All too often, we see individuals being raised up by their communities and then just leaving when they’re old enough.
When they were younger, they used to attend the full-time/weekend school, spend hours at the playground with other children, attend the after-school Karate or sports program, participate in the community festivals, get scolded by their wizened elders, and get loved and spoiled by their uncles and aunties…They were being raised by the whole village, by the whole community.
What do they decide to do?
They turn their heads in scorn and traipse out the second they’re allowed to. They forget the love and care that was shown to them throughout the years. They forget the countless hours of works their parents spent to make sure they grew up to become happy Muslims. They forget the harsh sacrifices their teachers had to endure to make sure they received a high-quality Muslim education.
They forget all of this, and embrace the ‘real world’ with open arms. They stifle any thoughts of their childhood and try to fit in with their new circle of college students. They walk by former acquaintances without even a nod of acknowledgement. They ignore any pleas of help and assistance from their families and community members. They would rather live the high life. They would rather move up the career ladder, forgetting who were the ones responsible for their education and upbringing. After all, it was them that had to work hard, not their families, right?
Wrong. Believe that your community didn’t have a positive role on you, and you have committed a great travesty. Believe that you don’t need to give back to your community, and you have have committed an even greater travesty.
It’s time that we remember and appreciate the ones who brought us up. It’s time that we contribute back to the community that lovingly brought us up. It’s time that we realize that the Ummah will only move forward when we fix what is in ourselves and reach out to those all around us. It’s time we understand that we must be the flag-bearers of the new generation. It’s time that we stop being selfish and become selfless.
May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) guide us all and help us to give back in a most beneficial manner to our communities.
9 Comments
it’s a pretty persuasive article with a lot of truth in it-good point to bring up. I have to say something though. Many people in the community seem like they don’t want to have anything to do with you when they go to high school and college and sometimes new acquaintances are better, or should I say, more loyal than old ones. Also, people at the local masjid seem to be showing attitude to many people around them. Through my personal experience, teachers are mostly the only people who ever greet you the way Muslims should greet eachother, even years later.
Thanks for the kind words.
It’s true that a lot of the people in the Masjid show attitude, but there’s so much we can learn from them (big hint: that’s my next blog post Insha’Allah lol). Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise; my Imam says that we should treat the Masjid not like a bootcamp, but as a hospital. If someone comes in with an illness, like smoking or drinking, do we boot them out of the Masjid or do we bring them in kindly?
From your experience, you say that teachers are the only ones that treat people the ways Muslims should do. As a challenge for me, you, and all other young Muslims, we should defeat that stereotype and be shining examples amongst ourselves. We should be the ones that go back to our communities and have a smile (even if forced) pasted on our faces as we great everyone and to genuinely be interested in them. Keep a look out for the next post Insha’Allah!
It all comes down to your understanding of Islam. If you truly understand Islam, you know that although there were some issues in the past you’d had to deal with, ignorance of others, and things like that, it’s always best just to act kindly towards people, especially those who only try to benefit you.
I always wondered and questioned the American system, you go to school, and then you send your kids off to live on their own in a campus, where they WILL get involved with the “experimenting” that goes on in college (drugs, girls, etc.). Unless, of course, they have a solid Islamic foundation. But, I don’t get the point of just barely teaching them how to stop drop and roll, and throwing them into the fire (for lack of a better analogy).
Wondering how your next post is going to be…
@Shiney @Jawaad We decided to make it a group post so that it’ll be more interesting. Insha’Allah, it should be released by Sunday. But before then, we’ll have other articles Insha’Allah :)
It all comes down to your understanding of Islam. If you truly understand Islam, you know that although there were some issues in the past you’d had to deal with, ignorance of others, and things like that, it’s always best just to act kindly towards people, especially those who only try to benefit you.
I always wondered and questioned the American system, you go to school, and then you send your kids off to live on their own in a campus, where they WILL get involved with the “experimenting” that goes on in college (drugs, girls, etc.). Unless, of course, they have a solid Islamic foundation. But, I don’t get the point of just barely teaching them how to stop drop and roll, and throwing them into the fire (for lack of a better analogy).
Wondering how your next post is going to be…
@Shiney @Jawaad We decided to make it a group post so that it'll be more interesting. Insha'Allah, it should be released by Sunday. But before then, we'll have other articles Insha'Allah :)
short and sweet
good read alhamdulillah
Asalam Alaikum,
This article is taken out of context. ‘Emo’ stands for ‘emotionally hardcore’. Being ‘emo’ doesn’t mean being depressed or having suicidal feelings. It’s just a label used for people that listen to rock music that usually has emotional lyrics. Bands, such as My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, Rites of Spring, Green Day, Embrace, & Jimmy Eat World are examples of ‘emo music’.
The stereotype of ‘emoes’ is inaccurate. Being ‘emo’ doesn’t translate into depression, self harm, or suicide. Being ‘emo’ just means you enjoy ‘emo’ music. That’s all.
I would recommend you study your material before you make an article about it; you are misleading others and inaccurate.
Take a look at these articles to learn a little more about the ‘emo’ community:
http://www.emo-corner.com/what-is-emo/
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Emo_vs_Goth
Wa alaikumus salaam,
I think you meant to comment on the Emo Muslim Youth post. In any case, there are multiple definitions of ’emo’ – https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/emo. I’m not talking about the musical definition of it and do not consider the piece to be misleading and inaccurate.