This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah, the Lord of Glory, has narrated the incident of a few young men in the Holy Quran in Surah Al-Kahf, stating that these youths rejected the worship of false gods and raised the slogan of worshiping the One True God. When their people made their lives difficult and the earth, despite its vastness, became narrow for these few believers, they took refuge in a cave. Allah Almighty has mentioned their story in the following manner:
﴿نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِالْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى . وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَٰهًا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا. هَٰؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً ۖ لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ ۖ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا۔﴾
“We relate to you their true story. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance. And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and said, ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; we will never invoke any deity other than Him, for then we would have said an outrageous thing. Our people have taken besides Him gods to be worshipped; why do they not bring for [worship] of them a clear authority? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah untruth?’”
Reference: (18-Al-Kahf:13 to 15)
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, has inferred from (إنهم فتية) that “young people accept the truth more quickly than the elderly. This is why most of the elders of Quraysh remained upon their disbelief, and very few of them accepted Islam.”
Reference: Reference: Taysir al-Rahman: 835/1
That is, the duty of the youth is to invite to monotheism and forbid polytheism. Its virtues are many. Such youths have been highly praised in the Quran and Hadith.
عن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ”سبعة يظلهم الله فى ظله يوم لا ظل إلا ظله: إمام عادل، وشاب نشأ فى عبادة الله، ورجل قلبه معلق فى المساجد، ورجلان تحابا فى الله اجتمعا عليه وتفرقا عليه، ورجل دعته امرأة ذات منصب وجمال فقال: إني أخاف الله، ورجل تصدق بصدقة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه، ورجل ذكر الله خاليا ففاضت عيناه“.
Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “There are seven whom Allah will shade on the Day when there is no shade but His shade: 1) a just ruler, 2) a youth who grows up in the worship of Allah, 3) a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, 4) two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, meeting and parting upon that, 5) a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position to sin, but he says, ‘I fear Allah,’ 6) a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, and 7) a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes fill with tears out of fear of Him.”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Charity with the Right Hand, No: 1423 - Sahih Muslim, Book of Zakat, Chapter on the Virtue of Concealing Charity, No: 1031.
Whoever worships Allah in youth will be granted a place under His Throne’s shade. Not only that, but if one who performs acts of worship in youth becomes ill or old and is unable to perform good deeds, Allah will reward him during his days of illness based on his youth and past righteous deeds. As narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
إذا مرض العبد أو سافر كتب له مثل ما كان يعمل مقيما صحيحا
“When Allah’s servant becomes ill or is traveling, the reward is recorded for him according to his state of residence and health (even if he cannot perform the deeds during illness or travel).”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Jihad, Chapter: The traveler is recorded as if he was resident, No: 2669.
Similarly, the acts of worship and righteous deeds that can be performed in youth cannot be done in old age, because old age itself is a great illness, lacking the strength and power of youth, and thus many deeds remain undone. Therefore, Muslims are urged to consider youth as a blessing. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
”اغتنم خمسا قبل خمس: شبابك قبل هرمك، وصحتك قبل سقمك، وغناك قبل فقرك، وفراغك قبل شغلك، وحياتك قبل موتك“.
“Take benefit of five before five: 1) your youth before your old age, 2) your health before your sickness, 3) your wealth before your poverty, 4) your free time before your preoccupation, and 5) your life before your death.”
Reference: Mustadrak Hakim: 306/4 - Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir No: 1077.
Since youth is like a wild and unruly horse, it is difficult to control. Attention to worship is very little in it. So, the youth who controls the impetuousness of youth and suppresses the desires of the self attains the following virtues. After monotheism, the second pillar of Islam is prayer, and its importance has been mentioned countless times in the Quran and Hadith. The true pleasure of performing prayer comes in the state of youth. Therefore, it is briefly mentioned here, and later the virtues of prayer and other acts of worship will be discussed.
