1989-July-21

Muslim Journal

Advice To Our Youth As They "Take Charge"
— excerpts from Imam W. Deen Mohammed's lectures...

Birthing A Future

And don't forget that when the new baby comes, to whisper in the ear the Adhan and whisper in the ear Al-Fatiha.

If we whisper into the child's ear what Allah has instructed us and inspired us to do through the teachings of the Prophet and the learned leaders of the religion, we will have given the child, something that is impossible to be erased from the mind. The child won't understand the connection, but the behavior down the road will be tied to what was whispered in the ear of the child.

Our Prophet (PBUH) said, "Everyone is born a Muslim, and it is the circumstances that they are put in that make them Jew, Christian, or other." Science, as you know, points to two factors (conditions) as being responsible for forming us. One is our genetic makeup or what we have inherited genetically from our parents and from those behind us. The other is the environment. This is Western science, and I would say it is universal. Again there are basically two circumstances accounting for what we are and the conditions that we have internally. There are the genes and the environment that we so happen to be of or in.

I don't know how many of us will be concerned to work for the better genetic outcome of our life. However, according to science it would make good sense to work for the better genetic outcome of your lives. It would make for good sense to seek mates of good nature, of good behavior, of good reputation, and of good mind to get involved with. The likelihood the child will be raised properly and influenced rightly will be improved.

I think it would not only be scientifically backwards but it would just be ignorant and a lack of common sense to readily go and pick some trash or some junk or some filth or a wreck from the society and mate with them. It would only make sense if trash was mating trash or reform was a sure thing.

Our religion tells us to not pick a mate out of lust or out of sexual desire. Mere sex is no grounds, no justification for taking a person into marriage. If sex is the main motivation, then that marriage is not due respect. What should be the main motivation? It should be decency for intimate relations, male/female companionship. One should be looking for decent company and decent involvements. One should took for the qualities there that will support the life in the home being good and better.

Each generation should seek to improve on the generation behind, t should want my family to be more accomplished than my father's family. The next generation should strive for more in terms of virtuous life, education, material success and whatever. That is how we should be motivated.

The Prophet, the peace and the blessings be upon him. said '"Allah prescribed excellence for everything. "The Prophet also says "The Muslim, whenever he endeavors to do anything, he seeks to perfect it."

We should have this quote on the wall of every classroom in the Muslim schools. That will motivate our children to aim for excellence or for perfection.

Luqman's advice to his son...

"Hast thou not seen how Allah causeth the night to pass into the day and causeth the day to pass into the night, and hath subdued the sun and the moon (to do their work), each running unto an appointed term; and that Allah is Informed of what ye do?"

30. "That (is so) because Allah, He is the True, and that which they invoke beside Him is the False, and because Allah, He is the Sublime, the Great."

—Holy Qur'an 31