteous deeds, performing acts of worship, showing obedience to Allah, and gaining useful learning. It is in his youth that he can engage in fruitful, productive projects, take up a job that improves his conduct and elevates his life, follow an occupation that develops his skills, and pursue a career that helps him build his future. If a young man’s time is void of higher goals, reckless ideas will creep into his mind and he will be preoccupied with trivialities and vile matters. This will lead him to deviate from the right course, for idleness is a fertile soil for growing the seeds of falsehood and misguidance.

Imam ash-Shafi‘i, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “If you do not preoccupy yourself with the truth, your lower self will preoccupy you with falsehood.” It is dangerous for the youth to waste their time in browsing social networking websites, which are detrimental to their religious beliefs and which adversely affect their behaviour, corrupt their morals, weaken family ties, and lead to social isolation. The consequences of that are obvious and cannot be mistaken.

The youth are facing evil schemes planned by the enemies of Islam, who, through arousing young people’s unlawful desires and luring them into the pleasures of the flesh, aim to obliterate their identity, waste their future, destroy their strength, throw them into the abyss of confusion and loss, and distract them from their higher goals and from the vital causes of their society and Ummah. Their only salvation lies in educating themselves with the Qur’an, nourishing their hearts with faith, treading the path of the righteous, and fulfilling their desires through lawful means which bring them happiness and dignity.

Marriage is an innate need for the youth and it provides them with psychological comfort and moral immunity. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever among you can afford the expenses of marriage should get married; for marriage is more likely to make you lower your gaze and guard your chastity. And whoever cannot afford it should fast, for fasting is a shield for him [against immoral practices].”

Delaying marriage when one can afford it has its moral, psychological, and social detriments. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If one whose religion and moral character please you proposes [to your daughter or female relative under your care], you should marry her to him. If you do not do so, there will be great mischief and corruption on earth.”

The youth need to strike a balance between reason and emotions in their lives; indeed, the stage of youth is fuelled by surging feelings and emotions which may affect a young person’s future if they are not guided by the light of the Qur’an and controlled by reason. Surging emotions that lack guidance may lead to extravagance, negligence, deviation, or excess. The need for love among the youth may be fulfilled through emotional saturation within the family and through surrounding them with warm feelings and protection, while at the same time teaching them to observe chastity, lower their gaze, and be shy of Allah, Exalted be He, Who is All-Aware of what we do.

Jareer ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about the unintentional casual look (at women), and he ordered me to look away.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “O Ali! Do not follow up one look [at a woman] with another, because while you are not to blame for the first, you have no right to the second.” In order to build a strong personality, young people ought to maintain communication with their families, for the family is their fortress and refuge and the soil that provides psychological stability, tranquillity, reassurance, and peace of mind. Indeed, the family is the source of advice, guidance, spiritual nourishment, and personal enhancement. The absence or marginalisation of the role of the family, coupled with a weak child-parent relationship, is bound to leave the youth at the mercy of unknown destructive forces and subject them to deviant currents which will contaminate their minds and cast them into deep abysses of evil. Counselling and guidance play a major role in the lives of young people, as this serves to nourish their souls and fill their hearts with joy. In fact, the Qur’an stresses the importance of guidance in building young people’s personality and guaranteeing their right conduct in this life. This is clear in Luqman’s advice to his son:

“And (remember) when Luqman said to his son when he was advising him: “O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily! Joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.” (Luqman: 13)

He also said: “O my Son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Acquainted (with its place). O my son! Aqim-is-Salat (perform As-Salat), enjoin (on people) Al- Ma‘ruf – (Islamic Monotheism and all that is good), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief in the Oneness of Allah, polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befalls you. Verily, these are some of the important commandments (ordered by Allah with no exemption).” (Luqman: 16-17)

A young man who works and searches high and low for means of livelihood raises his self-esteem and earns his family respect and dignity. This is the best of all earnings. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was once asked, “What is the best of earnings?” He replied, “Those made by the work of a man’s hands or by a lawful sale.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, even considered it better for a man to collect and sell firewood than to beg from people, who may choose to give him something or not to give him anything at all.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I would see a young man and like him, but when I learn that he does not work, I am no longer impressed by him.” He also said, “None of you should stay without seeking a means of living, saying, ‘O Allah! Grant me provisions’. For you know well that it never rains gold or silver.” An ambitious young man abandons idleness and accepts employment of any kind, without belittling any particular job or kind of work. All segments of society are required to work for increasing employment opportunities and means of earning a living to make the youth benefit themselves, their society, and the Muslim Ummah at large.

The youth should be proud of their religion wherever they may be, whether they are abroad or at home. They should pride themselves on their identity and feel honoured to be Muslims. They should not feel ashamed to show their beliefs and should get rid of any sense of inferiority and abandon blindly imitating and following others. Allah, Exalted be He, says: “… But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him), and to the believers …” (Al-Munafiqun: 8)

A praiseworthy trait in a young man’s personality is placidity, which testifies to his good judgement and discernment. Conversely, rough treatment, agitated behaviour, and rash revenge are serious phenomena that stem from the evil whispers and suggestions of Satan. Their consequences threaten the youth and squander their energy, and may even have a detrimental effect on the whole society.

At this stage of enthusiasm and vigour, a young man needs to draw lessons from the vicissitudes of life, the changes of time, and the passing of days. He should take advantage of his youth before he gets old and of his good health before he is overcome with illness or disability. He should not be deceived by his current condition, since youth is followed by old age, strength is ultimately replaced by weakness, and health is always threatened by sickness. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful (i.e. Able to do all things).” (Ar-Rum: 54)

May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah, the Most Great, for myself and for you. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft- Forgiving, the Most Merciful.