ISLAM AND THE
YOUNGER GENERATION OF MUSLIMS
by ASIM GAFFAR
'A' Level
Student, Xaverian VI Form
College
Tutor/Supervisor:
DR UMAR AZAM B.A.,
PH.D, D.C.L, Dip. F.J., Dip.
I.M., F.R.S.A.
MANCHESTER
,
UK
12 APRIL
2003 - 31 MAY
2003
INTRODUCTION
Many of the
younger generation of Muslims are starting to drift away from
Islam. This article is intended to guide them on the correct
path without humiliating or criticising them. Here is a set of points which
form part of the religious code of behaviour Allah Most High expects
from his servants. Following these points will ensure that you
will not, Insha'Allah, err from the correct path: if this is the
case, you will not regret your bad actions later on in life and
will, Insha'Allah, be blessed when the time of your last breath
comes. This article is only a small sample of the availability
of religious knowledge; it will not answer all your questions but,
hopefully, it will teach you to look to external sources for help
and guidance.
RECOMMENDED
ADVICE *
RELIGION
Is
Islam old- fashioned ?
Certain young
Muslims of today believe that Islam is old- fashioned. It was
brought to the people 1400 years ago and was only for the people
during that time and not now. This is wrong because the Holy
Qur'an talks about Heaven and Hell which hasn't happened yet; this
means that it talks about what is going to happen in the
future. If the Qur'an indicates what�s going to happen on the
Day of Judgement, Hell Fire for Eternity and Paradise
for
Eternity, how can Islam be old-fashioned when it talks about things
which haven't happened yet?
How
can you prove that Islam is true?
A few young
Muslims don't know how to justify that Islam is True. Many
young Muslims ask "How can you prove that their is a Heaven and a
Hell?" The answer is simple, Why do we die? If their
wasn't either a Heaven nor a Hell, Why can't we stay alive
living on the Earth forever? The Qur'an states that Allah makes the
alternation of night and day, makes people grow old and brings
death for people to move on to the next world. If you still
don't believe in the Afterlife, try to stop yourself from
growing old, stop the alternation of day and night and stop
death! those things cannot be stopped.
Parental and Sibling Responsibility
Parents have
the responsibility to teach their children Islam or Allah will ask
them "Why didn't you teach your children about Islam" on the Day of
Judgement.
In a family,
their is a 16 year old boy and a 7 year old boy, the older boy
has responsibility to teach his younger brother about Islam because
he is 9 years older so he must act as if he is his
parent.
Do
Children Understand Islam at Mosque?
It is very
good if the parents take their children to learn Arabic and then
move onto the Qur'an or if a Imam comes to the house to tutor the
children.
When the Imam
teaches the children to read the Qur'an, he must also teach
the meanings of the Arabic in the Qur'an so that the
children will understand what they are saying while reading the
Qur'an.
At about 30
years ago when Muslims first moved into Britain there were merely a
few Islamic books being distributed in Arabic, without any English
or Urdu translations. Nowadays, there are many
Islamic book stores all over
Britain
selling
translations of the Qur'an in many languages. Also, you can
access the Internet at home, schools, libraries
etc. to look at Islamic work. You can even download and
print from the Internet. Also, you can make photocopies
of the work for only a few pence per page and distribute them
to the public. But, even to this day, some Muslim teachers in
Mosques and Islamic Centres still teach like they used to do 30
years ago!
Religious
Education and Secular Education
The biggest
fool is one who is very intelligent and passed many hard exams but
doesn't believe in Allah! eg. an
Oxford
university
atheist scientist.
A Muslim youth
who has 10 grade 'A' GCSE's and has little religious knowledge is not better than someone who
passes 2 or 3 GCSE's, but knows about Islam. Islamic
knowledge is the most important since it is to do with the
future, all other knowledge is for the temporary life on Earth
eg. science - If WW3 begins and everything is reduced to
rubble, science will become irrelevant. So a young Muslim
must make sure that he/she has Islamic knowledge as well as doing
well in exams.
A. Don't
pretend to be religious, be religious from the heart. Only Allah knows how
religious you are.
