Involving Islam in Youth Life

Muslim youths have important roles in developing Islamic civillization. Muslim youths are the engine room of the society in Islam. History has proved that Muslim youths held important roles in developing Islamic civilization. First, Muslim youths hold role as pioneers in developing Islamic civilization. For example in Abbasiyah’s era, there was a skillful scientist which known as Ibnu Sina. In his very young age, he had become a pioneer in medical aspect. Since 16 years old, he had succeeded to invent a proper medicine to cure people. And amazingly his masterpieces still become base reference in medical aspect until now.

Second, Muslim youth also hold role as main powers in developing Islamic civilization. Muslim youths become main powers in Islam because naturally the characteristics of youth can support to develop Islamic civilization. Youth has characteristics such as strong psychics, high spirit and also young age is a productive age so typically youths have creative and innovative thinking. For example, in history there was Usamah bin Zaid, in 18 years old he became a very young commander and he had succeeded to lead one of the biggest combats Prophet Muhammad’s era.

And the last one, Muslim youths hold role as agents of change in developing Islamic civilization. History shows that Muslim youths had many masterpieces especially in spreading Islamic values to the whole world. It was caused by changes that had been done by Muslim youths. For instance, Muhammad Al Fatih, he had conquered Constantinople from Roman Empire. This was a great change that had been made by him. Prior to him, there was no Kings from Osman Empire who could conquer Constantinople from Roman Empire. And this change could make Islamic civilization became a great civilization and Muslim could spread its values especially in Europe and other countries. This is the one of many facts that Muslim youths hold important role as agents of change especially in developing Islamic civilization that we could take as a lesson to be understood and implemented.

In Prophet’s era and his companion’s era we realize that so many Muslim youths led their social life by involving Islamic values, and by that they could . But in this era, we still find so many facts which show that most of Muslim youths do not involve Islam in their social life. For example in Indonesia. Now in Indonesia the most widespread news which has been known by people is Awkarin’s case. Awkarin is 19 years old and she is a Muslim. Even though she is a Muslim, but her lifestyle, her behaviours, her words  apparently reflect no involvement of Islamic values in her social life.

Not only that, altough Indonesia is one of the biggest Muslim country in the world. Apparently most of Muslim youths in Indonesia do not involve Islamic values in their social life. And it has proven by some evedinces. For instance, it is common in Indonesia when you see many Islamic school students who learn Islamic subject in their school but outside the school they behave as free as they want without consider first the impact for their life, their society and their religion. Ironically they feel free to have a free sex, drugs and many more although they keep their prayers. Those evidences reflect that nowadays Muslim youths are lack in involving Islamic values in their social life.

The condition of Muslim youths as explained before will impact the development of Islamic civilization. Impacts of when Muslim youths have no involvement of Islamic values in their social life are critical for the development of Islamic civilization. When Muslim youths do not involve Islamic values in their education, they will have misguided education and unconsciously it will direct their education only for the sake of themselves, not for Allah. When many Muslim youths take education not for the sake of the betterment for society, it will make them become an individualism and materialism. And those values are not reflect what Islam teachs.

When a lot of Muslim youth do not involve Islamic values in their social life it will give big impact for their spirituality aspect. The sprituality in themselves will decrease. When it decreases, Muslim youth will take worship only as a routine. But when it comes to their social life, the spirituality in themselves is no longer prevail. And imagine if this happens in Muslim Youth, would the Islamic civilization still developing? Or otherwise? Of course, the development of Islamic civiliziation will not be achieved.

In addition, the last impact of having no involvement of Islamic values is a decline in morality aspect. We could see it from many facts in our society now. There are many youths who have bad moralities like Awkarin or other cases that have been explained before. Based on those cases we could know that Muslim youths can do immoral deeds like drugs, free sex, and many more. Once again, it is caused by no involvement of Islamic values in their whole life. If this happens continously, of course the development of Islamic civilization will not be achieved. Of course those impacts has happened because of some roots. And this article will find out the roots of no involvement in Muslim youth social life and also gives the problem solvings to overcome this phenomenon.

The roots of this phenomenon are complex but there are several subtantive roots which cause this phenomenon. One of big causes which make Muslim youth become secularism is because there is a lack of spiritual motivation in Muslim youths. Muslim youths have known about Allah’s commands but they don’t really understand about the reasons why they must do that command. Even some of them try to seek the reason, it will hard to find because the social environment, the media, and many other have less support in providing spiritual motivations.

In addition, there is also less holistic implementation of Islamic values in Muslim particularly in Muslim youths. Actually deep inside themselves, they realize that Islam also regulates about social life but apparently they choose to abjure that truth. They prefer to not implement Islamic values in their social life holistically. For instance in Indonesia, there is a rule in Islamic school that the female students must wear a veil. But most of them wear a veil only in their school, they don’t implement to wear their veil in their home, or another place. This is so evident that there’s still less holistic implentation between Islamic values and social life in Muslim youths life.

Conciously or even unconciously nowadays many Muslim, particularly Muslim youth have shallow understanding about Islam, they only understand that the role of Islam is only as a private, personal and indifferent with their social life. Because of this understanding, Muslim youths tend to not involve Islamic values in their social life.

Even those conditions happen massively in Muslim youth's life. But it does not mean we can't do anything to overcome this. There are so many things that we could do as a young Muslim to involve Islamic values in Muslim youth's life. The first thing that we should do is involve Islamic values in all parts of our life. We could involve Islamic values in Muslim youth’s life by put these in our daily activities. For instance, in interacting with other people especially our friends. We have to choose who is a good friend and a bad friend. Who could take us to Islamic way and who could take us far away from Islamic way. Who could make us become a devout Muslim and who could make us become a apostate Muslim. If we do these, we could prevent and decrease impact that caused by no involvement Islamic values in Muslim youth’s life and could re-develop Islamic civilization become the greatest civilization in this world that have been achieved in long time ago.

We can't deny that secularism has been influenced Muslim youth's mind massively and rapidly. But we should do something to overcome this condition because Islam teachs us to imply its values holistically. And the best way to show that Islam is proper with our social life is enlightening them who still believe that Islam shouldn’t be involved in social life with Qur'anic way, give responsible arguments and avoid any forces to invite them to involve Islamic values in their social life.

Now we understand how important Muslim youth’s roles in developing Islamic civilization. Muslim youths could be the key of the decrease or increase of Islamic civilization. So, as a great Muslim youth we should involve Islamic values in all parts of our life to achieve good moralities, to build good system and to make our civilization become the greatest civilization in this world.