Youth- Are you wasting it??- A must read for all..!!!!

Assalaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa BArakaathu!!
This is slightly long but please do bear with me,

Youth:
Youth! one of the most exciting phases of life! .Youth brings into the world something fresh and delightful that can be experienced and admired. One is full of strength ,stamina,Courage, ideas,dreams,passions and is highly emotional as well as his best in looks .What makes this phase of life more attractive is the increase of independance and permissions which one didnt have being a child . It is a time of experimentation, possibilities, and deciding in which direction one wants to go in life. Young people are more likely to engage in risky behavior and adopt new behaviors and values than older people, because they are in an information-seeking and testing phase.It is thus a proper period of adventure and freedom. Its so easy then to get swayed away by the zeal to enjoy and conquer the glamarous world while forgetting herafter completely as the distractions are tremendous each of them equally alluring and exciting.However where destructive temptations are in abundance, so are the opportunites to work for ones heerafter as one is strong and has a lot of stamina in young age.

Most remain safe from comitting major sins but do not stay vigilant enough about their religious obligations ( such as Acquiring knowledge of deen, work on one's relationship with Allah, dedicating oneself to worship , striving to increase one's eemaan) and thereby forgetting their real purpose of creation and that purpose is:

I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. [1]

O mankind! worship your Lord, Who has created you and those before you, so that you may ward off (evil). [2]


What exactly does worship mean?
We restrict the meaning of 'worship' to the religious rituals as prayers,fasting ,hajj etc.This is indeed a misconception. If worship merely meant these rituals then why didnt Allah ask us to pray and fast all day ,night??

so how do we define worship?
Ibn Kathir (d.774H), rahimahullaah, said:
"And ’ibaadah is obedience to Allaah by acting upon what He commands, and abandoning what He forbids"

So Prayer, fasting, zakaat (alms), Pilgrimage, supplication, vows, fear and trust and other than these are from the acts of worship.Doing zikr.making peace between people,speaking truth in adversity etc etc are all forms of worship.Even trying to ward off a sinful temptation for Allahs sake is a worship. Shaykhul-Islaam decsribed it so well

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) - rahimahullaah - said:
"Worship (al-’Ibaadah) is a comprehensive term covering everything that Allaah loves and is pleased with - whether saying, or actions, outward and inward."


Wasting youth:
People Usuallay think " Youth is the best phase of life and comes only once.so enjoy it to the fullest doing whatever you want wether permissible or inpermissible just for the sake of pleasure. such as gambling , drinking, watching vulgar movies,having illegal relationships with the opposite sex, using obscene language thinking its cool, improper code of dress, missing prayers for other things,a gang harassing a single person for funs sake,getting involved completely in ones education/career building etc by ignoring prayers/Quran/Acquring knowldeg of deen etc etc.
After all when else will one enjoy if he doesnt now? As for the religious duties and hereafter one can always do something about them later on in life in middle age or old age." People with such an attitude towards life should keep in mind:

No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow,[/b] and No soul knows in what land it will die[/b]. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. 31:34

They know only some appearance of the life of the world, and are heedless of the Hereafter.30:7

And whatsoever ye have been given is a comfort of the life of the world and an ornament thereof; and that which Allah hath is better and more lasting. Have ye then no sense? 28:60

O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers.63:9

Also:'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." "If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening"(Shahi Bukhari,Vol 8, Book 76,Hadith 425

Another thing they should keep in mind is that they would be questioned about how they used their youth:

“The feet of man will not slip on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked of five things: of his life as to how he spent it; his youth as to how he used it; his wealth as to where he got it and how he spent it; and of his knowledge as to what he did with it.” (At-Tirmidhi)




Tremenodus reward in hereafter:
and indeed in youth its a huge sacrifice to dedicate ones energy and abilities to coming close to Allah while not attaching much importance to worldly conquests .That is why Allah promises an equally enormous reward for the youth's enormous sacrifice of worldly pleasures :

Abu Huraira reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said:Seven are (the persons) whom Allah would give protection with His Shade on the Day when there would be no shade but that of Him (i.e. on the Day of Judgment, and they are):
1)A just ruler
2)A YOUTH who grew up with the worship of Allah
3)A person whose heart is attached to the mosques
4)Two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah
5)A man whom a beautiful woman of high rank seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): "I fear Allah"
6)A person who gives charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the right hand does not know what the left has given
7)A person who remembered Allah in privacy and his eyes shed tears.
[5]


Allahs coming forward to the person:
One has to strive to purify his soul to acheive Allahs pleasure and closeness. However doing this requires resisting many of the pleasures and fun activities his peers are enjoying which are not permissible or in accordance with Shareea and Sunnah.

Lo! We have placed all that is in the earth as an ornament thereof that we may try them: which of them is best in conduct. 18:7

The evil, and the good are not alike even though the PLENTY OF the evil attracts thee. So be mindful of your duty to Allah, O men of understanding, that ye may succeed. 5:100

It also requires the guts to stand up to the peer pressures, reject the longing of fitting in and holding on to the Sunnah even if he looks like a stranger/wierdo to the common onlooker:
Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring, and stored up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode. 3:14 Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who keep from evil, with their Lord, are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, and pure companions, and contentment from Allah. Allah is Seer of His bondmen, 3:15



But its not as if Allah lets anyone struugling on his own.Its a token of His mercy and compassion that Allah instead of watching him toiling and sacrificing from a distance comes forward to him ; as stated in hadith qudsi:

Narrated By Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Allah says: ' I am with him if he remembers Me.'.. ' and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I GO TO HIM running.'" (Shahi Bukhari,Vol 9, Book 93,Hadith 502)


