A Wake-Up Call
In college, you find a whole generation that does what they want. “Life’s short” they say, “let’s enjoy ourselves while we can.”
By Thasneema Rafic
When one examines why some youth deviate, a simple but terrifying fact is brought to light”most of the time, it is the influence of the friends that surround them.
Staying in and maintaining the right atmosphere is vital for a Muslim to be able to avoid deviation from the right path. The type of atmosphere that exists amongst some of the youth today is corrupt, where the topics of discussion usually revolve around the opposite sex and ‘showing off’ to each other. This type of atmosphere only serves to agitate the Nafs of people and can potentially lead them further away from Islam.
Freedom
Young people live for the day when they can move out of the house and go to college and finally be ‘free'”’freedom’ from their parents, from restrictions on their lifestyle, from everyone telling them what to do. This is why in college you find a whole generation that does what they want. “Life’s short” they say, “let’s enjoy ourselves while we can.” So it goes for Muslims, too. In college you find the most disturbing things”Muslims who don’t pray, Muslims who date, go out to parties and drink.
Why is this happening?
For one, when students go off to the university, they think that what they believed in was blind. Many of them begin to think that religion is like a fairytale, and so cease to believe in it.
The Quran tells us again and again not to have blind faith, not to follow the religion of our forefathers, yet most have little knowledge about Islam and have maybe memorized the right rituals to get by. Why believe something on faith?, they ask. Islamic culture to these people means marrying someone they never knew. It means arranged marriages and never hanging out or having fun.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism in college is also a trend, unfortunately. If you don’t drink or party you’re seen as weird. Drinking is cool and a way for people to socialize, meet and have fun. The one who doesn’t is less of a person and ‘misses out’.
Without strong understanding of the values of Islam and a constant reminder from our friends, our youth will find themselves forced to “blend in”.
We as Muslims have stopped thinking. We may think about what our friends or other people will say, but we avoid thinking about the real issues.
We spend so much time on the opposite sex, thinking about career, money etc, but we forget to think about death and how much of this we will really be able to take to our graves?
Most of us believe we can make up for our actions later or think that we can be religious later. We are gambling. The stakes are high. Each of us needs to decide. On the Day of Judgment, it will be us alone who will be asked about our actions.
Verily We have revealed the Book to thee in truth, for (instructing) mankind. He, then that receives guidance benefits his own soul: but he that strays injures his own soul…
(Quran 39:41)
This is the true definition of freedom. To learn about Islam and the world openly. To contemplate on life and death. And after learning the truth, obeying the word of Allah.
Blurb: We spend so much time on the opposite sex, thinking about career, money etc, but we forget to think about death and how much of this we will really be able to take to our graves?
(The writer is a second year PUC student)
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