B. Read
Islamic books, do Zikr
[remembering Allah], give zakat [charity]
etc.
C.
Compete with one another to be more religious, and successful, Allah
allows competition.
D.
Truthfulness is a great virtue, it makes good quality in man.
Whoever practices it will never be condemned by evil. Also,
the key to open the Gate of Paradise is Truth. If you start
telling the truth you will be free from committing sins.
E.
Kindness leads to Paradise
and you
will be popular, people will be happy to know you. If you are
not kind to people, Allah will have no mercy on you. It is
also been reported that: "Allah is merciful to kind people, be kind
to those on the Earth, the ones in the Heavens will be
kind to you". Kindness is one of the most important
characteristics a person needs.
F.
Murder is a great sin in Islam because its written in the Holy
Qur'an: "If a person sheds blood of another man without
justification [ie capital punishment], he will suffer the
torment of Hell".
G. The
Prophet [PBUH] said: "Who has these three things will find the
sweetness of Faith: (a) To him Allah and His Messenger must be
dearer than everything else. (b) If he loves anybody then that love
must be for the sake of Allah. (c) When Allah has protected him from
Hell, He should consider reverting to disbelief as being flung into
Hell fire".
Abu Huraira
reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying:
Verily. Allah would say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those
who have mutual love for My Glory's sake? Today I shall shelter them
in My Shadow when there is no other shadow but this Shadow of Mine.
H. The
Prophet [PBUH] said: "When your wrong doings sadden you, then you
are a believer. Everyone is aware of what things wrong and
sinful, but when you are not sure, the heart should be
consulted. A believer�s heart does not compromise with a
wrong-doing unless it is corrupted. The believer then should
give up the wrong doings.
I.
Reading namaz [ritual prayer] teaches unity, discipline and
punctuality, concentration of mind and reverence for the
righteous. It enables physical health and strengthening social
relations.
J. A
person should pray in a mosque with other Muslims than
individually because you will be rewarded 27 times more than reading
individually.
K. It is
unlawful to read namaz at these times: (a) When the sun is in the
course of rising (b) When the sun is just in the meridian (c) When
the sun is in the course of setting.
L. A
true believer never thinks that Allah has ignored his prayer.
If you ask for something from Allah but it is not given, all it
means that the time is not right for you to be granted that
particular request. All prayers are granted some in this world
and others in the next world. Allah is the All Wise and knows
the best time for granting a particular request.
M.
Prayer shows that man is a humble servant of Allah, and Allah Most
High is the Merciful Lord. Being a servant of Allah is a
blessing, not a shame because the servants of Allah are safe from
the torment of Hell. This is a mighty achievement because the
humble believer will have happiness for eternity.
EDUCATION
Attend Islamic
groups, learn more about your religion.
Help the
community, share your knowledge with others, let them benefit
too.
PARENTS
If you obey
your parents you will obey Allah. The Prophet [PBUH] has
said:
*
' Paradise
lies
beneath the feet of your mother'
Abu Huraira
reported that a person came to Allah�s Messenger (may peace be upon
him) and asked: �Who among the people is most deserving of a fine
treatment from my hand?� He replied, �Your mother�. He again said: Then who (is
the next one)? He said: Again it is your mother (who deserves the
best treatment from you). He said: Then who (is the next one)? He
(the Holy Prophet) said: Again, it is your mother. He (again) said: Then who?
Thereupon he said: Then it is your father. In the hadith transmitted on
the authority of Qutalba, there is no mention of the word "the
people".
* The anger of
a father is the anger of Allah Most High.
* If a person
looks at his mother or father with a kind look, there is the reward
of doing a Hajj for each kind look.
A. You should follow your
parents if they are religious, when you have children then they can
follow you and become religious.
B. Loyalty to parents and Allah
is essential, it supercedes loyalty to peers.
C. Show
respect to your elders, Prophet [PBUH] said: You're not a Muslim if
you don't show respect to your elders and love for
children.
D. Don't
trouble your parents; don't waste parent�s money when they are
having difficulties bringing money into the home.
