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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| The Sins Of Youth |
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| Asifa |
| 07/18/02 at 03:14:40 |
| The Sins Of Youth (Extraceted from Al-Haramain Website) We hope you have read our article on sins and their harmful effects. Some special mention is needed regarding young Muslims, especially those in their teenage years. It is often taken for granted that these are the years of carelessness and not those of serious thought. This is not an Islamic position. Indeed we find youth in the time of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) performing heroic deeds and very serious in their practice and dedication. Examples such as Ali Ibn Abi Taalib, Ibn Abbaas, Anas Ibn Malik, Usaamah Ibn Zaid, Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr, Ammaar Ibn Yaasir and others (radiallahu 'anhum ajma'een) will be forever remembered for their sacrifices and willingness to give their lives in the cause of Islam at tender ages. This is a character assessment checklist aimed at the youth to assist them in making their own assessment of themselves and decide if changes in their character are in order. Parents too can use it as a gauge. In fact, what is listed are sins certainly not limited to youth. Each point is an interrelated sin that either weakens eemaan or comes from weak eemaan. Some stem from others while others lead to something worse. Possessing any of them makes change necessary because to continue doing them may lead to worse sin, hypocrisy and disbelief. It may not seem like it, but even you, as young as you are, could face death at any moment. Do you want to meet Allah in a sorry moral condition? One step toward correction is recognizing one’s faults and setting out to do the opposite. A second step is honestly seeking Allah’s help and asking His forgiveness. There have been people who commit terrible sins and Allah has guided and forgiven them after true repentance and struggle with themselves. Certainly you can too. Look at yourself and ask yourself if you do any of the following: 1. Lie to and disobey parents 2. Raise your voice to or abuse parents or other family members 3. Disregard the advice of parents 4. Disrespect adults 5. Break your promises 6. Insult the opposite sex 7. Freely mix with the opposite sex by flirting or looking lustfully at them 8. Backbite and gossip 9. Look at bad movies and listen to music, especially sexually explicit types or that have a lot of profanity 10. Use profanity 11. Lie or steal 12. Devise ways to avoid anything Islamic 13. Spend your money on what is haraam 14. Think mostly of yourself and little of others 15. Do as little as you can to assist in the home 16. Put minimum effort into schoolwork 17. Imitate, respect or love the ways and manners of kuffaar 18. Act hard with Muslims and easy with kuffaar 19. Smoke or do drugs 20. Mostly keep company with weak and sinful Muslims or kuffaar 21. Waste a lot of time and never study the deen 22. Find it easy to do wrong and difficult to do right 23. Hate to be reminded of religious duties 24. Feel little or no sense of shame or modesty 25. Hate proper hijaab 26. Do not enjoy listening to the Qur’aan 27. Only try to learn Arabic or how to recite the Qur’aan if pressured 28. Don’t go to the masjid or consistently go late to prayer (for males) 29. when there is no obstacle to doing so regularly and on time 28. Dislike going to prayers or concentrate little in them and hurry to get them over with 29. Rarely give charity or gifts 30. Avoid the company of striving Muslims 31. Rarely or never make extra (sunnah) prayers 32. Read anything else other than the Qur’aan or authentic hadeeth that is of little or no value or haram 33. Read the Qur’aan or the hadeeth only if forced to 34. Attend circles of Islamic knowledge only if forced and pay little attention 35. when you do Never give thanks, seek forgiveness from Allah nor seek refuge from wrongdoing Don’t use the faulty logic that ‘I am young so I want to enjoy as much as I can before I get old and I will ask forgiveness before I die’! Such people almost never change on their own. They usually get worse because sins become a part of their character that they can no more rid themselves of than they could the noses on their faces. Being good or right according to Islam has absolutely no importance in their lives. Almost anything else is more important than their religion and they couldn’t care less about how Allah sees them. They may even be ashamed to be Muslim! This is a sure sign that they are headed for the worst fate if they don’t change. You are a Muslim and you must not take a defeated attitude or think that your sins affect you only. When the Muslims complain of their position or situation it is because there are too many of them who take the attitude that Islam is not the number one concern in their lives and it is not important to follow or that it’s for ‘old’ people. Are you a part of the problem or part of the solution? Practicing Islam to the fullest is a cause for great inner joy, satisfaction and happiness and totally eliminates the desire or need for any other means to feel good, better or best. May Allah help you to be the kind of youth that all Muslims can be proud of and not ashamed of or whom they disdain. We pray that you are a boon and not a burden to Islam and the Muslims. This can only occur if you are first a youth that Allah ta’aala is pleased with. Avoid Hypocrisy, Strengthen Your Faith, Depend On Allah, Make Your Islam Real! Jazak Allahu Khairun Asifa |
| NS |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |