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Not long born;still in the first part of life, not old; juvenile, having little experience; inexperienced; unpracticed; weak… The literary meaning of “young”…
I can hear the voices “No, not inexperienced. No not weak!” And you are not wrong actually. Some exceptions don’t make any difference. Young is young. It is true that young people have less experience in contrast with the older ones in life. But isn’t there a saying “Wisdom has nothing to do with the age; it has something to do with the head and what you care most about.” This means even if you are old enough, if you care more about the physical than the spiritual, this doesn’t mean that you have wisdom. But nowadays, some of the youth tend to prove the reverse of this saying above. Especially those who tend to take morality for granted. For some sad people the front is more attractive than what is behind it. People like to wear masks on their faces. All of them wear headphones, no hear. You may need help, you may even die, still no help as if they don’t hear. As if they are numb and have no feelings or senses. Most of them just look at you blankly as if someone had taken their senses out of them.
And Rock music… it is the only kind of music that youth, nowadays, wants to be seen enjoying. Especially, When they are eighteen it is very important that they are noticed listening to rock music. Anyone can know that most of what they claim as important is just a front, a mask, a persona they wear even in front of the mirror. Hardly any teenager or young adult can be taken at face value except from those who decide reasonably and who care for the spiritual as well as the physical or who care about the spiritual more than the physical at the highest.
Islam gives Youth a big importance. Islam places great importance on the education of the youth. As the major principle in Islam is belief, it requires a proper and pure Islamic Education of youth along with scientific education. If there is a wish of cultivation and civilization of the societies, a pure Islamic and scientific education is required this has been proven by many researches. It must conserve, convince and satisfy the soul, heart and mind at the same time. Enlightening the mind, it must also ease the heart and content the soul. It is the true Islamic Education which can provide this, and Risala-i Nur makes this possible by melting Islamic education and scientific education in the same pot, for Allah declares: “You had better know that hearts become content only through the remembrance of Allah. (surah Ra’d: 28)” So, the best and proper education must make the heart, soul and the mind content by reminding Allah, while enlightening the mind with the scientific education.
Youth is important… One comes face to face with lots of problems in youth… The crisis of finding your personality… The silent cries of this pain stemming from pursuit of personality, thus happiness… It is in our hands to work on ourselves and control our emotions reasonably. Sometimes we get sad and we grieve… But no matter what, we must learn how to deal with the later stages of grief… The grief that follows a great loss can seem unbearable, but as we travel the emotional path – it is a journey – you will grow as a person. Learning about grief is probably the most painful part of “growing up”! But it is, of course, on condition that you learn from it. Grieving hopelessly is one thing and learning from your mistakes is another different one… Qur’an teaches us to work on the latter one.
The problem and the illness is clear: “Youth heeds the emotions rather than reason, and emotions and desires are blind; they do not consider the consequences. They prefer one ounce of immediate pleasure to tons of future pleasure. They kill for the one minute pleasure of revenge, and then suffer for eighty thousand hours the pain of prison. And one hour’s dissolute pleasure in questions of honour may result in life’s enjoyment being utterly destroyed due to distress at the fear of both prison and enemies. There are many other examples, many pitfalls for the unfortunate young because of which they transform their sweet lives into the most bitter and pitiable lives. Consider a vast state to the north; it has gained possession of the passions of its young people and is shaking this century with its storms.” (from the book A Guide for Youth)
Designating the problem Said Nursi also gives the cure and the solution in Risala-i Nur:
“It is therefore most necessary in this century for all Muslim youths to act heroically, and to respond to this two-pronged attack with keen swords like the “Fruits of Belief” and the “Guide for Youth” from the Risala-i Nur. Otherwise those unfortunate youths will destroy utterly both their futures in this world, and their agreeable lives, and their happiness in the hereafter, and their eternal lives, and transform them into torment and suffering. And through their abuses and dissoluteness, they will end up in hospitals, and through their excesses in life, in prisons. In their old age, they will weep copiously with a thousand regrets. If, on the other hand, they protect themselves with Qur’anic training and with the truths of the Risala-i Nur, they will become truly heroic youths, perfect human beings, successful Muslims, and in some ways rulers over animate beings and the rest of the animal kingdom.” (A Guide for Youth)
“Dwell on the Hadith, the meaning of which is: “The best of the youths among you are those who imitate those of mature years, while the worst of your elderly are those who imitate the young.” That is to say, “The best of your youths are those who resemble the elderly in self-restraint and abstaining from vice, while the worst of your elderly are those who resemble the young in plunging themselves into dissipation and heedlessness.” (The Flashes – 26th Flash [A treatise for the elderly])
Youth is crucial… satan bothers the youth most … One reason why satan bothers the youth is because of their potential to learn and develop themselves in any branch… Youth has the hope and power. They have the potential either to follow the right path or the wrong one… Therefore, satan wants to direct them to the wrong path… Some, unfortunately, get lost by these deceptions. You are as young as your faith… In order not to fall in despair one needs to keep his Iman (belief) alive by renewing it, by gaining Ilm (knowledge) of Allah and practicing it in all his or her life.
The eminent scholar of this age Badiuzzaman Said Nursi warns the youth of the misgivings of satan and gives the cure for the illness: “Your youth will definitely leave you, and if you do not remain within the bounds of the licit, it will be lost, and rather than its pleasures, it will bring you calamities and suffering in this world, in the grave, and in the hereafter. But if, through Islamic training (tarbiya), you spend the bounty of your youth as thanks honorably, in uprightness and obedience, it will in effect remain perpetually and will be the cause of gaining eternal youth.” (A Guide for Youth) According to Said Nursi in order to gain eternal youth one must be upright and obedient and honorable. Therefore, gaining true knowledge is one condition and practicing with this knowledge is the other condition of gaining eternal youth. Death is so close no matter how far it seems to be…
Youth is essential… It is an advantage of worship, chance to gain experience, chance to learn, chance to practice what you learn in your life, it has the potential to go up so high. As Badiuzzaman Said Nursi declares: “If such a youth demonstrates through moderation and obedience, his gratitude for the pleasing, delightful bounty of youth, it will both increase it, and make it eternal, and make it a pleasure. Otherwise it will be both calamitous, and become painful, grievous, and a nightmare, and then it will depart. It will cause him to become like a vagrant, harmful for both his relatives, and his country, and his nation.” (A Guide for Youth)
O youth! Find the despair and kill it no matter what happens. Find your mission and run in the way of it as long as Allah allows, for Allah bestowed you this “being young” as a blessing. So evaluate your it by adorning it with the most virtuous manners and development of mind and soul. As your soul gets deeper into the good deeds and manners, you will get filled with happiness. Trust the One who created you in the first place and sent you in this world. And never despair for despair kills the delicate senses.
O Allah! Forgive us, conceal our mistakes and honor us with the best manner you consent.