Youth In A Daze, Lost In A Maze
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-10T15:50:37.770519+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Youth In A Daze, Lost In A Maze
By Mufti Menk
Opening Khutbah
I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Quranic Verses
Quran 35:15-27
"O mankind, you are the needy to Allah, and Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. If He wills, He can remove you and bring forth a new creation. And that is not difficult for Allah. And let not a burden bear the burden of another. And if you call upon a burden to bear it, nothing will be carried from it, even if it be a relative. You only warn those who fear their Lord in the unseen, and establish salah. And whosoever purifies himself, purifies himself only for his own self. And to Allah is the destination. And not equal are the blind and the seeing. And not equal are the darkness and the light. And not equal are the shade and the heat. And not equal are the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes hear those whom He wills. And you cannot make hear those who are in the graves. You are only a warner. Verily, We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. And there is not a nation except that it has a warner in it."
May Allah bless him and all his household, all his companions. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless them and all those who have struggled through the years to preserve the deen and to convey it in a way that today it has got to us. May Allah bless every single one of us and our offspring, those to come up to the end of time. May Allah bless us all and grant us ease and goodness. Ameen.
Introduction
My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam. The youth are the leaders of tomorrow.
Without you, we have no hope in the sense that generations pass. As we become older, we look upon our own children to take leadership. We look upon our own children or the next generation to hold the reins of that leadership in every sphere of life, in every aspect.
So if a father is a doctor, for example, as he grows older, he would like to look at his son, at least one of them he would hope would follow his footsteps. The same would apply if a father has perhaps excelled in some field, he would like his children maybe perhaps to, at least one of them, follow that particular field or his footsteps. I hope it is the case, insha'Allah, where we are the role models of our own children.
So the youth is the future by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is why so many times we have a topic concentrating on the youth. And we have youth programs.
And we have, for example, the youth, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us, as they have labeled it today, the actual topic if you were to read it, it says, youth in a daze. Am I right? Lost in a maze. When I saw that, I looked at it and I said, subhanAllah, this clearly shows all the glamour of the world, that which is dazzling around us.
When we look into it, we become dazed for a while. And we think that's where we should be heading. Similar to sometimes, and this is an example I'm giving, it doesn't mean we've all fallen.
Sometimes you have a bright light. And you know the little locusts and the moths, they dive straight into the light. They don't even know where they are heading, they actually fly straight into that light.
Even if it is a fire sometimes, they will actually fly straight into it, and hurt themselves or harm themselves as a result. So why is it we talk about youth all the time? Because it is our duty to look at our children, to look at the generation, and to try and help them steer their energies in a direction that would be beneficial for them, and would result in them becoming leaders very quickly. Because when you use your energies at a young age, in a certain direction, you will perhaps achieve much more than those who are now older and withering.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us strength. Ameen. So this is why we like to speak about the youth.
The Importance of Hard Work
We have hope when you see a nation, and the youth are doing well, they are protected from the night life, and that is one of the most important points to protect ourselves from as we are growing. The hormones begin to change, you have the adolescent issues, the problems that are faced because so much is available. The last two days we've been talking about how so many things that are wrong are actually so easy to commit and engage in, but what is right is not so easy to do.
That's the plan of Allah. This is why he who works hard will achieve. He who does not work hard, how does he or she expect to achieve?
Hadith
Sahih Muslim
"Whoever works very hard shall achieve, and those who do not work hard, they cannot blame anyone but themselves, they will not be able to achieve."
Learning from Parents and Grandparents
So my brothers and sisters, we've been talking about it. And by the will of Allah, I hope that we are achieving something.
Like I say, if you do not make a very great effort to get up in the morning for salah, you will not be able to get up. So as the hormones begin to change, and the energies begin to develop, and you start eating a little bit more healthy, and you have more food, your muscles develop. A lot of the youth now would like to develop their muscles so that they look big and strong.
And when they look strong, they can walk in a way that everyone looks at them, you know what, I'm a man. I'm someone that needs to be looked at, considered and acknowledged. Oh, that's the youth.
So everyone has this. To the degree that we will even fight someone else who might be more popular than us. We might fight someone else at the school or the college or elsewhere that has something that we don't have.
Just because we want to stamp our authority. We are young. Now imagine everyone thinks in the same way.
How many youth we have? Everyone wants to be the top. Everyone wants to be right at the top. But the problem is, we want to be right at the top whilst we sleep lazily up to 11 o'clock in the morning.
Take a look at your parents. And this is point number one. Look at your parents and look at their humble beginnings in most cases.
How they struggled. Some could not afford shoes. Some not even school fees.
Look at your grandparents. What was their condition? Perhaps they lived in a house that was semi- standard. That which you might not even want to visit today, but they lived in it.
They worked hard. Some of them in the farms. Some of them wherever else they worked.
From the morning right up to the evening. They worked very hard. And they continued in one job for 50 years.
Continued. They struggled. They left a mark.
What did they want to achieve? They wanted to achieve two things. One is the service of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Come what may, we will serve Allah.
We will not miss our salah. We will try to develop that link with Allah. And the other is leading a comfortable life preparing for our future and our offspring.
My beloved youth, if you look at your own guardians and your own parents, they work so hard to earn a salary to do what? To send you to school.
Do you know that? So your father is living, or your mother is living, or the two of them are living. They are earning.
They are working so hard. Morning to evening they are doing their deals. Or for example, they go to work and come back.
Just so that the same time you spend at school, and the fees are no joke, they are quite high. They are becoming higher and higher. Today I was told of the rivalry between St. Thomas and Royal.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness. But the reality is, whether that is the case, we sometimes take for granted the fact that dad has worked so hard, here I am at school. Am I working even half as hard? That's the question.
