Protect your youth man.. wallahi..

Youth is a precious gift from Allah that we often take for granted. It's a time of energy, vitality, and opportunity - but also a time when we're most vulnerable to temptation and sin. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

Hadith - "Protect Allah and He will protect you"

This powerful hadith reminds us that when we protect our relationship with Allah, He protects us in return. But what does it mean to "protect Allah"? It means protecting our youth from sin, protecting our time from waste, and protecting our hearts from corruption.

The Story of Yusuf (عليه السلام)

One of the most powerful examples of protecting one's youth comes from the story of Prophet Yusuf (عليه السلام). When he was tempted by the wife of Al-Aziz, he responded with the words that echo through time:

Yusuf [12:23] - "He said: 'I seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence.'"

Yusuf (عليه السلام) chose to protect his youth and his faith over temporary pleasure. His response "معاذ الله" (I seek refuge in Allah) became a timeless example of how to respond to temptation.

The Reality of Sin and Good Deeds

I know it's much more easy to say than doing, but they say in Urdu:

Which means: "Whenever you're reminded of the loss due to a sin, you'll feel hurt, and whenever you remember the benefit of a good deed, you'll feel happier."

And that is so true. Because to do a good deed, it's not easy, it's difficult. Yep, I'm going to just say the way it is. But the moment you've taken that difficult to gulp morsel of stopping yourself from that sin, or from doing that good deed, you will start feeling the happiness of it.

And of course, it appears far more tempting to indulge in a sin, but as soon as it's done, its sadness, and its pain begins, and stays as long as you remember that sin.

The Choice is Yours

So now is the time to choose. Choose yourself if you want to be happy or hopeless.

Every moment of your youth is a choice:

• Choose to pray instead of sleeping in
• Choose to read Quran instead of mindless scrolling
• Choose to lower your gaze instead of feeding your desires
• Choose to speak good instead of gossip and backbiting
• Choose to help others instead of being selfish

Protect Your Youth

Your youth is like a beautiful garden. If you tend to it with good deeds, it will flourish and bear fruit. If you neglect it with sins, it will wither and die.

Remember the words of the Prophet ﷺ:

Hadith - "Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death."

Wallahi - I swear by Allah - your youth is passing by like sand through your fingers. Don't let it slip away in sin and regret. Protect it with good deeds, and Allah will protect you in return.

May Allah guide us all to protect our youth and use it in His way. Ameen.