E. Never
abuse other peoples parents, someone will abuse yours. In
fact, you should respect the friends of your parents and the
parents of others.
'Abdullah b.
Umar reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: The
finest act of goodness is that a person should treat kindly the
loved ones of his father.
F. So
many young girls today grumble, curse and go in a bad mood if they
have to help their mothers. They make their mothers do the
work even though they are young and have plenty of energy.
They just watch TV, go out with friends or listen to
music. By helping their mothers, not only will they get SAWAB
from Allah, but the housework will train them to run their own
households when they marry, this is essential if they are to look
after their husbands property and have a happy married life.
If they are of good character themselves, then they will be able to
train their daughters adequately too.
So, if you are
a girl, it is very important to help your mother with the housework
and to obey your parents at all times. Similarly, a woman will
go to Paradise if she keeps her husband pleased with her, looks
after his property while he is away, and happily does the housework
in her own household [not asking her husband to do the housework
without good reason i.e., if she is expecting].
There is no
woman whose eyes water as she cuts up onions for the family meal
but Allah writes down to her record the reward of those who
weep out of fear of God.
For each smile
you give your parents, Allah will give you the reward for
performing one Hajj. If you are cruel to your parents, God
will punish you in this world and the next world. Obedience to
parents is obedience to God.
SOCIAL
LIFE
A. You
shouldn't have too much of a good time, it makes you forget about
religion.
B. Don't
waste your time talking and laughing when you could be doing
something that has a meaning. Don't be lazy and waste time
just watching television or talking to friends. Be ambitious:
try to pass as many exams as you can and follow a career which will
make your parents proud of you. Muslim children in this
country are very lucky to have first-rate educational facilities,
such as schools, colleges and Universities 'on their
doorstep'. Students from all over the world spend thousands of
pounds to come to this country and benefit from these same
facilities, often overcoming obstacles such as getting governmental
sponsorship, showing immigration officials documents such as copies
of bank statements, letters of acceptance from Universities and
visas etc. Then there are the added problems, once they reach
here, of finding accommodation, adjusting to the lifestyle
and taking extra English language lessons, not to mention
having to work part-time as well as study for intensive degree
courses! Children already here don't have to overcome these
additional obstacles to success, yet they still can't be
bothered!
C. Don't
meet girls/boys in private. Go with friends so you won't be
tempted to do bad actions.
D. Be
more independent, take time alone and think of religion - where is
life taking you.
E. Don't fight
against your Muslim brothers/sisters and do not insult others on
wealth and on the way they look.
Abu Huraira
reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Verily
Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to
your heart and to your deeds.
F. It is
wrong to get your fortune told because it is unlawful in
Islam. The person who tells the future of someone and the
person who goes to someone to get their fortune told will be an
unbeliever, they will be cursed. A person who goes to see a
fortune teller, their prayers will not be accepted for 40
nights. Only Allah knows your future.
G. The
Prophet [PBUH] said: "If a man marries, he has perfected half of his
religion. Hence, he must fear Allah for the remaining
half".
H. You
must not search for only beauty and wealth etc. in a woman.
You should look for piety and marry a religious minded
woman.
I. If a
Muslim sight falls for the first time on the beauty of a woman and
he removes his glance, then Allah will bless him.
J. When
things go wrong in life people should think positively because ups
and downs happen in everyone�s life. When bad things happen it
means Allah is testing you, if you succeed or fail the
test.
K. A
Muslim boy can marry a Christian or Jewish wife as long as she has
good character. But a Muslim girl is forbidden
to marry a Christian or Jewish husband because the children
will follow the father and will turn out to be non
Muslims.
L. A
Muslim man is allowed to marry 1 to 4 wives but they all have to be
treated equally. A Muslim woman cannot have more than 1
husband because when the woman has a child the husbands could not
decide who the real father is and could cause other
problems.
M. Allah
hates people who split up so only have a divorce when highly
necessary otherwise Allah will be angry with you. You
shouldn't have a divorce over small things, if a married couple
can't agree with any solutions then divorce is the last option [and one which is hateful to
God].
