Aqeel Mahmood – Importance Of Our Youth
AI: Summary ©
The importance of youth in society is highlighted, including trials andulations for Muslims, graduation for Muslims, and experiences of graduation. The speaker emphasizes the need for personal commitment and education in regards to one's values and future. The importance of learning and practicing the law of Islam is also emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar I bear witness that there is
no god but Allah I bear witness that
there is no god but Allah I bear
witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah I
bear witness that there is no god but
Allah Brothers
and sisters, I wanted to speak to you
today about the importance of our youth.
We see around the world today many trials
and tribulations that are afflicting the Muslims in
Palestine, in Sudan, too many places for us
to even mention.
And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
that he gives ease and suffering and victory
to the Muslims wherever they may be.
But if we look throughout history, we will
notice sometimes some trials and tribulations don't end
after a short number of years.
It may be the case that one generation
sees a calamity and then they pass away
and the next generation of Muslims are the
ones that overcome those trials and tribulations.
And victory is given to the Muslims maybe
in the second or third generation.
And so it's very important for us brothers
and sisters to think ahead, to plan ahead.
And for us, more importantly, to reflect on
our own time, the education of our children.
Or is it just a case of neglecting
them when they're in school and we don't
really have a connection with them and a
link with our children.
And our children, brothers and sisters, will benefit
as a result of our righteousness that they
see when we're alive.
And they'll also benefit from our righteousness even
after we've passed away.
In Surah Kahf, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
speaks about the story of Musa and Khadir.
One of the things Khadir a.s. did
was he rebuilt a wall in a village
which refused to give them any food and
drink.
And Musa a.s. when he inquired, or
afterwards when Khadir a.s. told him about
the wisdoms behind why he rebuilt the wall,
he tells Musa a.s., as for the
wall, then this wall belonged to two orphan
boys in the city, and there was a
treasure under the wall.
And their father was a righteous person.
As a result of the righteousness of the
father, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guided, protected
the interests and the affairs of the two
orphan boys.
So even after we pass away, brothers and
sisters, our righteousness, our connection with Allah, the
state of our iman and the level of
our iman, will benefit our children after we've
passed away.
And the Messenger of Allah a.s. spoke
about some things which will benefit the person
after he passes away.
From them, he said a.s., a righteous
child that supplicates for him.
When a person dies, a righteous child that
you leave behind, and righteousness is something which
we instill in our children through our tarbiyah
and our education of them.
This child, after we pass away, will benefit
us through his duas, through his supplications for
us after we die.
And there are many examples, brothers and sisters,
of the young companions of the Messenger of
Allah a.s. who were given that nurture,
that nurturing, that education, that tarbiyah when they
were of a young age.
And from them was one of the greatest
companions of the Messenger of Allah a.s.,
Ali ibn Abi Talib a.s. He was
living with the Messenger of Allah a.s.,
a nine-year-old boy.
And he saw the Prophet a.s. and
the Prophet's wife Khadijah a.s. praying together,
unaware of what they were doing.
He inquires as to what they were doing.
He asks the Prophet a.s., what were
you doing?
And the Messenger of Allah a.s. doesn't
see this nine-year-old boy and say,
it's nothing, don't worry about it, you're too
young to understand, when you're older I'll explain
to you.
Instead he starts teaching him about tawhid, about
Islam, about how he is the Messenger of
Allah a.s. As a result of this
small and short conversation, Ali ibn Abi Talib
a.s. there and then at the age
of nine years old, accepts Islam.
One of the first few people to accept
Islam after Khadijah a.s. Some say the
one who accepted Islam first after Khadijah was
Ali a.s. And this was as a
result of the wisdom of how the Messenger
of Allah a.s. was speaking to Ali
a.s. He wasn't neglecting him, he wasn't
ignoring him, he started to teach, he took
this opportunity.
Didn't think this child is way over his
head, he won't understand.
Our children have the capacity to understand things
that maybe we don't think they're able to
understand.
They may be far more intelligent than we
think.
From the other companions of the Messenger of
Allah a.s. who were given this tarbiyah
when they were young, they were given that
attention was Ibn Abbas a.s. Ibn Abbas
a.s when he was a child, and
he was still a child when the Prophet
s.a.w. passed away.
He brought water for the Prophet s.a
.w. And the Messenger of Allah a.s.
made dua for Ibn Abbas a.s. And
he said, Oh Allah, give him knowledge of
the religion and give him understanding and knowledge
of the Quran.
Ibn Abbas a.s. became one of the
greatest scholars of the companions.
That dua had an effect.
And it was said in the presence of
Ibn Abbas a.s. Think about the psychological
benefit this would have had upon this child.