So are we ready to put in an effort to make sure that that money is not gone to waste? Otherwise we'll be in a daze. We just, dad comes and drop me off with his Mercedes Benz. When I walk out I'm so happy because I'm the only one whose dad has the top posh vehicle.
If that's the case, what do you think you're going to achieve in terms of result at the end of the year? The children of others will come top. You need to work harder. Very hard work.
Without hard work we achieve nothing. We remain in a daze. Life looks like that which is supposed to just achieve everything beautiful, and everything that dazzles, and everything that glitters.
Like they say, not all that glitters is gold. The reality is, you have people who lead a very happy life, where they've been working so hard, they don't have half the things that you have, my beloved youth. I have seen in the rural areas of Africa, where there are people who walk miles on end going to school barefoot, and they work so hard, they come back, they achieve better results than those in the cities.
It happens. And I've seen those who work in their fields, and who plow even in this age, because without those who plow, how will the farm actually produce? You need someone to do that. Yet, if you were to look carefully at them, they also achieved good results at school.
They achieved a lot. They worked very hard. This is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
With us, a lot of us have it laid on the plate. Our parents have already laid it for us without us looking at what the parents have actually been through, in order to get it for us. And this is why, a generation passes, two generations pass, and sometimes the wealth is lost, in some cases.
The wealth is lost. And sometimes two generations passes, and the people who could not afford shoes and school fees, they have now become so wealthy, that the tables have turned completely. It has happened.
And it continues happening. But with us, whilst we are growing up, that adolescent age, remember one thing. Your parents are still your parents.
They will remain your parents. When they admonish you, it is not because they hate you. It is because they love you.
They love you so much, but perhaps they do not like the quality that you are beginning to develop. Some youngsters as they grow, they begin to learn bad words. The first time you hear the child bad word, oh, grade 7. Grade 7, he starts swearing his first Fs and Bs.
Yes. And that doesn't stand for Facebook. I've told you that before.
And he starts swearing. And the dad is shocked. My son, but I haven't sworn.
And some of the dads are innocent. Some of them, may Allah protect us, not innocent. They also have even more swear words.
So he says, but dad, you swear. He says, but I'm allowed. You're not allowed.
You're not a dad yet. May Allah protect us. That's a bad attitude.
So, we want to see the youth develop as parents. We too need to be the role models of our children. Like we always say, shame upon those parents who have not left their bad habits and they've already got children.
Shame upon them. A lot of us, we get married and we don't even know what marriage is all about. We have children before we are grown up in reality.
We have children before we know what responsibility is. Then we complain when they are not responsible children. But it's important as youth, we are growing with these energies, direct them in that which is beneficial.
Long term benefit. So, the first thing you need is good company. Make sure as you are growing, you're young, grade 5, grade 6, and you are developing form 1, form 2, in some places of the world, they call it grade 7 and 8 and so on.
Believe me, as we are growing and developing high school at the age of 12, 13, make sure that your friends are immaculate people who are well-disciplined, well-groomed, they speak with respect, they utter clear language, they are dedicated, they work hard, and they are go-getters who want to achieve. That is when it will be made easy for you to be focused. Very easy.
Because if we mix with people who are lazy, every Friday they want to party, then we have really lost the plot. Many young people live thinking that life is all about earning for five days of the week and partying for the other two. So, we earn for five days and party.
Come Friday night, we are out in the clubs. Come Friday night, we wear our little skirts, and we have our perfume and we go out, whether it's motorbikes, whether it's little motor vehicles, and we want to race
The Circle of Life
And you know what? The circle needs to continue. The generation needs to go. As the babies are born to parents, so you will become... those babies will become parents and they will also have little babies.
And then those who were babies, who became parents, will soon become grandparents and will have grandchildren who will then become parents. And those parents will then become grandparents and will have other grandchildren. And sometimes if you are lucky, great-grandchildren, whereas some of them will be orphans.
And then they continue. And they will die off. A new generation comes up.
There are new babies with new little children who then become teenage, who then get to the age of marriage. And I hope they get married properly. May Allah grant us goodness and ease.
And thereafter they will have their own kids and so on. Look at how it just continues. I can go on and on.
But that's the circle. So fulfill your role because we need you to complete that circle. We need you desperately.
And we need good people. And that is who you are. That is what we expect of you, my beloved youth.
Tomorrow we want one of you to be getting up and to be delivering the sermon where we can talk to people on their level. And we can try and explain to people, look, you are loved by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, so acknowledge that love. All of us, every one of us, we are loved by Allah.
But the problem is, we do not reciprocate that love sometimes. Or we do not acknowledge it. If Allah loves you, you need to love Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
By doing what? Minimum is just listen to Him. Listen to what He has to say. And believe me, if you listen to what Allah has to say, because He made me and you, He will actually guide you in such a way that you have the best of this world and the next.
The best. The problem with us, we are so lazy, we look at people who are, you know, enjoying the life. And believe me, there are people who have converted their life into singing and all dancing.
Allah has kept it such that those... And this is some broad statement I'm about to make. Allah has kept it such that those who have chosen a life full of entertainment alone, their lives are in a mess. I repeat what I'm saying.
Those whose life is solely entertainment, their lives are in a mess. You can pick up anyone of those who have dedicated their lives to perhaps singing and dancing and acting and so on. A lot of these people, they are slightly depressed, sometimes completely depressed, sometimes on pills.
