For a hundred years, the same topics—wudhu, prayer, zakat—have been repeated. Youth are overwhelmed by modern advancements. Islam is rich with political, economic, and scientific principles. It’s time to present them through the lens of modernity.
Umair Malik
Friday is the most blessed day of the week, according to Muslim tradition. Its importance and sacredness are consistently emphasised in both the Sahih Hadith collections and the Holy Quran. The significance of Friday can further be traced to the fact that a whole Surah (Surah Al-Jumu‘ah) was named after the day. Moreover, there are a number of Hadith that support the claim that Friday is indeed the most blessed day of the week for Muslims.
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said, “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday” (Sahih Muslim). Everything that is mentioned in the Quran and Hadith with reverence must be equally important for every individual who believes in the Quran. Therefore, it becomes essential for every Muslim to reflect upon the bounties of this blessed day to make the most of it. In the Holy Quran, Friday is referred to as Jumuah, which means to gather at a particular place for congregational prayer, reflecting unity and integrity among the Muslim populace.
The most essential aspect of the Friday prayer is the sermon. The Friday sermon is mandatory. It is believed that if a person skips the sermon, his prayer is considered incomplete. Therefore, every Muslim must attend the congregation and listen attentively to the sermon. The importance of attentively listening is also emphasized in a Hadith where the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said that when the Imam is delivering the sermon, even telling someone to be quiet nullifies the reward (Sahih Muslim). But what makes this sermon so significant? It holds immense importance, which is why it is frequently highlighted in Prophetic sayings. If the sermon is so crucial, then it must be clear that its content should be engaging and thought-provoking.
Unfortunately, for the past hundred years, we have been hearing the same topics repeatedly. We are in the twenty-first century, yet we are still being taught the basics, such as how to perform wudhu properly, establish the five daily prayers, pay zakat, fast during Ramadan, or fulfil other essential obligations. These are the foundational principles of Islam and should have been firmly internalised by every Muslim from a young age.
It has been almost fourteen hundred years since the rise of Islam in full glory. We live in the twenty-first century with all the technological, political, economic, and societal advancements unravelling before our eyes. All we do is embrace these changes around us without even the slightest awareness of whether we are doing right or wrong. People, particularly the youth, are overwhelmed by these advancements. We are being constantly bombarded with distractions from all sides, to which we unknowingly succumb. Youth have found ways to seek constant entertainment through these developments. They find comfort in spending most of their time immersed in the elements of modernity of all kinds.
How are we going to be inspired by the teachings of Islam if they are being presented in an obsolete manner? Islam is the foundation of all things, be it academic, scientific, political, societal, or theological. It is filled with scientific miracles—if presented to the modern, pseudo-intellectual youth in an intriguing manner, it might stimulate them and help them develop an interest in the religion. Beyond the scientific, Islam is rich with political, economic, and philosophical principles like no other school of thought.
The Holy Quran is a timeless book. It is relevant to every era. If it were presented to youth through the lens of modernity, we would be more successful in connecting with their sentiments. We, the youth, have been deeply influenced beyond repair. In order to engage the modern young mind with theological ideas, it must be approached on psychological grounds. If a youth is interested in philosophy, he must initially be engaged with philosophical concepts from the Holy Quran or Hadith. The same applies to groups of youth with their respective fields of interest.
The need of the hour is to move beyond outdated methods of teaching religion and adopt a more modern and thought-provoking approach. Only then would we be able to truly captivate the youth, address contemporary challenges, and foster a God-conscious society.
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