Hearing the Messenger of Allah a.s. supplicate
and make dua for him.
Ibn Abbas a.s. when he was still
a teenager, during the leadership of Umar ibn
Khattab a.s. Umar ibn Khattab would take
him to the meetings that he would have
with the senior companions of the Prophet s
.a.w. People who were in their 40s
and 50s and 60s.
People who were in Badr and Uhud and
other battles with the Prophet s.a.w.
And he would include and involve Ibn Abbas
a.s. Understanding his wisdom and his knowledge.
And again, think about the confidence which is
instilled in these young companions when they're involved
in the affairs of the Muslims at this
young age, still when they're teenagers.
We have the example of Ibn Umar a
.s. The son of Umar ibn Khattab.
Ibn Umar a.s. narrates a story.
He says that we were in a gathering
with the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.
And the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.
he said, Inform me of a tree which
resembles the Muslim.
It gives its fruits throughout the year and
its leaves never fall.
Ibn Umar a.s. he said, I thought
of the date palm tree.
But I disliked to speak because Abu Bakr
and Umar a.s. were present at that
gathering.
And the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.
when no one spoke, he said, Verily it
is the date palm tree.
Ibn Umar a.s. he said, After we
left the gathering and I was with my
father Umar a.s. He said, Oh my
father, it came to my mind that it
might be the date palm tree.
Umar a.s. he said, What prevented you
from saying it?
If you had said it, it would have
been more beloved to me than a fortune.
Simply you saying this in the presence of
the Prophet s.a.w. would have been
more beloved to me than a fortune that
I would have ever got.
What does it show us brothers and sisters?
It shows us the encouragement that was given
by the senior companions to the younger companions
to speak up.
Instilling in them that confidence.
Giving them that encouragement.
Pushing them when it came to speaking in
public.
Speaking to the Messenger of Allah s.a
.w. Being involved with these discussions.
That wasn't just specific to the elderly and
to the senior companions of the Messenger of
Allah s.a.w. We look at the
example of a companion who was given leadership
of an army that was going to be
sent to fight the Roman Empire at the
age of 18 years old.
By the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.
18 years old.
And this companion, it was Usama ibn Uzaid
r.a. 18 years old.
And he's been made the general of the
army to go and fight not just any
small tribe in Arabia, but the Roman Empire.
And no doubt there were people in his
army who were of course much more senior
than him.
The likes of Abu Bakr r.a. The
likes of others.
Yet he was chosen by the Prophet s
.a.w. Just imagine brothers and sisters that
your boss or your manager is 18 years
old.
Think about how a person would feel and
how a person would think.
But what did this do to Usama ibn
Uzaid?
He became one of the greatest generals from
amongst the companions.
Think about the confidence it must have instilled
in Usama ibn Uzaid.
The fact that the Messenger of Allah s
.a.w. had so much confidence in him
at the age of 18 that he's appointing
him as the general of the army.
Just think about the psychological benefit.
And what it does to a person instilling
that kind of confidence and responsibility also in
a companion at that tender age.
We look at one of the young companions
of the city of Medina.
This companion, he was someone even though the
Messenger of Allah s.a.w. hadn't yet
made the hijrah, he had memorized many many
portions of the Quran.
Even though the Prophet s.a.w. and
the senior companions, the muhajirun, aren't yet in
Medina.
And when the Prophet s.a.w. came
to Medina and made the hijrah, the Ansar,
they brought this child to the Prophet s
.a.w. so that he could recite in
his presence.
This was how proud they were of this
companion.
And this companion was Zaid ibn Uthabit r
.a. A boy, reciting Quran in the presence
of the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.
Look at this child, our child.
He's somebody who's memorized so much Quran.
And the Prophet s.a.w. when he
heard him recite, he was pleased, he was
happy.
It made him happy.
Think about the effects that this had on
Zaid ibn Uthabit.
And we know the effects that it had
on Zaid ibn Uthabit r.a. Because a
number of years later, when Abu Bakr r
.a. was looking for someone to compile the
Quran, he chose Zaid ibn Uthabit r.a.
Who is a young man at this point
in time.
And Abu Bakr r.a. when he speaks
to Zaid, what does he say?
He says, Zaid, you are somebody who is
a young man and you're an intelligent man.
And we don't know of any moment when
you were accused of lying.
Or that you used to lie.
Or that you used to forget.
And you used to be the one who
used to write down the ayat for the
Messenger of Allah s.a.w. When revelation
would come.
But Abu Bakr r.a. chose him because
he was young.
Because he was energetic.
Because he was somebody who had intelligence.
But this wasn't just something that happened when
he became older.
It wasn't something that caused him to change
after he became a young man.
It was something which was instilled in him
while he was a child.