You might get a handful who are the exception. But those at the top brass, a lot of them need a lot of help. They go for the help, they have their little shrinks that they go to.
You know what's a shrink? Like a psychiatrist, psychologist, those who deal with their minds and brains. Yet to the whole world they look, wow, this person is so gorgeous, look at what they look like, look at the acting they do, look at the songs they sing, look at the life they have, they have the night life, they have this, but their lives are in a mess. I don't even want to say their names, I have said them in the past.
Their lives are in a mess. So why is it kept that way? Whereas the most content of the lot of those who are spiritual, those who have a link with Allah, they lead such a beautiful life. They walk in barefoot, but they are smiling from ear to ear, and they have such joy and comfort.
You see them with their children playing, they don't need to make a show of it, because really there is a genuine relation between them and their children. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant that to us. So we choose.
And this is why we are not saying that entertainment is not permissible in Islam. There are limits within which we can enjoy as well. That is life.
But remember that is not the main aim of this dunya. You want to go out perhaps to have a meal, you might want to go out to a theme park with your little children and so on. Bear in mind the etiquettes of a Muslim.
And bear in mind the morality, the values that a Muslim is supposed to be having. And then you can continue. So you make sure you eat halal, and you make sure you try to go to a place where you are not going to compromise your deen.
And then you enjoy yourself and your children, but that's not what you will be doing every day, or every weekend. It should be staggered.
Because tomorrow we need you to be a leader.
And a leader cannot have his focus solely on entertainment and the enjoyment of the dunya. A lot of the youngsters are focused. I have sat and spoken to a few school going children, what would you like to be? One tells you, I would like to be this, and I would like to be that.
Mashallah, it's very encouraging. You hear one saying, I'd like to be an accountant, and the other one says, I want to be a pilot, and one says, I want to be a doctor, and the other one says, I want to study religion and theology, and one says, I want to solve the problems of the world, and so on. Beautiful statements being uttered by the youngsters of today.
But if you take a look at the trends, as the child grows slightly older, drop into bad company. Sometimes it even happens in the universities, where you go in with a good intention, you're so happy you got the place, and when you get in, one little mistake, and sometimes you spend a whole lifetime paying for it. Today we have teenage pregnancies.
Wallahi, it's something that is severely affecting society and community. A beautiful girl, and you know what? She fell, and this happens. May Allah protect us all for the devil's plot.
Like I always say when someone says, I love you. Anyone can say that. Is that the password to your heart? If that's the case, we all have the password to your heart.
Amazing. May Allah grant us protection. You need to know, I'm here at the college or at the university in order to be focused upon this.
Yes, in the process, mashallah, if something happens within limits of the sharia, and you'd like to get married, speak up, go back to your parents, talk to them. Tell them, I hope they are sensible enough to facilitate for you that which is halal. That's a powerful statement for the parents.
I hope the parents are sensible enough to facilitate for you that which is halal. But my brothers and sisters, the youth, remember one thing, a small mistake can keep you repaying for the rest of your life. Because sometimes you have something knocking you out of your entire focus, I had a dream in life, it shattered.
Why is it shattered? Because of something that occurred, I really was so naive, I was so immature, and I let things happen to me without thinking.
You have a lot of good youngsters, as they grow up, brilliant, they get into bad company, they become hooked on the bottle. And they start arguing with you, you know, I'm just a social drinker.
Social drinker, what's the problem? Social drinker. The hadith says:
Hadith on Intoxicants
Sunan Abu Dawud 3679
(Sunan Abu Dawud 3679)
"That which intoxicates you in a large volume, even a droplet of it is haram, prohibited. So don't come with that nonsense."
Because, to be honest, alcohol and anything that is intoxicating, don't even try it, give it up. It affects you, it will affect your reproductive system. It damages your future, and it definitely does.
Don't worry about gauging yourself with the others, who don't even believe that intoxicants are forbidden, and they engage in it on a daily basis, a weekly basis, and yet their lives seem to be happy. Don't gauge yourselves with them, because they don't have that iman. It's Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who might give them goodness in this world as a recompense of that which they may have done, whereas our recompense, a lot of it will come in the akhirah.
We need to know this. When people are disbelievers, Allah says, when they do good deeds, we will give them good in return in this world. So they get good things in return.
So, you have a person who perhaps is a disbeliever, may Allah grant us conviction and may He make us from amongst the true believers. Person who does not believe in the Almighty, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they have a happy life, they have good children, they have mashaAllah palaces, they are smiling and so on, and yet sometimes you find that they might be social drinkers and whatever else, they have a few bad habits here and there, but because of the charitable deeds they do, because of sometimes the honesty they have, because of the other good characters, Allah has to pay them back for it, because Allah says, you do good, you get good in return. But when they get good in return in this world alone, they have lost the akhirah.
This is why we say with us, Allah will give us goodness in the dunya and the akhirah. This is why that dua that we heard in the Quran, Allah says:
Quranic Verse
Quran 2:201
"Those who know how to call out to Allah, they ensure that they have covered three aspects. They say, oh our Lord, grant us goodness in this world, grant us goodness in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the fire."
So three things are covered. We want to be protected from the punishment of the fire. We want goodness in this world and goodness in the next.
So we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant that to us. That is the focus. So the same applies in my life.
I should want to achieve to be able to meet with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala such that He's happy with me, I'm happy with Him. And I should also want to earn in a way that I can prepare for the next generations.
So many times people are struggling and earning and then you ask them, but listen to me, you are
struggling and you are now so old and you are busy earning, he says, no, I just want to set my children before I go.
I'm sure you've heard that statement. I'd like to set my children before I go. So one generation is worried about the next.
