Challenges faced by Muslim Youth, Past and Present

Speech at AAIIL UK Convention (12 July 2009)

by Dr. Zahid Aziz

The Light (UK), September 2009 Issue (pp. 1–3)

وَ وَصّٰی بِہَاۤ اِبۡرٰہٖمُ بَنِیۡہِ وَ یَعۡقُوۡبُ ؕ یٰبَنِیَّ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ اصۡطَفٰی لَکُمُ الدِّیۡنَ فَلَا تَمُوۡتُنَّ اِلَّا وَ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۲﴾ؕ اَمۡ کُنۡتُمۡ شُہَدَآءَ اِذۡ حَضَرَ یَعۡقُوۡبَ الۡمَوۡتُ ۙ اِذۡ قَالَ لِبَنِیۡہِ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِیۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا نَعۡبُدُ اِلٰہَکَ وَ اِلٰـہَ اٰبَآئِکَ اِبۡرٰہٖمَ وَ اِسۡمٰعِیۡلَ وَ اِسۡحٰقَ اِلٰـہًا وَّاحِدًا ۚۖ وَّ نَحۡنُ لَہٗ مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۳﴾

“And the same [i.e., submission to God] did Abraham enjoin on his sons, and so did Jacob. … when death visited Jacob he said to his sons: What will you serve after me? They said: We shall serve your God and the God of your fathers … one God only, and to Him do we submit.” (The Holy Quran, 2:132–133)

According to the Quran, every generation which served God and did good deeds instructed the next generation to follow in the same path. Each generation was responsible only for what it did, and not for those before or after. The above passage goes on to say:

تِلۡکَ اُمَّۃٌ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ ۚ لَہَا مَا کَسَبَتۡ وَ لَکُمۡ مَّا کَسَبۡتُمۡ ۚ وَ لَا تُسۡـَٔلُوۡنَ عَمَّا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۴﴾

“Those are a people that have passed away; for them is what they earned and for you what you earn; and you will not be asked of what they did.” (The Holy Quran, 2:134)

Each generation of young people thinks that the issues and problems it faces are entirely new, unique and different from anything faced in the past. But often we find that they face problems very similar to the problems faced by previous generations. It is certainly the case with Muslims in the last 100 to 150 years. The most crucial issues facing young Muslims at the time of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement [Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian] have continued to be the ones faced by every later generation. I discuss three of them here.

Firstly, the world around us, in which we receive education, work and live, follows materialistic values only. It is concerned only with material welfare and progress, and material means of achieving the same. It does not accept the importance of any religious concept. In the time of the Founder of the Movement, young Muslims who received education on Western lines, and became doctors, lawyers, civil servants and other professionals, found themselves in such a world, even though the people ruling them were of the Christian religion. Materialism was creating doubts in the hearts about the truth and validity of religious teachings.

Secondly, at that time, as well as now, the religion of Islam and the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of God be upon him) were under heavy, bitter criticism. The charges against Islam and the Holy Prophet that are today published on anti-Islamic websites and forums are not new at all. The groups and movements which publicise them today may be different. The Holy Quran (51:53) says that making allegations against God’s messengers is like a legacy which is passed down by one people to the next.

Thirdly, the general Muslim response to these challenges was: either to withdraw into a world of their own and cling even more strongly to their traditional ideas about Islam, the same ideas that could not withstand the assault of the modern world, or a few responded by resorting to violence against the outside world which was threatening their ideology and religion. I need not elaborate to you that the same responses are found these days.

The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement showed his young followers how to meet these challenges. Firstly, he inspired them with the truth of spiritual values: that a human being does not merely consist of a physical body and brain, but has also within him a spiritual life that needs to be awakened and developed and catered for. A human being cannot display and bring out all the qualities placed in him unless he develops his spiritual life. And the prime means of doing so is by contact with God through prayer. This is why we find that those young followers of the Founder, that I mentioned, took to prayer as a thirsty person takes to water. This awakened a true and deep faith in their hearts. This faith and spiritual experience combated the materialistic influences of the outside world upon them. The spiritual inner strength that they gained also made a deep impression upon those who came into contact with them, and then further through their writings and their work of propagation of Islam this spiritual power also cast an influence on the outside world.

