let me take you to the world of the best generation on the surface of the earth to see what made them the best. These young men were the ones who brought Islam to us. NO one could match them in any field be it bravery or generosity or affection.
Abdullah ibn Umar’s r.a.respect for his parents is seen in an incident when he saw his father’s friend walking in the sun. The young Abdullah jumped down form his horse and offered the old man to ride on is animal and then he removed his turban and placed it affectionately on the man’s head !!!!! A gesture unmatched! He then recalled the Prophetic guidance : Who ever wants to be good to his parents even after their death should be good to their relatives and friends. Compare it with today’s youth. Some of them don’t even share their income with their retired parents. I have known some young men staying with their parents in the same house but secretly hiding dry fruits from their parents keeping exclusively for their wives and children.
Jabir bin Abdullah’s (r.a.) parents had died and had left 9 daughter to be brought up. So Jabir married a widow who was around his mother’s age, so that his sisters can get motherly affection. Affection unmatched!
Once, the Prophet (pbuh)was requested to pray the Salatul Janaza of a dead man. He asked, “Has the dead man left behind any debt?” It was told to him “yes” So he announced, “Is there any one who is ready to pay the debt of the dead man?” Qatadah (r.a.)was a young man in the crowd.. he said “ Yes! I will pay the debt of the dead man” Where did Qatadah (r.a.) learn this generosity from? Do we ever show readiness to pay the debt of our own father? The same Qatadah once saw his debtor shying away from him because he was unable to pay his debt to Qatadah. He called upon him and said..Go! Your debt is pardoned.
When the People of Makkah had gathered out side the house of the Prophet to kill him.. and the Prophet quietly left for Hijrah.. It was Ali the young man who took his place and slept under the blanket to hide the migration of the Prophet (pbuh). What a risk! It seemed like a hundred percent death if he was caught yet Ali offered himself.. What an unmatched love for the Prophet (pbuh)! During the battle of Khyber, a strong warrior from the enemy camp strode arrogantly before the Muslims and challenged them to come for a one to one combat. He was a heavily built and had a fearful appearance. The Prophet announced “Who will take him?” Ali the young man got up and went in.. the combat grew fierce and Ali killed the warrior. Unmatched courage !
The Qur’an is suppose to revolutionize your life and make you a practical person and not some one who just idealizes wrong people as his heroes and lives in a dream world of becoming famous and wealthy one day that would end up all his miseries. . Our youth have turned into a career oriented generation hunting for a high paid job and looking for a beautiful wife.
Today we have scores of young Muslims who queue up to join cricket coaching camps and football clubs to qualify for rich tournaments! But they ignore that being regular in masjid for prayers and being eager to reach for the next prayer, attending seminars in the Masjid to improve your knowledge, helping in masjid activities… qualifies you for being under the shade of the Arsh of Allah on the day of judgment, when there will be no other shade. But when your ideal places are Malls, sports grounds and theaters instead of Masjid then you are not the ideal youth the Qur’an calls for.
Author: Nisaar Nadiadwala speaks and writes on Socio-educational issues form Islamic perspective. He can be reached at nisaar_yusuf@yahoo.com