It was the efforts of his family, of
the community, of the Muslim Ummah, to make
sure that when they eventually do pass away,
these young companions will step up.
And they'll represent the Ummah.
And they'll benefit the Ummah.
All of these examples, brothers and sisters, show
us the importance of our youth and making
sure that we raise them in the correct
manner.
I say this, and I ask Allah to
forgive me and you.
Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of
the worlds.
And peace and blessings be upon the family
of the Prophets and the Messengers, our Prophet
Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
Brothers and sisters, we were speaking about the
importance of our youth.
And making sure that we don't just expect
our schools, other people, to give them that
Tarbiyah.
The parents are the primary teachers and role
models of the children.
And so it's important for us to have
a level of righteousness, such that when they
see us, it has a positive effect and
not a negative effect.
And it benefits us in this life and
also in the Akhirah.
And the Messenger of Allah, as we've seen,
would give the correct nurturing, the correct type
of Tarbiyah to the young companions of the
Messenger of Allah, to such an extent that
when the senior and older companions passed away,
these young companions, like Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas,
Zayd ibn Uthabit, Osama ibn Zayd, these people,
they continued to lead the Ummah in their
own ways, whether it was through knowledge or
through other means.
Anas ibn Malik, r.a, when he was
a boy, he was offered to the Prophet
as a servant.
Anas ibn Malik, years later, after the death
of the Prophet, he says that I served
the Prophet for ten years.
Ten years.
Not once did he say, oof, to me
any word of annoyance or disagreement about what
he did in service to the Prophet.
Nor did he ever say, why did you
do this?
Or why didn't you do this?
Because this wasn't the way in which the
Prophet would treat the younger companions.
It was the wisdom of the Prophet s
.a.w. that he understood the effects that
severe criticism and criticizing children all the time
will have on those children when they're older.
As we can see with Anas ibn Malik.
He still remembers, years later, how he was
treated by the Prophet s.a.w. So
brothers and sisters, all these examples should motivate
us to, number one, be righteous people ourselves.
And improve on our deen.
We all have our shortcomings.
But most importantly, we need to invest in
the future.
Through our children, through those that we're responsible
for.
So that when we pass on, the next
generations that come won't be weaker, but rather
they'll be stronger Muslims.
We ask Allah s.w.t. that He
makes our children, those that we're responsible for,
righteous children.
And that they grow up to serve and
benefit the Ummah after we pass away.
Allah is the Greatest.
Allah is the Greatest.
I bear witness that there is no god
but Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah.
Long live prayer.
Long live success.
Prayer has been established.
Prayer has been established.
Allah is the Greatest.
Allah is the Greatest.
There is no god but Allah.
Straighten your rose.
Straightening the rose is from the perfection of
the prayer.
So make sure your rose is straight.
Allah is the Greatest.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of
the worlds.
The Most Merciful, Most Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
It is You we worship and You we
ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path.
The path of those You have blessed.
Not of those who have incurred Your wrath,
nor of those who have gone astray.
Ameen.
Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most
High.
Who created and proportioned.
Who measured and guided.
And Who brought forth the seed.
And made it abundant and fruitful.
We will teach you, so do not forget.
Except what Allah wills.
Indeed, He knows what is open and what
is hidden.
And We will ease you to ease.
So remind, if it benefits the remembrance.
He who fears will remember.
And the worst will avoid it.
Who will burn in the Great Fire.
Then he will neither die therein nor live.
He who purifies himself has succeeded.
And he will remember the name of his
Lord and pray.
Nay, you will make the life of this
world easy.
And the Hereafter is better and more lasting.
Indeed, this is in the first scriptures.
The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of
the worlds.
The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
It is You we worship and You we
ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path.
The path of those You have blessed.
The path of those You have blessed.
Not of those who have incurred Your wrath.
Nor of those who have gone astray.
Has there come to you the story of
Al-Ghashiyah?
Faces that Day will be humbled.
A working woman.
She will burn in a blazing fire.
She will be given to drink from a
boiling spring.
They will have no food except from wheat.
They will not gain weight, nor will hunger
avail them.
Faces that Day will be blessed.
For their striving, they will be pleased.
In a lofty garden.
There they will not hear any idle talk.
In it will be a flowing spring.
In it will be raised couches.
And cups laid down.
And cushions arranged in rows.
And carpets spread out.
Will they not look at the camels, how
they are created?
And at the sky, how it is raised.
And at the mountains, how they are laid.
And at the earth, how it is spread
out.
So remind!
You are only a reminder.
You have no control over them.
Except those who turn away and disbelieve.
So Allah will punish them with the greatest
punishment.
Indeed, it is to Us.
Then upon Us is their reckoning.
Allah is the Greatest.
Peace be upon you.