By Sheikh Husein ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh – 12 Rabiul Thani 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Husein ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, “Important Counsels to the Ummah’s Youth,” which he addressed to the youth of the Ummah, giving them advice, counselling, and guidance. He reminded them to show gratitude to Allah, Exalted be He, for the favours He has bestowed upon them, urging them to use such divine favours in matters that are pleasing to Him. He also highlighted the necessity of rallying behind Muslim scholars and seeking their guidance as to the issues that are vague to them, warning them against the paths of misguidance, innovations in religion, and destructive ideas. At the end of his Khutbah, he warned against shedding people’s inviolable blood and pointed out the dire consequences of such an act on society as a whole.

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask Him for forgiveness and guidance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. He whom Allah guides, none can misguide, and he whom Allah sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and I bear witness that our master and prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.

“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)

“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa’ (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” (An-Nisa’: 1)

“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise).” (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)

O Muslim Ummah!
The youth of the Ummah are the focus of attention, and all hopes are attached to them. They are the light of the present and the builders of the future, hence the Islamic teachings to take good care of them and to give them special care:
“O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) …” (At-Tahrim: 6)

The time during one’s youth is precious and invaluable. It is a period irreplaceable by any other period in one’s life. The successful people in this life are those who take advantage of their youth by showing obedience to Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, devoting it to worshipping their Lord and drawing closer to Him, Exalted be He, and constantly engaging in fighting against evil whims and desires, their lower self, and Satan. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take advantage of five [states] before [you get into] five [others].” Among these he mentioned, “Your youth before your old age …” (Reported by Ahmad and other hadith compilers).

O youth of Islam!
Take advantage of this great period in your lives by showing obedience to Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, and acting on the Lord’s commands and the guidance of the Prophet, so that you will attain the best outcome in this world and the greatest achievement with the Most Generous Lord in the hereafter.

Listen to this great hadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said, “There are seven types of people whom Allah will shade under His Shade on the day when there is no shade but His.” Among these he mentioned, “A young man who grew up worshipping Allah …” (Reported by al-Bukhari).

Fellow Muslims!
The greatest favour a person can possibly obtain is Allah’s guidance for him to take advantage of his youth by showing obedience to his Lord, hastening to attain His good pleasure, and avoiding everything He has prohibited, knowing for certain that a Muslim will be questioned on the Day of Judgement about this favour and blessing. At-Tirmidhi reported that Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The feet of a son of Adam shall not move [from before his Lord] on the Day of Judgement until he is asked about four things: about his life, what he spent it on; about his youth, what he wore it out in; about his wealth, how he earned it and what spent it on; and about his knowledge, what he did with it.”

Brothers in Islam!
The improvement of the Ummah’s condition lies in the righteousness of its youth. It will not attain happiness, glory, honour, and prominence unless its youth follow in the footsteps of the Muslims in the first period of Islam, in terms of religious righteousness, commitment to developing the world, and diligence in every productive endeavour and righteous deed.

Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
There were seventy young men from among al-Ansar, called al-Qurra’ (reciters), who used to remain in the mosque. When evening approached, they used to retreat to a corner in al-Madinah, where they spent the time learning and praying. Their families would think they were in the mosque, and the people at the mosque would think they were with their families. At the crack of dawn, they would fetch fresh water and gather firewood which they presented at the rooms of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. (Reported by Ahmad)

It is with such young people and their likes, whom Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, raised to the teachings of the Revelation, that the earth was illuminated and that a civilisation unparalleled in human history flourished.

O Youth of Islam!
You urgently need to beware of whatever may cause you and your Ummah and societies to slip into the pitfalls of evil whims and desires and follow the steps of Satan, which can eventually lead to far-reaching evils and dire harm. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:
“O you who believe! Take your precautions …” (An-Nisa’: 71)

The Muslim youth today should be as sagacious and insightful as their predecessors used to be. They should not respond to anything that does not help achieve the goals of Islam or raise the banner of the truth.

The enemies of Islam, O young people, leave no stone unturned in their attempt to subject you to perils, lead you to the paths of error, and distance you from the lofty values of Islam and its principles of tolerance and ease, which aim to set you on the way to justness and moderation and help you bring benefits to yourselves and to your Ummah, as well as your countries and societies. It is for this reason that the enemies have resorted to all deceitful and cunning ways and means to corrupt the Muslim youth. In fact, the defeat that Andalusia suffered came only as a result of invading the Muslim youth and undermining their beliefs and ideas.

O Muslim youth!
Do not afford the enemies of Islam the opportunity to achieve their wicked aims. To this end, carry the torch of faith and correct beliefs in all honesty and sincerity and equip yourselves with beneficial knowledge and good deeds, with which your minds will be illuminated, your insight will be refined, your ideas will be guided to the truth, and your views will be set right. Only then will you be good reform tools, safe from the dangers posed by evil-doers, the jeopardies posed by severe trials, and the surging of adversities. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, 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) …” (Al-Kahf: 13-14)

Brothers in Islam!
The Muslim youth today are tossed about by the waves of trials, including deviant ideas, misguided trends, surging lusts, and an incessant cultural invasion, so much so that some of them carry such destructive tools with them in their own mobile phones. Therefore, they are in dire need to rally behind the Ummah’s scholars who are known for their deep knowledge, piety, devoutness, uprightness, insight, and steadfastness. They need to refer to them, especially regarding important issues whose misunderstanding has led to serious consequences throughout the history of the Muslim Ummah, such as the issue of takfir (declaring other Muslims disbelievers), the issue of loyalty to the believers and disavowal of the polytheists (or al-wala’ wa al-bara’), and the matters related to them, such as disapproval of the Muslim ruler’s actions, pledging allegiance, and other serious issues. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says: “… So ask of those who know, if you know not.” (An-Nahl: 43)

The scholars of Islam are responsible for such trust. Indeed, both scholars and callers to Islam should address these issues efficiently and solve problems moderately. They should be careful not to hasten to issue fatwas (legal opinions) and must do so only after a thorough understanding and deep knowledge, taking into account the anticipated consequences. Indeed, many rushed fatwas and propositions have caused the Ummah countless forms of misguidance, sending thereby many people astray.

