Pearls of Islam Reminder Series

The Importance of Youth

By Zobia Gundkalli
According to our
scholars, the word "#$
(shabaab) in Arabic is
used to refer to a
youth or
youthfulness. Literally
translated, this is a
burning light; like a
re, an entity that is
alight and alive and a
glow that brings clarity
in darkness. However,
despite holding this key
role, there is a potential
for destruction or
damage if this re is left ignored and unattended,
or it can very easily even die out - it needs to be
nurtured with insight and care if it is to exist in the
best way, within its boundaries and by maintaining
its benecial purposes.
As such, Islam places much worth on the role of
the young person as a servant of God. Numerous
narrations support this and continually remind us to
use our age in the best way possible,
"Take advantage of ve matters before
ve other matters: your youth, before you
become old; and your health, before you
fall sick; and your richness, before you
become poor; and your free time before
you become busy; and your life, before
your death."
- [The Prophet Muhammed, Peace Be Upon Him]
Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave) details a well known
story of a group of young men who looked for
refuge from their people who worshipped gods
other than the one true God and eventually found
safety in a cave. The story is one example of a
group of young companions and their devotion to
the one true message and in this way is a
reection of the profound nature and stature of
youth in Islam. Of the seven people who will be
under the shade of God on the day of Judgement,
one is a young person who has used their time in
the service of God and truth.
...They were young men who believed in
their Lord, and We gave them more and
more guidance. We gave strength to their
hearts when they stood up and said, Our
Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth.
We shall never call upon any god other
than Him...
[Quran: The Cave:13-14]
With these things in mind, it is clear that being
young is a blessing and a favour from God which
has been entrusted upon us with the expectation
that it will be put to good use. And as such, as with
all blessings, there is responsibility in this role.
With such specic mention for young people in
both Quran and in Prophetic teachings, there is a
sense of empowerment and ownership that
belongs to all of us towards both religion and
humanity.
This duty for us as young people is over the
universal and complete message of Islam - it is to
bring benet to all humanity and to prevent harm. It
is to bring good to people, no matter who they are
or what beliefs they hold and this can happen
though any number of avenues - by enriching our
communities, building knowledge and exploring
what we do not yet know and to open our minds to
think broadly and creatively, past the constricted
ideologies of culture and societal norms for people
of our age.
Being young Muslims in our community is an
honour that we will be called to account for. It is up
to us to nd that spark within ourselves, to search
out our own individual intellectual callings to our
faith and to truly discover the energy within
ourselves to fundamentally do no other than give
good to the people we are surrounded by. Islam is
a religion of service, not only to God but to others
too. With all the other complexities of daily life
slowly catching up with us, there is no better time
to start considering our responsibilities than now.
THE PEARLS OF ISLAM
REMINDER SERIES
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Pearls of Islam Reminder Series
You Are Never Alone

By Aamir Shamsi

Times will come in the life of a
believer where we will be tested in
this world whether it is through a
"loss in goods or lives or the fruits
(of your toils)" [2:155] but we must
always remember that we are
never alone and that we should
and need to turn to Allah in these
times.

Trials and tribulations can not only
change the course of your life but
also make you feel very down and
lost. Nothing remains the same
and although an oxymoron, those
who have been in such a situation
like I have will understand when I
say life can be consumed by
emptiness. Although it is
important to understand the many
reasons why calamities befall us
and how to cope with them, we
must never forget that we will
always have the one that loves us
more than a mother loves her
child (Muslim) close by to bring
some solace to our hearts. In
order to bring about this comfort
we must make du'a, build a
connection with Allah and believe
that everything that happens is for
the best.

'XD

Du'a is the weapon of the believer
for it can change the fate of our
lives. And it is for this reason, as
well as the fact that it shows our
need for Allah, that it is highly
encouraged in Islam. So we
should ask our Lord to alleviate
our pain, to make things easier
and to grant us peace and
happiness with His decree, even
though in some situations it is
extremely difficult to accept what
has happened and to want to
move on from it, for it is only He
that has the power to make things
better.

Connect with Allah

As the creation of Allah, we are all
connected with our Lord through
our souls. He is our provider, our
sustainer and our support. But it is
our responsibility to nourish this
connection for "Verily in the
remembrance of Allah, do hearts
find rest" [13:29]. We can do so by
reciting Quran, reading our salat
with concentration and regular
dhikr. The stronger our connection
with Allah the greater the comfort
our hearts will receive for it is then
when we truly feel Allah's
protection over us and this will
make the difficult times that much
easier for us.

Everything that happens is for
the best

Allah loves us so much that
everything that happens that is
not a direct result of our own
actions is for the best for us - "but
it may be that you hate a thing
which is good for you, and it may
be that you love a thing which is
bad for you. Allah knows and you
know not" [2:216]. Having this
belief at all times and being
thankful for all that comes your
way is a real test of our faith but
also an undeniable fact. If
adopted in our mindset it will ease
our pain for we will understand it
is for our best and so the true
believer would not want it any
other way than what Allah sees
best.

All the above can be summarised
with my favourite du'a that one
should regularly recite:
"Hasbunallahu Wa'Nimal Wakeel"
Allah is enough for me and
there is no better to look after me.



"When you feel all alone in this world
And there's nobody to count your tears
Just remember, no matter where you are
Allah knows, Allah knows"
- Nasheed by Zain Bhikha
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Monday 31st October 2011 4 Dhul - Hijjah 1432 Volume 4 Issue 1


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