And sometimes a young boy will not work hard at all. And you ask him, son, why are you not working? He says, well, my father is a rich man. I don't even need to stand in the shop.
Believe me, their managers will do it. I'm just going to get the money every month. That's the attitude.
What if everything burns down? May Allah protect us. Then you don't have a field. You don't have something to continue.
You were so lazy that you can't even get up before 12 o'clock. This is why we say work hard. Let's understand when you see something on the globe, say for example, I can give you so many examples.
Say for example, the sisters, if they were to see a beautiful kitchen, and then they put pressure, for example, on their parents or someone to say, you know what, we love this kitchen here. The father cannot afford it sometimes, this kitchen. So then they say, okay, I'm going to make sure I work so hard and I get it.
Mashallah, that's a good way of looking at things. So you go out, you work hard, and you come back home and you refurbish the entire kitchen according to your taste. Mashallah.
One will say that, okay, that's a big achievement. So anyone who comes into the home will say, no, no, no, I managed to get this refurbished beautiful, you know. What a lovely kitchen.
Excellent. Now you're not embarrassed of your home anymore. Believe me, we don't ever need to be embarrassed of our homes.
You can have a home, just a hut. Just make sure it's neat and clean, that's all. Neat and clean.
So now that you've got this kitchen that you wanted, what next? What next? So then you say, I'm going to refurbish the whole house. Because you can't have such a beautiful kitchen, and the rooms are not that grand. So now it goes to the next thing.
It seeps through. Once you've refurbished the rooms, you refurbish the bathroom. Then the bathroom gets refurbished.
And then what happens? You continue, you refurbish the driveway, and the whole house is refurbished. Then what happens? By that time, you don't realize you haven't yet done anything to build your home in the Akhirah. To build your home with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So refurbish the kitchen inside. Refurbish the bathroom inside. Cleanse yourself inside internally, such that the day you meet with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you are a refurbished person.
Proper. You have everything that is done. Your link with Allah is there.
You were focused. You did not become a person who lost the path just because they saw something nice on the side. Imagine you are driving your own little vehicle, that which you can afford, for example, a Toyota Corolla.
Mashallah, they're lovely vehicles. And you're driving it, and you're driving on the highway that we spoke about the other day. Mashallah, beautiful highway.
And on the side, you see this lovely Mercedes Benz, or BMW, or something, you know, let's say a Lamborghini, and the car is driving right next to you. Would you be a person who's now driving and then you look to the side? And you're admiring the car. What will happen to you? You're going to veer off the road.
You will swerve this way and that way, you'll knock someone in front of you or to the side. You might even hit the same motor vehicle there. And you cannot come out and say, sorry, I was just admiring your car, just forgive me, you know.
And say, what are you talking about? You lost focus because you were looking at something that really it was the wrong time, wrong place. You might want to glimpse at it. You might glimpse at it and say, mashallah, ya Allah, give me one of those.
We didn't say it's wrong to say that. May Allah give us one of those. So, it's not wrong, but at the same time, for us to lose focus, listen, concentrate on what you have.
You can say, mashallah, it's okay, and so on. Now work hard, you have a vehicle at least to get from point A to point B, thank Allah for that. And work, concentrate on your driving skills and make sure you do not put those who are with you at risk in terms of their lives.
Leadership and Focus
We need to know this. But the problem with us is sometimes we get so engrossed. In real life, we are steering, every one of us here, we are steering our lives.
You know, they say you lead your life. Why? Because you are the leader of your own life. So we are all leaders.
What are you leading? The minimum is I'm leading my own life. You know, they say everyone is a leader. You're a leader of what? Sometimes more than one person.
But if not, the minimum is you're leading your own life. You're a leader. So, every one of us is steering our lives.
Ask yourself, where am I going? And I'm being serious. Ask yourself here and now, where am I heading? What is my main focus? I should be having four or five things that I'm focused upon which are all on the same highway. So I cannot say, right, I'm going to this place and that place at the same time.
I'm flying to Australia and New York in one trip. I cannot do that. But I could perhaps say, I'm going to fly, for example, from, say, Dubai, for example, fly to Colombo, fly to Singapore.
Yes. So now you come straight down and it's one journey, and you're going to continue and carry on to a destination. And you're moving further and further.
It's one journey. You're focused on two things. It's not impossible.
But they're all on that same highway. Why do I say this? Because ultimately, ask yourself the question, I'm leading my life. Where am I heading?
Your answer should be, I'm heading closer to Allah.
That must be your ultimate answer. That's your final destination. That is a must.
That will happen. That has to happen. That is your true answer.
I'm heading closer to Allah. No matter how old I am. A lot of the youngsters don't realize that death knows no age.
We've lost a lot of our own friends as we grew up. I'm sure you have too. It could have been me, and it can still be me or you.
I may not live right up to the age of some of the brothers or sisters who are with us today. So, I need to know my focus is, I'm trying to get closer to Allah. Every day I move an inch closer to Allah.
More, insha'Allah. I hope not less. But in the process, I'm also focused on, for as long as Allah has given me a life, to be able to earn a living such that I can live comfortably, I can fulfill my responsibilities comfortably, I can be charitable, I can look after my children, I can try my best to prepare for them a little bit so that they can have a kickstart in their lives.
That's all. After that, what happens? I'm ready to now die. Allahu Akbar.
Today, I was thinking, I saw a very old man. As we were driving on the side, I saw a very old man, and I told myself, you know, ya Allah, you have given us such a life that even if you were to ask this old man, would you like to die now? He would say, no, no, not yet. Not yet.
