This does not mean young Muslims should not enjoy themselves with games, sports and relaxing with each other they should as these are all mubah (‘allowed’). We often set worldly goals and work towards them to the exclusion of our deeni objectives while both the dunya and akhirah must be sought, the crucial point is that they must not distract from our important obligations which are to worship Allah, come to have knowledge of Him, carry da`wah (‘the Islamic call, invitation to Islam’) as well as to prioritise what He and His beloved Messenger (ﷺ) have prioritised. In a society that directs our attention to entertainment and pleasure-seeking, this should resonate strongly with us.
Imam al-Ghazali is warning us with this quote from al-Junayd that ultimately what matters in life is the devotion one has to Allah (swt) and which is manifested in actions that Allah (swt) truly knows of us. 298/910) remarks: “…we only benefited from the small units of Prayer we did late at night.” Thus, both knowledge and actions have to be combined for a person to have a consistent Islamic personality ( shakhsiyyah).īoth the mentality (outlook, ideas and concepts) as well as one’s behaviour (actions, morals and disposition) must be consistently based on one standard and belief – the Islamic standard and belief.Īdvice 3: Imam Abu ’l-Qasim al-Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. However, if one has knowledge but it does not cause them to move and act then this knowledge is not beneficial and in effect makes it pointless and this is the most unfortunate kind of knowledge. he may be praying incorrectly, fasting incorrectly, buying and selling incorrectly, justifying disobedience to Allah without knowing, etc.). If he does not have the required knowledge then he may not know whether he is performing his actions correctly and acceptably according to the rules of the Shari’ah (e.g. The advice here is extremely important in that a person needs both knowledge and action. It is inconsistent because a person ought to practice what they know and teach it to others and it is a failing and weakness because their knowledge should make them act but it does not and this is the most unfortunate kind of knowledge.Īdvice 2: …O beloved disciple, knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge can’t be! Imam al-Ghazali is advising that this is wholly inconsistent and a big failing. Their knowledge is almost academic and non-practical. Some young Muslims today – especially those who read Islamic books or even academic material – love debating, arguing and talking about Islamic topics and issues (especially in ` aqidah and fiqh) but they do not act on what they know or do so with great deficiencies. It contains rich advice that is just as relevant today and which we present as a reminder to all brothers and sisters, young and old.Īyyuhal-Walad al-Muhibb (My Dear Son) – Although it is around a thousand years old, it has a rich trove of advice for the current youth in our times who are trying to navigate around the complex experiences and challenges that make up modern life in order to change from a heedless and neglectful state to an altered state or condition.īelow are just a few snippets of examples from this wonderful book and their relevance and applicability for the youth in their contexts:Īdvice 1: If a person reads and teaches a hundred thousand books on intellectual and knowledgeable issues but does not act on any of it, it will not benefit him at all… Among the many beneficial writings he left the ummah, the great scholar Imam Al-Ghazali ( Hujjat ul-Islam) wrote a small book of advice to a young student.
0 kommentar(er)
