Responsibility of the Muslim Youth toward the Ummah
Dr. Mohamed Al-Abdah
Al-Jumu'ah Vol. 13 Issue 11It must be puzzling sometimes when you are faced with some of the obstacles you have to deal with. It is even harder when you are constantly getting mixed messages. Between the contradictions of what you're taught at home to the pressures of your peers at school, it really must be difficult to be in a position where you're continuously making hard choices - sometimes choices that require a lot of discipline for someone who is not yet an adult.
Sometimes, even with the best intentions, those we respect - such as teachers - could unknowingly teach something that clashes with the Islamic norms and values you have been raised with, and that can make your faith weaker. Then comes the media with its frenzied hands waving at you wildly day after day, yelling, "Look at me, be like me," it is hard to resist the temptations inviting you to imitate those images - they all seem so "cool" at first glance.
Deep down in your soul you have to deal with that ever present battle, that constant dilemma of right and wrong - a struggle of your heart, your mind and your religion - we all do, no matter how young or old we are. It is not easy being a teen these days, but those struggles are not something you can not overcome. You can do it, but it may require that you do not always do the 'easy' thing, but look at it like this: when was the last time something that came easy was worth it?
Think about it - everything that's really worth it, is earned…. We have to work for it. Nothing great comes easy! But wait, there is something else that is really important for you to know - you know those feelings you have when you feel unsure if you are doing the right thing or not, that moment you hesitate? That is Eeman - that is your faith, telling you to take the steering wheel of life and get back in control.
Feeling this struggle within yourself is a good thing - believe it or not - and if you do not worry about right and wrong, that is the time you should worry.
Some people are negative about the state of youth in our Ummah (Community), but I am not. There is not one of us - even the most pious of us - that has not gone through our own trials and struggles in their youth and as an adult - not one. So what does that tell you? It means that you are normal.
What does that mean? It means that we all have to make an extra effort to do the right thing - and make the right decisions, even if it is not always most enjoyable thing to do. We all have to help one another to do better, remind our friends and family of what is important in this life and what we are all really here for.
If we all work on that - not as youth or as adults - but as fellow Muslims, we will all be better off.
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