None of us would actually say, yeah, okay, I can go. You know, if we said, who's volunteering? Just go now. I wouldn't even bother asking the question anymore.
Because nobody would actually say, no, no, no, it's okay, I volunteer, let me just go right now. Stand up here, doom, out. No one would do that.
Because we all have things we plan. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), one day, he drew a rectangle. And from one end of the rectangle going through to the other, he drew a line.
And that line continued further out of the rectangle. And inside that rectangle, he put a few marks. And he asked his companions, do you know what this is? And the companions said, obviously, that you know better.
Allahu wa rasul wa alam. Allah knows, you know what it is. He says, you see this rectangle, is the life span of man.
So he's going to die when he gets to the edge of it. That's what it is. This little line that goes out, that is the hopes, aspirations, and plans of that man.
And these little marks that are inside are the difficulties and obstacles in the life of that man. So what happens? Every one of us, plan beyond our date of death. Like today, if I were to ask you, what are you planning for next week? You might say, well, next weekend we're going to dine more.
Subhanallah. Next weekend we're going... You already know from now, that next weekend you're going to dine more? Amazing. You don't know Wednesday, Allah is taking you away.
So what will happen to dine more? Allah protect us. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us a relationship with Him, such that even if we're taken on Wednesday, by the will of Allah, He will grant us jannah.
He will grant us jannah. But is it wrong to plan that next weekend I'm going to go out to eat? It's not wrong. It's okay, it's fine.
But the idea is, in the process do not forget that we plan, Allah plans. His plan will always overpower, override, and overtake our own plan. So we cannot have been so engrossed in looking forward to next weekend such that we forget in the process, I might never reach there.
That's the problem. That's the difference between a believer and a non-believer. A believer is focused so much only on the dunya, only on that which is for his stomach, only on that which is for his facilitation of his life whilst he's here.
But he doesn't realize that I need to focus also on that which is the reality, the real truth. I'm going to meet with Allah. And this is why we say, in the digital age that we are living in, the hyper-sexual age that we are living in, believe me, this technology is the most powerful gift of Allah for all of us.
But let's use it correctly. Let's use it sensibly, responsibly. It is a powerful gift.
It has brought the whole globe onto our fingertips literally. Today I saw a product. And immediately I looked into Google and I tried to search the product.
I found it for sale on eBay for 18 pounds. Within 3 or 4 seconds of just looking at that product. Imagine.
And I could have just pressed click, enter the number, and they would have sent it and posted it to me. In 3 days I would have had it if I wanted it.
That's how Allah has made life easy for me and you.
So why should I use that technology to go to hell in the real sense? Why? Why must I be indisciplined? Why must I be a person who's got no control over himself? For a mu'min, life is all about control. That's what Islam is all about. What is Islam all about? Control.
Controlling yourself. Control your nafs. Your nafs meaning yourself.
Your soul. Control it. From what? From all that which is dazzling around you.
It's trying to attract you towards it. And you need to know, am I allowed? If I'm not, I'm not going to go that direction. I'm focused.
Why? I'm a mu'min. I'm a believer. I'm young, I'm growing up.
I've got energy given to me by Allah. That energy is a gift. Because Allah says, son, we're going to take that energy away.
Oh my beloved worshiper, we're going to take that energy away one of the days. That's why the hadith explains to seize opportunities before they are overtaken by other conditions. What are these opportunities? One of them is your health.
When Allah has given you health, you're a healthy person. Remember that that health is a gift of Allah. Temporarily.
No matter who you are, that health is going to go. It will go. No matter who you are.
Seize your youth before old age overtakes you. You're young. There will come a day.
Today you can reach salah. You can bend properly in rukuh. You can go down to sujood.
You can go out and help people. Today you can go out to countries that are struggling in one way or another. Homeless people, people who are affected by, whether it is natural disaster or man-made chaos.
And you can go out and reach out to them, humanitarian aid and so on. And if you are young and you have not thought of using those energies to help other people, there will come a day when the energy will be gone. And what were you doing at this young age? You were sitting with your iPhone, your iPad and playing games whole day and whole night.
And that's how your energy was actually sapped and gone. And now when you are old, you're looking perhaps at the TV and telling yourself, nobody's doing anything about those who are struggling in Syria. But when you were young, there was another Syria.
What happened? You couldn't even reach out to your pocket to take out something or go out and volunteer to say, we are going to collect good old clothes or blankets in order to help those right now in Syria who are struggling with the temperatures that are hitting zero. This is a reality.
It's happening now.
Innocent women and children caught in the mess, man-made mess. And what did we do about them?
Well, we just think and say, Arab countries are rich, I'm sure they'll do something. Look at how productive we've become.
Counterproductive. We just want to lay, you know, pass the buck to others. They'll do something about it.
These are rich people, they got a lot of money. May Allah protect us. That is really lack of leadership.
But if you stand up, we can do something about it. Even if it means a small thing you've done, at least you used your energy in the right direction. At least you were focused.
Tomorrow, you will have had experience such that you'll be able to achieve something huge for your own country. Tomorrow, may Allah protect your country, a beautiful country. Wallahi, I tell you, you are gifted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You owe a lot to your country. My brothers and sisters, obviously we ask Allah, and we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You owe a lot to this beautiful country.
Remember, it is not all about taking, taking from this country. You need to give back as well. We need from amongst us, those who are wealthy, to build homes for the homeless.
How many of us can do that? Not just for those you know. 50 homes I've built. Why? Because now I'm a multi-millionaire.
