The prophet (ﷺ) always cared for youth and paid attention to them for they are always the future of our Ummah and the hope for a better life to come. And we, at the Prayer Center of Orland Park have a primary goal, which is to follow the path of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and keep caring for our youth.

How could it not be, when the entire Qur’an and Sunnah speak about the stories of young youth, and their impact on Islam and the call to Allah (ﷻ) and the truth? From the story of the young people of the cave, (أهل الكهف) where Allah (ﷻ) said: {It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance, and We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression} 18:13/14; to the story of prophet Ismail (AS) with his father Ibrahim (AS) when Allah (ﷻ) said: And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think. He said, O my father, do as you are commanded you will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast} 37:102; to the story of prophet Yousuf (AS); all spoke of young men chosen by Allah (ﷻ) to change the world into a better place and bring care to people to live in peace and gratitude.

The prophet (ﷺ) mentioned among the seven types of people that will be shaded by the Shade of Allah at the Day of Judgment a young youth who grows up worshiping God. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “There are seven whom God will cover with His shade on the day when there will be no shade but His: a just Imam; a young man who grows up worshipping God; a man whose heart is attached to the mosque from the time he leaves it till he returns to it; two men who love one another for God’s sake, meeting thus and separating thus; a man who remembers God in solitude, his eyes pouring forth tears; a man who, when accosted by a woman of rank and beauty, says, ‘I fear God’; and a man who gives alms concealing it so that his left hand does not know what his right hand bestows”.[1]

Look at the ten who were promised Paradise; Ali ibn Abi Talib converted to Islam when he was 9 years old; Talha ibn Ubayd Allah when he was 14 years old; Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Awwam when he was 16 years old; Saad ibn Abi Waqqas when he was 19 years old; Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abdurrahman ibn Awf, all in their thirties. And people of Medina entered the religion of Allah (ﷻ) at the hands of Musaab ibn Umair when he was in his twenties. And Mu’adh ibn Jabal converted to Islam when he was 18 years old, and the Prophet (ﷺ) sent him as a judge over Yemen when he was 20 years old. From all this we can conclude that Islam was built on the shoulders of young men who carried this trust (أمانة) to us.

We at OPPC, focus on the following:

• Education and servitude: through example and morals.
• Activism through service and perfection.
• Moderation and positivity: through knowledge and benevolence.

Education and servitude, by example and morals:

The wise words of prophet Luqman as mentioned in the Quran were: {O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you, for that is of the matters of determination. And do not turn your cheek toward people and do not walk on the earth exultantly (with arrogance), for Allah does not love any arrogant boaster. And be moderate (moderately humble) in your walk, and lower your voice, for the most disagreeable of voices is the voice of donkeys} 31:13. And from such wise words we at OPPC try to produce examples for young kids to follow from young men and women who carry the words of Allah in their lifestyle and manners.

Jundub Al-Bajali narrated that we were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and we were young men in the heat of youth (the period of strong youth), so we learned faith before we learned the Qur’an, then we learned the Qur’an and our faith increased.[2] And the prophet (ﷺ) said: “A servant may attain great degrees in the Hereafter and honorable stations through his good character, even though he is weak in worship, and a servant may attain the lowest level of Hell through his bad character”.[3]

Activism in service and perfection:

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: O Messenger of Allah, which people are most beloved to Allah? And which deeds are most beloved to Allah? He (ﷺ) said: “The most beloved of people to Allah is the one who is most beneficial to people, and the most beloved of deeds to Allah is to bring joy to a Muslim, or to relieve him of distress, or to pay off his debt, or to drive away hunger from him. And for me to walk with a brother in need is more beloved to me than to seclude myself in this mosque for a month“.[4] And the prophet (ﷺ) said: “Allah loves it when a servant does a job to perfect it“.[5]

Moderation and positivity through knowledge and benevolence:

Omar bin Al-Khattab gave precedence to Ibn Abbas for understanding the Quran over the elders, as in chapter (Al-Nasr) where Allah (ﷻ) said: {When there comes the victory of Allah and the conquest}. He asked elders about the meaning and they said it was a reminder to the prophet to praise God and ask for forgiveness. He asked the young Ibn Abbas: What do you say, Ibn Abbas? He said: That is the term of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah says to His Messenger: When Mecca is conquered and people enter the religion of Allah in droves, then your message has been completed and your term has drawn near, so prepare for the Hereafter by seeking forgiveness and glorifying Allah. Omar said: I see nothing but your opinion. And we always teach young ones this Hadith: “If the Hour comes and one of you has a seedling in his hand and he is able to plant it, then let him plant it, for he will have a reward for that“.[6]

This is how we do business at the Prayer Center of Orland Park when it comes to caring for our youth. We ask Allah (ﷻ) to bless our work and to give us the strength to continue serving them and our beloved community, Ameen.

Imam Kifah Mustapha

[1] Bukhari

[2] Ibn Majah

[3] Al-Ghazzi

[4] Tabarani

[5] Baihaqi

[6] Ahmad