N. There
is no harm in competing with other Muslims to do good
deeds. Allah Almighty has ordered in the Holy Qur'an "And vie
(compete) one with another for forgiveness and a Garden
( Paradise
) whose
width is equal to the distance between Heaven and Earth". So
you should try to do better in your studies, be better behaved, be
more religious (but don't show off) than your friends. It�s
definitely allowed to do so.
O. Don't
be affected by television programmes and films. Don't, for
example, copy the habits of kafir people. There is a lot of
sex and violence on television, especially in American films.
If you are not sure of something, read a relevant book, ask a
question at an Islamic Site on the Internet or find out from your
mosque. For example, films show drunk people shouting angrily
with a bottle of alcohol in their hands as if it is 'cool' a
good thing. But, in our religion, consuming even a little drop
of alcohol, let alone getting drunk, is a major sin punishable by a
term in Hell. Other examples are things such as taking
drugs, use of bad language, guns/weapons, gangs, boys
and girl-dating, stealing etc.
FOOD
AND DRINK
A. Use your
money to buy food/clothes instead of cigarettes and other harmful
things.
B. Drugs and
alcohol lead to Hell, don't abuse your body, it belongs to
Allah.
C. "You
are what you eat", don�t eat Haram, you will not be able to
distinguish between right and wrong.
D. It is
forbidden in Islam to eat food and drink from vessels made of gold
and silver because it is undesirable. It has been reported
that: "If anyone eats and drinks from vessels made of silver and
gold, the fire of Hell will bubble in his belly".
E. We
should eat with our right hand because it is lawful, but
with our left hand it is not. It has been reported that: "None
of you must ever eat or drink from his left hand because the devil
does so".
F. The
first and foremost duty of man before eating is to rehearse the name
of Allah as: In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most
merciful. The remembrance of Allah in every affair is the key-note
of Islam.
G.
Blessing lies when eating with company because we are all Muslim
brothers and sisters, therefore we should stay together than
separate yourselves. It is also good to have company than be
alone.
CLOTHING
A. Don't
wear tight fitting clothes; wear loose clothing so it doesn't
reveal your figure.
B. Don't spend
too much money on clothes - designer wear, when you need money for
food, education etc.
C. Don't wear
too much make-up for non special occasions ie. School.
D. Men
should cover their body at least from the navel to the knees but a
woman should cover everything except hands, face
and feet. Men should not wear gold and silk, they
are not allowed to wear women's clothes and women are not allowed to
wear men�s clothes. A modest dress sense is something which
covers the body and where there�s nothing revealing.
DETRIMENTAL
ASPECTS OF CHARACTER
A. "Pride comes before a fall".
Showing off is not allowed in Islam.
B. Don't
be envious of others. Jealousy burns good deeds like fire
burns wood.
C. Don't
swear. Foul language is from the Devil and is proof of evil
thoughts.
D. Do
not steal. Allah will give you more too if you be
patient.
E. It is
a great sin to become a hypocrite because a hypocrite expresses
faith from his tongue while his disbelief is in his mind. You
will be put in the lowest stage of Hell. A hypocrite is like
two thoughts in one body. They turn their backs when people
need help, when they speak they tell a lie, they act treacherously
and they fall out with others, he leads away from the path of
truth.
F.
"Backbiting is an evil of tongue". Backbiting has been linked to
eating flesh of the dead body of a brother. This is because
the backbiter says things about a person without them knowing;
therefore the person can�t defend himself. Backbiting is a
major sin, but whoever listens to the backbiter will also be a
sinner. The person who has been the victim will become violent
and will seek revenge.
CONCLUSION
An
effort has been made, in this Article, to make young Muslims aware
of their religious obligations to their parents, siblings,
relatives, to society and, above all, to God. In fact, the various types
of obligations and responsibilities are inter-linked; obeying
parents, for example, is akin to obeying God! Helping another person in
need is a good deed which
merits Reward in the Hereafter. Of course, the subject of
how young Muslims should behave for a happy life in this world, and
in the next, is an enormous field and a person
might easily read dozens of specialist books in such an important
area. However, it is
hoped that this article will have been thought-provoking and
informative and that it will encourage the reader to learn how to be a blessed young Muslim!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks
to the following person for his assistance on this research
paper:
Amar
Gaffar
�A�
Level Student,
Xaverian
College
***************************************************************
TEST EXERCISE &
COMPETITION
1. Why
should you try to pass as many exams as
possible?