Let me build them, and let me try and look for those who deserve the homes, and give them the homes. No strings attached. All I want is, for my countrymen to be able to benefit from the wealth that I made in the same country.
It's an issue. A lot of us are quite greedy. Where? We get, and we've just thought of one or two people around us, and that's it.
And we sit and we amass more and more. Did you build one home for the homeless? Even if it's a one room house with a little bathroom and so on, a kitchenette. No! Sometimes we haven't.
So give back. So the point I'm raising is, tomorrow, if something has to happen which is negative here, say for example you have a little bit of a flood, may Allah protect this country. But if it's closer to home, we have already been used to collecting things for others, motivating youth, you know.
For example, getting the youngsters together and doing something constructive. It becomes so easy, because we've already done it for others. So now when we want to do it for ourselves, professionally done.
Today I was thinking for a moment, that the Sri Lankans I know across the globe, they all have top positions, high positions. They have management posts in various companies across the globe. Well, highly intelligent, highly educated people.
I thought of this today, because the truth is, most of those I know overseas and so on, who are Sri Lankans, they hold top posts. But a lot of the world does not know that. You know it.
I'm sure you know it. So, this is focus. If the youth do not learn from that, there will come a time when there will be no Sri Lankans across the globe.
No one. What happened? The generation who were serious has passed. Now all those who love the nightclubs are still sitting with the bottle in the nightclub.
So give up your bad habits. Do not be in that daze. Believe me, come out of it.
Because once we get to the bottle, you know when they say you're in the maze, have you ever seen a drunkard walking? He doesn't know he's left from his right. We've seen it happening. He doesn't know whether he's in the loo or whether he's in his bed.
Really. Why? Because he's upside down. And then he tells you things.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us. So we need the focus to... Instead of 10,000 of us who are outside and abroad for example, or anywhere even within our own countries working in top positions, you know, serving the country, serving humanity, serving the ummah in one way or another. We would like tomorrow to see 20,000 people working.
40,000 people. The number should increase. And the quality of the job must increase.
Meaning the way it is done should be much better than before. The only time this will happen is if we become more serious in our lives. Life is not all about partying.
If you think it's all about partying, you've lost the plot. Really. Look at those who struggled.
Who have achieved. What did they do? They did not sit in the clubs. They did not just sit and party every weekend with their friends.
They did not just go around trying to attract the opposite sex. Allah protect us. Sometimes even the same sex.
It's happening now.
May Allah protect us all. Really. It's becoming an issue across the globe where the youth are becoming lazy.
A lot of the countries try to help those who are homeless and unemployed. So I've come across some people who say, Nah, you know, I'd rather just sit at home and collect money from the government because really it works, you know. I don't need to do anything.
I just go and sign every week and collect my money. Allah protect us. If that's the attitude of the people, what do we expect to achieve in our future? That you change.
Work hard. Be a go-getter. Aim beyond the skies.
Don't say the sky is the limit. The sky is too close to us. They used to say sky is the limit.
What is the sky? The sky is very close. I can see it. I want to aim somewhere that I cannot see.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us paradise. May Allah grant us jannah. At the same time I need to know whilst I'm living, I need to set an example for those around me.
And when I have my own children, they must just be able to see me as a father. And they must already be focused in life. I'm sure there are parents from amongst us here whose children look up to us so much that as soon as they know this is my dad, they realize and understand immediately that this father of mine is focused, wise, dedicated.
Let me also try to be that. My beloved fathers and mothers who are here, develop a brilliant relation with your children, more so the adolescent.
They may not be in sync with you in terms of thinking because the generation gap is becoming smaller and smaller.
Do you know what this means? Let me explain. Many years ago they used to say if the gap between you and your child is 40 years or more, then you will not be thinking on the same level. Their thinking will be different from yours.
Today I think it's become smaller than 40 years, meaning it's shorter because of technology. I remember I met a few older people who have told me, no, no, no, this mobile phone we don't know, we don't want to know, we don't want to see it. We don't even want to.
And after we spoke to them and so on, now they have a little phone, one of those old Nokias, you know, which they only send a message, perhaps receive calls, and the older people may never even send an SMS. But they have a small phone, it rings, you answer it, and you know, that's it. You call and you call back.
That's over. Whereas the new generation is such that everyday technology is progressing beyond our minds. Mind-boggling technology.
Really. And who knows about it the most? The youngest of the lot. The youngest of the lot.
They'll show you things that will shock you. And they are in touch with people across the globe. And this is why we say, as easy as it is to be technologically advanced in today's age, it is even more easy to drop into the worst of company through the same technology.
Be careful, be careful. Who are you mixing with online? It could be a cheat, a fraud. Like I said two days ago, someone was collecting money using my name for the people of Indonesia.
I gave you the example two days ago of someone collecting money for Palestine, yet that Palestine was his own house. He had a big sign at his gate saying, welcome to Palestine. So when he's collecting money for Palestine, he's talking of a totally different Palestine.
All these type of immoral or all these type of thoughts and ideas that come to the stagnant mind in actual fact, that mind is not stagnant. It is such a bright and intelligent mind, but it's being used in order to deceive. Because it has never been used proactively.
It has never been used in a way that is productive. So it is used destructively. This is why we say, get into the good company, work hard, go and achieve.
And everything you'd like to do in this world, remember the underlying idea, the underlying goal must always be, I want to meet with Allah in a condition that He will be happy with me. You need a happy life. If a person sins, the sin comes back to haunt them.
It definitely will. Unless they've engaged in tawbah, they've asked Allah's forgiveness. A person who flirts, do you know what will happen? There comes a time when you are married to the best person possible.