O youth of the Ummah! O youth of the Qur’an!
Having deep emotional attachment to this religion is a praiseworthy trait in this life and in the hereafter. However, this should be done on condition that your emotions are governed by sound knowledge of the Revelation and of the Prophet’s guidance; otherwise, the matter will be similar to that of someone who intends to treat a common cold and ends up causing leprosy. These uncontrolled emotions will then cause Islam and the Muslim Ummah with all its societies countless afflictions and endless sorrows. We ask Allah for safety for the Muslim Ummah from this fate.

Fellow Muslims!
As we are in the beginning of a new semester, we would like to remind the honourable teachers that they are the guards of virtue and the builders of minds. They should fear Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, regarding the rising generations of Muslims, instil in them the authentic Islamic principles and good manners, and warn them against the perilous pitfalls and the crooked paths that neither serve the religion nor help them in their worldly matters. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards.”

O youth!
Give thanks to Allah for His numerous blessings. You and your families live happily and enjoy security and safety. Therefore, be the best of those who defend the land of the Two Holy Mosques and protect its values. Our Lord, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:
“… Help one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety) but do not help one another in sin and transgression …” (Al-Ma’idah: 2)

O youth!
Be keen to maintain unity and be in agreement. Tread the path of reform and goodness, and beware of abandoning the main body of the Muslims and straying away from society, for the Hand of Allah is with the main body of Muslims.

O Muslims!
Satan is the enemy of man. He adorns for him shameful deeds and all the paths leading to error and misguidance, and uses all types of traps, tricks, and schemes in order to keep him away from the truth and divert him from the straight path. Allah says:

“Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.” (Fatir: 6)

Satan’s enmity to the young is all the more intense, as he tempts them to follow falsehood and the way that leads to the blazing Fire. Therefore, O Muslim youth, know his tricks and traps and beware of his schemes and evils. Allah says:

“O Children of Adam! Let not Shaitan (Satan) deceive you, as he got your parents (Adam and Hawwa’ (Eve)) out of Paradise …” (Al-A‘raf: 27)

Satan approaches the religiously committed youth and tries to lead them to excesses, extremism, and deviation from true guidance and the right path. If this does not work, he will try to seduce them by adorning corruption to them, and will seek to distract them by false hopes and by their youthfulness until they fall in deadly sins, immorality, and acts of disobedience. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Some of the righteous predecessors said, ‘When Allah commands us to do something, Satan takes two ways regarding it – the way of abandonment and negligence, or the way of extremism and excesses, and he does not care in which way he achieves success.’”

The useful remedy and effective cure for the danger of Satan and his temptation lies in occupying oneself with beneficial knowledge and good deeds in religious and worldly matters, frequently reciting the Book of Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, reflecting on it, remembering Allah much, and seeking Allah’s refuge from the accursed Devil. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, said to Satan: “Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves, except those who follow you of the Ghawun (Mushrikun and those who go astray, criminals, polytheists, and evil-doers).” (Al-Hijr: 42)

O Muslim youth!
Youth has its vigour and strength. Therefore, O young people, be kind-hearted, clement, well-mannered, and representative of the mercy and virtues of Islam.

“And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)) been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you …” (Al ‘Imran: 159)

Adhere to the virtue of mercy even in the worst situations and the gravest crises and always be among the kind-hearted people. Keep away from stone-heartedness and harshness and shun the routes of violence, cruelty, immorality, and obscenity. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Mercy is not removed (from anyone) except from a wretched person” (Reported by at-Tirmidhi, who said, “It is a good (hasan) hadith”).

Follow the high values and role-models of Islam, and you will be living in your community with all good morals, characterized by mercy in its most sublime meaning. Hold on to the virtues of grace and benevolence and stick to the loftiest values and most virtuous attributes. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Among the best of you are those with the best manners” (Agreed upon). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “The heaviest thing to be placed in the balance of a believing servant on the Day of Judgement will be good manners” (Reported by at-Tirmidhi, who classified it as hasan sahih (good and authenticated)). Moreover, Abu-Dawud reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “By his good manners, a believer will attain the degree of one who fasts during the day and prays during the night.”

O young man!
Devote yourself to the benefit of all servants of Allah. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most beloved ones to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people” (Reported by at-Tabarani with a good chain of transmission). Beware, O young man, of harming your society, relatives, and neighbours. Prevent your limbs and senses from harming others; this is one of the greatest acts of virtue and righteousness. Jundub ibn Junadah said, “I once said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What if I were unable to do any good deeds?’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Restrain yourself from doing evil to the people. That is your own charity for yourself’” (Reported by Muslim).

I have said this, and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.