Allah then strengthens his heart upon truth , increases him in guidance and forgve him.:as stated in the verses:
O ye who believe! If ye keep your duty to Allah, He will give you discrimination (between right and wrong) and will rid you of your evil thoughts and deeds, and will forgive you. Allah is of infinite bounty. 8:29 :


Allah makes it easy for him to bear the hardships with patience and helps him against those who try to harm him:He not only offers His full support but also love in return:
Narrated By Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, are the religious duties I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I BECOME his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him." (Shahi Bukhari,,Vol 8, Book 76,Hadith 509)

About what would one fear if Allah is with him?
If Allah is your helper none can overcome you, and if He withdraws His help from you, who is there who can help you? In Allah let lelievers put their trust. 3:160

Subhan Allah!! .and what a profitable sacrifice it is : (by 'sacrifice' i mean resisting ones mundane unlawful temptations(little or big) for Allah's sake)

Your wealth and your children are only a temptation, whereas Allah!with Him is an immense reward. 64:15 Whosoever surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good, he verily has grasped the firm hand hold. . 31:22 So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.64:16

But those who keep their duty to their Lord, for them are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will be safe for ever. A gift of welcome from their Lord. That which Allah hath in store is better for the righteous. 3:198



A Great example from Quran:
We have solid examples in Quran of how Allah helped the youth who turned towards Him with sincerity and devotion. He made them a sign for all the generations to come by helping them via miracle and gave them the honour of mentioning them in the Quran itself.yes i am talking about the Ashab-ul-kahaf.(the people of the cave)

Or do you deem thAt the People of the CAve And the Inscription Are A wonder Among Our portents? 18:9 We nArrAte unto you their story with truth. Lo! they were young men who believed in their Lord, And We increAsed them in guidAnce. 18:13

can you see the connection between this verse and all the bove mentioned hadiths??who were they? they were normal people like us in the wordly sense who had favoured and preferred Allahs pleasure over worldly pleasures.So Allah guided them and strengthened their hearts in return for their submission ,and helped them for their turning towards Him in sincerity.
The Amazing story:
They sought refuge in the cave from their people who turned against them for their submitting themselves wholly to Allah!

When the young men Red for refuge to the CAve And sAid: Our Lord! Give us mercy from Thy presence And shApe for us right conduct in our plight 18:10


Then We seAled up their heAring in the CAve for A number of yeArs. 18:11 And AfterwArd We rAised them up thAt We might know which of the two pArties would best cAlculAte the time thAt they hAd tArried. 18:12 And We made firm their hearts when they stood forth And sAid: Our Lord is the Lord of the heAvens And the eArth. We cry unto no god beside Him, for then should we utter An enormity. 18:14

These, our people, hAve chosen (other) gods beside Him though they bring no cleAr wArrAnt (vouchsAfed) to them. And who does greAter wrong thAn he who invents A lie concerning AllAh? 18:15 And when you withdrAw from them And thAt which they worship except AllAh, then seek refuge in the CAve; your Lord will spreAd for you of His mercy And will prepAre for you A pillow in your plight. 18:16


And you might hAve seen the sun when it rose move AwAy from their cAve to the right, And when it set go pAst them on the left, And they were in the cleft thereof. ThAt wAs (one) of the portents of AllAh. He whom AllAh guideth, he indeed is led Aright, And he whom He sendeth AstrAy, for him thou wilt not find A guiding friend. 18:17


And thou wouldst hAve deemed them wAking thou they were Asleep, And we cAused them to turn over to the right And the left, And their dog stretching out his pAws on the threshold. If you hAd observed them closely you would have Assuredly turned AwAy from them in flight, And would have been filled with Awe of them. 18:18

And they tArried in their CAve three hundred and nine yeArs 18:25

And in like mAnner We AwAkened them thAt they might question one Another. A speAker from Among them sAid : How long hAve ye tArried? They sAid: We hAve tArried A dAy or some pArt of A dAy, (Others) sAid: Your Lord best knoweth whAt ye hAve tArried. Now send one of you with this your silver coin unto the city, And let him see whAt food is purest there And bring you A supply thereof. Let him be courteous And let no mAn know of you. 18:19 For they, if they should come to know of you, will stone you or turn you bAck to their religion; then ye will never prosper. 18:20

And in like manner We disclosed them (to the people of the city) that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that, as for the Hour, there is no doubt concerning it18:21

There are countless examples from the biographies of companions of prophet as well .Am not mentioning them for the sake of keeping this short.


Conclusion:
So lets take lessons from the above story and strive to become deserving of Allahs love by making the most of our youth :
Jaabir (ra) said: “Seize the opportunity of five things before five things come to you: Your life before your death, your health before your illness, your free time before your time of occupation, your youthfulness before your old age and your time of wealth before your time of poverty." (Al-Haakim)

And staying patient in the face of hardships and warding off temptations as:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the HELL-Fire is surrounded by temptations(Sahih Muslim,Book 40Hadith 6778)

I close this topic with the following verses:

RestrAin thyself Along with those who cry unto their Lord At morn And evening, seeking His countenAnce; And let not thine eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world18:28

O mankind! Keep your duty to your Lord and fear a Day when the parent will not be able to avail the child in aught, nor the child to avail the parent. Lo! Allah's promise is the very truth. Let not the life of the world beguile you, nor let the deceiver beguile you, in regard to Allah. 31:33

Whosoever surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good, he verily has grasped the firm hand hold. . 31:22 So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.64:16

------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes:

[1]Surah/Chapter 051 - Az-Zâriyât. Verse 56.
[2]Surah/Chapter 002 - Al-Baqarah. Verse 21.
[3](Abu Dawud Book , 002, Hadith Number 1474)
[4](Shahi Muslim,Book 5,Hadith 2248)