Please remember that Islam is not competing with the materialistic world in the material field, saying that it provides a better alternative political or economic system. It is fulfilling a human need for spirituality which materialism is ignoring. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement taught that materialism cannot be defeated by material means but only by spiritual strength which is superior to it.

Many people of course mock at the idea that prayer to God, or a connection with God, can achieve anything practical for you. You may be surprised to learn that even Muslims mock at the idea that you can achieve anything in this world through prayer. Many believe that the purpose of prayer or fasting is that God or the angels make a record that you prayed or fasted, and then you receive a reward after death in heaven for it. It has nothing to do, they think, with becoming a better human being in this life or bringing about reform of others through the spiritual power that it can give you. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement always wanted to see such people in his Movement who had attained the highest spiritual and moral stature through prayer. And the young people who joined him achieved that level.

To meet the second challenge mentioned above, that is to say, the malicious attacks upon Islamic teachings, the Founder himself produced much literature to rebut those attacks, and he inspired his followers to devote themselves to presenting the true picture of Islam, answering the needs and questions of the present times. It is a picture that appeals to the mind and heart, not repel them. We have that material, which we should develop further according to need. But we must put forward our arguments and true information with politeness and in a spirit of sympathy for our critics and detractors.

The third issue mentioned above is the wrong response of most other Muslims to these challenges to Islam. As we are Muslims, what other Muslims do in the name of Islam affects us as well. But our Movement has arisen with fresh approaches which are of course taken from within Islam but which others had neglected. We do not accept the attitude of becoming inward looking and keeping on clinging to certain wrong notions which have brought Islam into disrepute. We believe in investigating to find the truth and the facts, and in explaining our religion to others.

Regrettably, there are examples after examples of Muslims behaving quite foolishly out of ignorance, because of just following one another. A news recently spread among Muslims, passed from one person to another, that a new building had been constructed in New York as an insult to Islam because it was built in the shape of the Kaaba and is a 24-hour bar serving alcohol. Even a photo of the building was included in this news. Muslims were called upon to protest against this. As far away as Kashmir, Muslim students demonstrated against this insult to Islam. A simple checking of facts would have shown that the building was not a drinking bar but a computer store of the Apple computer company built in the form of a glass cube. For its opening ceremony, the building was draped over with a temporary black covering for unveiling at the opening. Hence it had some resemblance to the Kaaba during that period before its opening. Many Muslims believed the story of an insult to Islam merely because another Muslim, a friend, conveyed it to them. When the truth became known, Muslims were ridiculed by the critics of Islam.

What is the issue facing Muslims here, especially young Muslims who make greater use of the electronic means by which such stories are spread rapidly and far? The issue is, do you believe a story such as this, just because a friend has told you, and then you pass it on to everyone you can? This is actually a very difficult challenge, because they are urging you to defend Islam and people would feel it is their duty to do so.

When some allegation is made against the religion of Islam, most Muslims say that they are offended and hurt, and that it is their right to be safe from being offended. We, in this Movement, take the view that it is not our feelings that are of prime concern but the fact that the image of Islam has been damaged by a false allegation, and the prime concern must be to refute the allegation. We seek to gain respect for Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad, not that other people merely stop offending us while still entertaining false charges against Islam in their hearts.

Finally, I would like to point out that most prophets faced problems and challenges when they were young. Abraham was a youth when he realised that his people were wrong to worship idols (The Holy Quran, 21:60) and he would have to preach against it.

Ismail was young when he was faced with the question that God had commanded his father to sacrifice him, and he had to respond (The Holy Quran, 37:102).

Joseph was young when his brothers abandoned him and he was sold into slavery and faced the temptation from the wife of his master (The Holy Quran, Chapter 12).

Moses was young when he intervened to help someone who was being attacked and Moses accidentally killed the attacker (The Holy Quran, 28:15), and was then being sought for murder.

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of God be upon him) was young when he faced the issue of losing both his parents. If we study what prophets did in those situations, this can be a guide to us.

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