2. Why
should you not race other drivers (especially if you are a young
driver) on the road?
3.
What is wrong with drugs and drug dealing?
4.
What is wrong with consuming and selling
alcohol?
5. How
should a good Muslim treat his/her parents?
6. Why
should Muslim girls help their mothers with the
housework?
7.
What is wrong with pressuring parents to spend money on expensive
designer clothes and shoes?
8. Can
girl and boy students mix according to Islamic
rules?
9. Why
must jealousy be avoided at all costs?
10.
What is wrong with the bad behaviour which is copied from films and
programmes shown on television?
11.
Why can Islam not be said to be "old-fashioned" or "out of
date"?
12.
Why is it wrong with smoking cigarettes?
13.
Why is religious knowledge far more important than secular
knowledge?
14.
Why should you help your friends when they need
help?
15.
Why should you respect your elders?
16.
Why should you show love to the youngsters?
17.
Why must idle chatter be avoided?
18.
Why is it a terrible sin to show off to
others?
19.
Why should you check the ingredients of foods such as sweets and
chocolate before eating them?
20.
Why is idleness an unpleasant and negative trait of ones character
which must be avoided?
21.
Why is backbiting
evil?
22.
Why are hypocrites the worst of all
unbelievers?
23.
Why does Allah give us life?
24.
Why does Allah give us death?
25.
Who is the biggest educated fool?
26.
At which three stages of the day is it forbidden to read Salah
[namaz, prayer]?
27.
Why is it a beneficial to
compete with
one another to do good deeds?
28.
Is it advisable to eat with the left hand even if you are
left-handed?
29.
Which rules of dressing should a young Muslim adhere to?
-----------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION
ENTRY CRITERIA
This
competition is open to anyone aged 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18. The
three best sets of answers will win:
a)
Certificate
1st, 2nd or 3rd
b)
Monetary
prizes: 1st prize - $100 + free Islamic book. 2nd prize - $75 +
free Islamic book.
3rd prize - $50 + free Islamic book.
c)
Admission
for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winning
entries as items in a new section of THE DR UMAR AZAM WEBSITE [this
will not prevent winners from simultaneously placing their work on
their own websites, if any].
Valid
Dates for the competition:
1st
June 2003 �
31st May 2004 . Post [DR UMAR AZAM,
PO
BOX
39 ,
MANCHESTER
M16
8UA ,
UNITED
KINGDOM
]
or e-mail [[email protected] *
[email protected]] your answers to Dr
Umar Azam with your full name, age and e-mail address clearly
printed. Please
indicate your country and the name of your school, college or
University if you are at school or a student.
*Please
indicate which Islamic subject you are interested in; if you win one
of the three prizes, every effort will be made to send you your
[book] prize which is related to your chosen topic. This competition is
international, geographically unrestricted. Work hard for your success!
[Insha�Allah].
SAMPLE
CERTIFICATE
HAS ATTAINED POSITION
IN THE 'ISLAM AND THE YOUNGER GENERATION' COMPETITION, BASED ON THE
ARTICLE BY ASIM GAFFAR, AND
AS ORGANISED BY DR UMAR AZAM
IN THE RELEVANT SECTION OF:
http://www.dr-umar-azam.com
CONGRATULATIONS!
SIGNED:_________________________________
B.A.,
Ph.D., D.C.L., Dip. F. J., Dip. I. M., F.R.S.A.
AUTHOR
DATE:___________________________________
SCORE: MARKS
OUT OF MARKS
PERCENTAGE:
% GRADE:
* A list of verified
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Azam Website in the 'Competition Results'
section.
NOTE
DR UMAR AZAM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO
VARY THE FORMAT AND DESIGN OF AWARDS CERTIFICATES WHICH ARE
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