Guide to surviving High School

I may not be the best person to discuss about this, but I feel I need to stress a way for the youth to learn how to survive high school and if anyone have some comments to add I gladly welcome that.

1.Stay from drugs and everything evil related to it (alcohol, cocaine and etc2)
They're bad, evil and can cause your minds to explode!(no not really but you get the gist) It's HARAM for us to take it so please leave it.

2.Get constantly up for Fajr and perform the five daily prayers
I think this HAS to be one of the GREATEST OF ALL TIME challenges for the youth in the past, present and maybe in the future to wake of fajr. I have difficulty to perform it at a consistent pace but don't beat yourself down! Take it slowly and Insha'Allah you will progress. If you miss one you're gonna be like , "Ughh I'm going to hell for this.." but fear not Allah S.W.T. accepts our repentance Insha'Allah as he is the Most Forgiving so do not forget to replace it(fajr salat or any one of the obligatory salat that you have forgotten to perform for that matter) when you have woken up from your deep slumber(or in this case when your guardian/parents starts yelling at you to go to school)

3.Do your homework and projects
Don't procrastinate! You'll surely regret it when you get scolded in front of your classmates by your teacher. Do not do your work at the last minute(trust me I do this a lot haha). Try to ask your friends or teachers if you can't figure out a question. Homework is essential to remember what you have studied in class (yes I know sometimes it doesn't work) and if you're the type that listens in class and not throw paper at your mates every now and then you still have to finish your work because it shows that you are a discplined student and respect your teacher.

4.Hang around people with manners or the lesser of evils if you have no one else or do it SOLO
Try to find people who have good manners and befriend with them. This is essential if your the type that gets lonely and usually public school is surrounded by people who are the opposite. You WILL be influenced on what you're friends do so be careful! Take a wrong one and BAM! You might be influenced to do the negative things that he/she are doing. If you can't find anyone worthy, just be lone warrior for a while. You can find solace in your home or the masjid. One of the advises given by Ustadh Nouman Ali khan is to befriend someone who is older than you because he is more experience than you and knows what to say to you when you do something wrong (something along those lines)

5.Grades Matter
Scoring A is crucial if you want to get a scholarship for a university that you want to apply to. You have to make a huge amount of effort to reach your goal and rely on Allah S.W.T.. If it doesn't work(in my case, it was 50/50) don't give up, it's the hard work that counts and the grades count for later. The important thing is you have done everything you can to succeed and that is what matters. Also don’t forget to make salat-ul istikharah, tahajjud or hajat too before exams.

6.Don’t seek a boyfriend or a girlfriend
It’s dangerous to seek a ‘boyfriend or a girlfriend’ because you may destroy his/her future. You are involving another human being in a relationship that does not last long and he/she will spend so much time texting to each other and neglect important daily duties such as homework and being dutiful to ones parents. It is a build-up to a worst-case scenario situation where you will start have feelings for each other but will go off into lust and desires as shaytan is cunning in persuading us to do evil.

7.Do sports or other hobbies of interests
It is healthy for our health physically and mentally and it takes us off our idle mind. It helps us to focus more and gain pleasure in receiving rewards after a competition. It is difficult to live in a world where people expect you to excel in everything you do(academically and physically). In my case, I failed to excel in both occasions because I didn’t have the ability to do both but Alhamdulillah Allah showed me something else that I can do after a lot flake and patient in getting what is best for me. I think it’s an esteem issue in us(yes I have felt it too, it’s very uncomfortable). So keep finding the thing that you are good at because it will erase your negative experience or criticisms from people(I know high school is difficult, please bear with it until you get to college)

9.Join an Islamic Youth Group
If you have not done so, fear not you’re not alone as I too have not done so as is practically non-existent in my school(well we have it but everything was disorganized and there were not really do and discuss things together often, very rarely). In the west there’s stuff like MSA and I heard it’s really good for the youth to understand and learn more about Islam.

10. Stop debating on the internet about Islam
I think I am guilty of this years ago. I thought I was some mufti after reading a few lines of hadeeths and fatwas on the internet and began to preach about ideas which I have no knowledge of which was really dangerous. The brothers/sisters here on this board encourage to not have debates about Islam as learning about the deen is better and more important at our age. So there you have it, now leave those anti-Islamic groups and study with a ustadh! But if they do decide to provoke you than hit them back(not with a fist but with knowledge). Also, it’s important to get them to understand Tawheed first and foremost so remember that if you do get provoked.

11.Gaming is cool, just don’t over do it!
Yeah I’ve been there done that I think gaming takes a LOT of time. It is better to play games in moderation(best every weekend and not during school days). Also avoid PG games because they contain a lot of that bad stuff in em.There’s a Muslim Gamer community on the net so feel free to join them.

12.Listen to your parents
Because they're older and know what best for you.

I think this is it I guess thanks for reading. I think it sounds obvious but hopefully you get the point . I am speaking out of my own experience and there are many things I have left unspoken because I did not manage to solve them in the end and that is why I am leaving it to other members to give their advice too as they’re older and much mature than me.