People are envying you to say, wow, you've got such a lovely spouse. But because of the bad habit that you did not nurture or should I say you did not control when you were young, now the flirting continues in such a way that you then lose the spouse who was such a brilliant person. What did you get in return? You got nothing.
Nothing in return. You lost your family, you lost your children, you lost everyone because of a bad habit that developed when you were young.
This is why we say, control yourself from the time you are young.
Even some of the older people, all of us, we require control. Sometimes we have bad habits. Without fighting the bad habit, you are going nowhere.
Which means it's not going to just leave on its own. It's not. A bad habit does not leave on its own.
You need to work hard to eradicate it. InshaAllah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us identify our bad habits.
And may He help us work on them to eradicate them. No matter what effort is required, we will fulfill that by the will of Allah. So, like I was saying, young age, it's going to go.
You'll become old one day when you can no longer make ruku'a. By that time, although it's not too late if Allah has given you that life to turn to Allah, but you might tell yourself, Ya Allah, the days that I used to be called towards prostrating to you, I didn't used to do that. Please forgive me, Ya Allah, for that.
Because Allah mentions in the Quran that on the day of judgment, or in the akhira, Allah will call everyone to prostrate. And Allah says, there will be a certain group of people who will not be able to prostrate because their backs will be straightened. So you cannot bend your back.
And they will be worried, why can't I bend my back anymore? What's the problem? And Allah says:
Quranic Verse
"When they used to be called to prostrate when there was nothing wrong with them, they didn't. Do you think we're going to allow them to prostrate today? May Allah safeguard us. I don't want that to happen to me."
So if you are able, prostrate to Allah. Which means fulfill your salah. So that the day that Allah calls out to everyone to prostrate to Him directly, we will be able to be from amongst those who can fall prostrate.
This is iman, this is belief. Then we have the issue of wealth. Whilst you have your wealth, be charitable.
Learn as you are growing older. Firstly, you learn to work hard to earn. I have come across dedicated youth, who tell their dad, listen my father, you are a very rich man, I thank you for everything you've done for me.
But I want you to know, my money, I will earn it. I will earn it. I will go out and work hard.
That's why the hadith says, the best wealth that you have is that which you've earned with your own sweat. Why? You know its value. You know what it's all about.
When dad has dropped down a million, for you to splash a million on a big party, where everyone comes in and has a nice dance, and has this and that, all haram things are happening, and you're so excited, you're happy. And after everyone goes away, you're still excited, and you're on your pillow saying it was a huge success. Where did the money come from? It just splashed its way down.
Whereas a person who earned it with his sweat, will think ten times before he throws such a dirty party. Why? Because that money, it took me two years to work so hard, to earn that money, I cannot just throw it anywhere. You know I'll give you one example.
One day, a certain person, it's a true story, was traveling. From India to London. And when he was traveling, you know now there is a habit, in this part of the world, where someone is traveling, we give them gifts.
Now in India they have a habit, to give you peanuts. I don't know if you know that. To give you these little chickpeas.
To give you these small salted nuts and so on. And a few of these small items of eating. You know.
So this man had a whole lot of nuts, salted nuts, and the other nuts, and the chickpeas, and you know, various different types of these Indian dishes and so on. And he arrived at the airport with 90 kgs. 90 kilos.
Imagine, one man. Now, 90 kilos, no airline would allow you 90, unless you're a big VIP, with perhaps frequent flyer, cards and so on. Well I don't know, sometimes you know how we are, we just have a connection at the airport, it's over.
Allah protect us. But this man arrived at the airport, and they told him you need to pay. Now his relatives had already gone.
He's alone standing there. What should I do? There's all peanuts and everything in this particular bag. These bags that I've got full of nuts, and full of all food stuff.
So instead of thinking to himself, let me just give it away. I can buy it in London. It's so easy.
I normally do that. If someone gives me something, that I have in my country, and I cannot carry it because of weight, I give it away in the country, and I can buy it again at my own country, and give it to whoever it's supposed to be given to. So now what happens? He was asked to pay.
And he was told to pay a large sum in Indian rupees. And it turned out to be so many pounds. So now, because he was in a rush, he took out those pounds, and he ended up paying, and he went home.
When he went home, they opened his bags, and they gave these peanuts to all the little children, and the children are playing, and peanuts are on the floor, and peanuts are out on the street, and peanuts... So as he's walking out, he called all his children. He says, Hey, come here. Every peanut is 20p.
You don't understand. Eat them. Eat every single peanut.
These are the most expensive peanuts in the world. You don't know what I've paid for these peanuts. Why? He's the only one who knows the value of those peanuts.
He paid so much. So, sometimes in life, this is how we are. We don't prioritize, and we don't think.
We do things, believe me, just because I've got the money, so I've just paid for this thing. Then you come back, you start calculating 90 kilos, and we've paid 90 pounds. So for every kilo, an extra pound.
And from that, we've got so many kilos. The overweight was these peanuts. Each peanut, each little gram of peanut is an extra so much.
And here are the children throwing it, strewing it, and you know, everywhere else. And it hurts your heart. Why? Because you are the one who paid for it.
Did they? They didn't pay for it. This happens in our lives. When you just throw down your stuff to the new generation, without having made them work to earn it, sometimes they'll just be splashing it.
You know, you buy your son a brand new vehicle, he comes back home first day, damaged. Why? But dad, isn't the insurance going to cover this?
Wow! Intelligent young lad, isn't he? Intelligent young lad. He doesn't understand, the same father will drive that car so carefully, and I noticed it here, a few days ago, we were coming for a program, I think it was the Jumu'ah.
