Question:

Could you please clarify how does Islam care about youth? Pls. give an example from the Prophet’s life. In other words, how did Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) care about youth?

Answer:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

The skeleton of the Muslim Ummah was generally established on youth. The first wave of Muslims to travel from Makkah to Madinah to give the first covenant were mostly youth. The Prophet’s companion Ali whom was given the entire trust during the Prophet’s immigration (hijrah) was a teenager.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave special care to youth throughout his life. The most famous scholar Ibn Abbas had not exceeded the age of 15 when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) died. `Abdullah ibn `Umar offered to fight in the Battle of Badr before the age of 14 but he was rejected admission for his young age. He was a very-well prepared mentally and spiritually to fight at the age of 14 due to the special care of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for youth. When he turned 14 he offered to fight in the Battle of Uhud, and he was admitted.

The first ambassador of Islam to Madinah appointed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) was very young famous man among his youth group. He was Mus'ab ibn `Umair (may Allah be Pleased with Him).
Sayyedna Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas was the third person to become Muslim among the Muslim Ummah, and he was a very young man. Before the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) he was preparing a huge army to face the Roman army, and he appointed Osama Ibn Zaid, at the age of 16, over the names of big Companions like Abu Bakr and Omar (may Allah be Pleased with them all), just as an example to show that if a young person is very-well prepared and qualified, he will be able to play a significant role that will have heavy impact on the Muslim Ummah.

We should not forget that Lady `A'ishah was most famous scholar of Islam at the age of 18 at the time of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) death, and this could not have been if it were not for the Prophet Mohamad's (peace be upon him) special care for youth.

Finally, we should remember all of Prophet Mohamad's (peace be upon him) hadiths directed to the youth, regarding their marriage, their education, and their health, and their special status on the Day of Judgment (among the seven categories of people that will be shadowed with the shadow of the throne of Almighty Allah is a young person who grew up and was nurtured in the obedience of Allah).

May Allah protect our youth and give them the guidance to utilize what they have been given by Allah for the service and interest of Islam and all mankind.


Allah Almighty knows best.

Source: Islamonline.net