Have you heard this before?

“Mum! I really do deserve a new computer!

You don’t know how fortunate you are to have a son like me! I don’t do drugs, drink alcohol, have girl friends or self-harm!

I
have no tattoos, no body piercing! I don’t even wear men’s jewellery!
I’m doing well at school and keeping out of trouble. I pray five times a
day! Really, I’m a gem!”

Did he get the computer?

I’ll keep
you guessing. But one thing is for sure, the meaning of ‘normal teenage
behavior’ has certainly changed. Back in the day, young people got an
education (if they were fortunate enough), played outside (yes, they
actually climbed trees), made friends (the good and the bad), kept out
of trouble because Dad would come home from work and hear about it, and
they grew up, looked back and thanked their parents and then got married
and so the whole cycle continued. Maybe life was somewhat simpler then,
who knows? Nowadays, it’s a very different story.

A Time to Sit and Think, or Just Sit?

Having
a computer is becoming a necessity in many Muslim households as parents
try to keep their children indoors; away from gangs, drugs, immoral
behavior and all things un-Islamic. So, armed with play stations, Wii,
laptops, iphones, ipods, ipads and any other gadget designed to wile
away time and prevent the human mind from actually thinking, parents
leave their teenagers in front of the ‘screen’, heave a sigh of relief
and get on with their lives which usually entails making more money.
Their job is done?

Today’s world is hell-bent on entertaining
people, especially young people; preoccupying them with films, sit-coms,
and advertisements. People, most notably the young, are being used as
consumers; they have been reduced to a ‘market’; an important part of
the money-making machinery of modern civilization. At the same time,
their senses are being lulled as they become more and more passive
observers of life; of themselves. This, at a time, when people have to
ponder, reflect and analyze what is going on around them as the world
dips, slips and slides its way into its shaky future. Young people are
being ‘taught’ to be passive, when there is a dire need to think and
feel. Instead, they sit in front of a computer, paralyzed; sitting in a
digital world.

Facing the Dilemma

Even
though some may try to hide behind a screen, young people bear the
brunt of what is going on in the world, because, after all, they are the
ones who will inherit the mess we have left behind. It is not a pretty
picture. Global warming, worldwide economic recession, wars, manmade
disasters (oil spills, cutting down rain forests), genetically
engineered food, precious animals going extinct and a myriad of problems
and dilemmas that the most well-experienced, well-educated people can
hardly comprehend, let alone fix.

How equipped are young people
to, not only, cope with what is going on, but to actually try to redress
the damage done by generations already passed? What will spending hours
every day sitting in front of various forms of screens do to help them
on their way?

So, here
stands our modern day young Muslims. Bombarded by temptations to try out
substances and behavior that threaten their worldly life and their
Hereafter, young people eventually face the world. Should they retain
their Islamic identity and hurl themselves into the fray they are often
ridiculed, ostracized, criticized or ignored. If they are not well
grounded in their faith, they will quickly fall prey to diverse beliefs
and stances and end up confused, lost and far from the straight path.

Those
who manage to maintain, and even develop, their identity as Muslims
then go to the next level of life’s tests. They have to live in the
world; use their Islamic understanding and ethics and make positive
change. Not an easy undertaking when the same young person is working
hard to make a living, deal with family, and maintain friendships, while
trying to be a good example and continue reading and learning. I wonder
at which point in this scenario did the computer actually get switched
off? Or, did the way it is used change?

Change Your Life

One
young Muslim man, aged 24 years, noted: “I sometimes have difficulty in
my life keeping on the Straight Path. I often feel isolated but there
is one thing I look forward to and that is the Friday Prayer at the
local mosque. Because I work night shift it is especially difficult
sometimes to wake up and get there on time, but I am determined. One
particular Friday I had to walk to the mosque because my car had broken
down but I counted the steps, eager for the reward of God and seeking to
be spiritually uplifted. I was hoping for some uplifting tafsir, some stories of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, I was saddened when the Imam spent the whole khutbah
talking about how the Muslims should park their cars when visiting the
mosque! I know that parking can be a problem, but, really, I wanted and
needed to be spiritually energized!”

He walked home afterwards
with plenty to think about. And perhaps because he was walking and not
driving, he came to an important realization: “I really do have to take
responsibility for my own spirituality!”

He
started to understand that his parents will not always be there to
motivate him, that teachers and friends come and go and that the mosque,
instead of being a place of peace and spiritual rejuvenation, can
actually sometimes be a trial. Once he took charge of motivating himself
and doing so on his own prayer mat, he started to feel stronger, more
confident and much closer to God Almighty.

What is the key to
living in a world where violence is the norm, where life is cheap, where
the human body is used for cheap pleasures or capital gains, and where
the ‘haves’ of the world indulge their greed while the ‘have nots’
suffer in silence with few voices advocating for them? Young people are
juggling their family obligations, religious duties, and educational
goals, while trying to make sense of a world that is developing
technologically faster than people are able to keep up and where
isolation and depression are rampant.

The Key

Your prayer mat is your starting point, and pit stop. The Quran
is your constant companion. Prophet Muhammad is your role model and
everything you have is on loan to you from God. God Almighty Says (what
means):

{To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on
earth. And those who are near Him (i.e. the angels) are not too proud
to worship Him, nor are they weary (of His worship).} (Al-Anbiya’ 21: 19)

Don’t
wait for others to inspire you, motivate you or come to your rescue. We
are living in an over-populated world that is bent on destroying the
very environment that is created to help us thrive.

We are living
in huge cities that spill out over what remains of greenery, nature, and
where people struggle and bicker for their rights, hardly pausing long
enough to take in the bigger picture; where are we all headed? Your
ability to survive and thrive in this world is based on your closeness
to God.

Take the initiative and draw up a plan of action for
yourself. Maintain your five daily prayers, seek knowledge, surround
yourself with positive people who share your goals, use your voice to
speak out against injustice; be the giver, not the taker, and trust in
God every step of the way. At the end of the day, we are born alone,
will die alone and will be raised alone and alone, we will stand before
our Maker and face the consequences of our life’s efforts. And we
certainly will not be asked about how many movies we watched or what
level of the game we got to!

In closing, let’s reflect on the words of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

Abide by what benefits you, seek aid with Allah, and be not disabled. (Muslim)