YOUTH & RELIGION

 

By T. Sarlak

 

Faith in Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful, is an intrinsic part of the innate human nature. Thus, man inevitably reaches out to Allah and has no other means to satiate the God-Seeking or Truth-Seeking urge of his nature. One of the most invaluable gifts of "Iman" or trust in Allah is that at the time of distress or great difficulties, it serves as the coolest touch of healing. A youth whose faith in Allah is strong knows that when all worldly powers are helpless, He is the only real Power who can support and save His servant.

Ironically, just as a youth is inclined towards rebellion and sins, and is caught up in lustful desires, at the same time he experiences a strong God-Seeking urge in himself. Although in youth, all emotions are new and active, as soon as he reaches adulthood, his sense of religiousness awakens, since every youth is bestowed with a divine innate nature.

When a teenager is nearing adolescence, and adulthood, along with the growth of his physical strength, the seeds of faith and conscience begin to sprout in him and his inborn urge of faith and morality are strongly awakened. Studies show that the urge for religiousness begins at the age of 12 and in normal healthy people, faith in eternal truth and the urge to worship are strengthened as they grow up.

The natural tendency of youth towards moral and religious virtues as well as piety is so strong that even in not so religious families, they protest against their parents' non-religious and improper conduct and behavior. The inclination towards religion is so powerful in youth that as rightfully stated by most psychologists, there is an undeniable correlation between adolescence related crises and religious inclinations. Thus we find that even in irreligious families, very often at the age of maturity, their children show a lot of interest in religious matters.

To follow moral and religious tendencies means to abide by the law of creation. Taking the spiritual tendencies of the youth for granted and suppressing their religious inclinations is an outright breach of human nature `fetrat' and the order of creation and is bound to have serious repercussions. The Glorious Qur'an says:

"And whosoever gives no heed to My warnings shall live in distress." (20:124)

More often than not, this question may come up in the mind of a youth: "Why do I need to worship Allah?" Superficial answers to such questions would only frustrate him and he would never be placated.

The explanation to this question is that man, by nature, is egoistic and ambitious. He longs for superiority over others. These same characteristics reveal that his inborn urge is to seek what he lacks. Since he is innately weak and his knowledge is limited, he therefore, longs and urges for what he does not possess. So, inevitably he turns to Allah for he intuitively knows that He is the Only One who can satiate his urge.

It should however be mentioned that Allah does not need our services and it does not in any way exalt His Exalted position. He was Great ever before the creation of mankind. Our servitude to Allah on the other hand does not demean us in any way. So the question that arises here is what is the effect of this servitude in our lives. This very servitude gives us lessons of magnanimity, love, freedom, forgiveness and compassion - the fruits of worship and service to Allah.

Service to the One Supreme that frees us from the clutches of misery and bondage in the service of the lower self. Surely, pure worship of Allah reforms our intellect and minds and purifies our intentions. This purification puts us on the Path to Perfection. By nature, we are all seekers of Perfection and Truth.

 

Sources:

 

1-  "Youth & Religion", Dr. Mazloomi, Rajabali.

2-  "What Do the Youth Ask", A'lami, Muhammad Ali.

3-  "Youth from Point of View of Logic & Feelings", Journal of Islamic Knowledge.