And one of the little gullies, you know, you know the roads here in Sri Lanka. So, we were going through, and there was a BMW looking relatively new in front of us. We were behind.
Conclusion
So, this evening we spoke about bad habits. We're going to quit them inshaAllah, with a lot of strength from us. We spoke about company, good friends.
InshaAllah we are going to make sure that we mix with the right people, whether here or overseas, wherever. We should now as youth, look at those who are leading us, whether it's in our schools, or whether it is perhaps the companies we work for, whatever else it is, on a higher level, lower level, whatever it is, and tell ourselves as youth, that tomorrow when these depart, we would like to do even a better job than them. But look at how hard they are working, we need to work double hard.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant that to us. We've also spoken this evening about how to be focused. We've spoken about parents, the value of your parents, to look up to them, to appreciate the sacrifice that they have made, in order for you as youth, to be where you are today.
Like I've said, you won't always think the same, there's a generation gap. That generation gap requires for us to be communicating with one another, talk to one another, spend time with your daughters, talk to them, sit with them, not just two minutes, you know, they say something, you say something, and you're gone. No, sit with them, listen to them, do not just scold and shout the children for anything and everything, no, listen to them and try and reason, communicate, address their concerns, talk to them, convince them, you will need education yourself, you will need to know their, you know, the tricks of their trade, meaning you will need to know how they think, in order to convince them, and if they are right, give in.
One big mistake that we make as adults, meaning as parents, is that the children are right, we are wrong, but we still want to stubbornly hold on to what we are saying, just because I'm old. That's culture that is no longer in use, believe me. The religion teaches us that when you are wrong, your child is right, quit your opinion and adopt theirs.
Age doesn't mean anything, Allah has used little children to come out, to convince or to talk to their parents, look my father, what you're doing is wrong. And the father needed to acknowledge, in the case of Ibrahim a.s., the father did not acknowledge. So Allah says, this young boy is saying, oh my beloved father, I have something you don't have.
How can you keep on worshipping these sticks and stones and so on? And the father was arrogant, and he wanted to admonish and punish his child. And he did, try to punish that child in the most ruthless way, in the most ruthless way. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, the loss was that father's.
So what about us? May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us focus. I've spoken for one hour, and I know I've been told for the last two days, that you know what, the hour is passing a little bit too quick. But my brothers and sisters, I really really appreciate the fact, that Allah has used us to talk to one another.
Allah has used us to try and motivate, even in a small way. But to try and help us focus, whatever we've achieved is only by the help of Allah. And through hard work, dedication, do not be distracted by detractors.
Those who try to detract you, do not be distracted by them. Continue with the work, focus, keep focus. And make sure you will achieve by the will of Allah.
You will become who you want by the will of Allah, by the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So develop a link with that same Allah. Because the doors of success are owned by Him.
How can I achieve success, when I'm at odds with the owner of the door of success? I need to be on the right page with Him. And this is how we will achieve. So I really appreciate the fact that we've come in large numbers.
These are the largest numbers I've ever seen in Sri Lanka. So we thank Allah for this. My beloved youth, really, the love from my heart extends to you.
And I hope you feel the same. We have a genuine feeling. If I were not concerned, I would not be here today.
Nor would you. So the fact that you are here to listen to a word, to motivate the youth, really is a sign on its own that we have a bright future. By the will of Allah.
It's a very good sign. And mashallah, we have had the team tirelessly working. The authorities here at this particular venue, we have to thank them as well.
Because as you know, there was a mishap in the main hall that was booked. And within a few days, they already substituted, gave us venues that are even perhaps bigger and larger. It catered for us.
Alhamdulillah. Yesterday we had a mishap with the motor vehicles. Today as I walked in, I seen the cars parked beautifully.
Beautifully. I said, subhanallah, at least we've learnt a lesson. It was worth it.
Wallahi, this is what makes us happy. It makes us smile. Because when we see the difference, mashallah.
You know, there was no chaotic parking. I don't know if you noticed it. Some of you who might have arrived a little bit later when I did, you would have noticed the cars were parked as though they were part of a jigsaw puzzle.
Amazing. And I said, ya Allah, have mercy on all of us. By the will of Allah.
We've learnt something. So I'm convinced that even what we said tonight, we will have effected some change in our lives. Beloved youth, life is not all about partying.
It's the third time I've said it this evening. So remember, if you want to enjoy and enjoy and enjoy alone, according to your whims and fancies, that enjoyment will come to an end and then you'll just be left on the lurch. And you'll be left on the cliff.
And all that's left is now to jump off. I don't have a parachute. So the most sensible thing to do right now is get your parachute and learn how to fly.
Learn how to skydive. In the spiritual sense we're talking about. Then when you get to the cliff, you don't mind.
Look at everyone wave and you jump off and next thing your parachute opens and you say, just as well. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness so my brothers and sisters, you pray for myself. I pray for you.
Let's pray for the ummah at large. Pray for this beautiful country of yours. Like we say, give back to your country as well.
And we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The brothers, the volunteers, I know you've worked very very hard. Yesterday some of the volunteers had to lift motor vehicles.
Today I noticed bulges, mashallah. You know, it actually helps by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So, it was good in a way, you know.
Sometimes Allah wants to give you that strength that you've always had, you've always wanted. So youngsters are looking bigger, just overnight.
So we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Those whose vehicles were lifted, I'm sure you must have thought, ya Allah, alhamdulillah, at least it wasn't my car blocked, you know. Don't worry, someone moved your car. Someone moved it, you know, by force.
So inshallah, I hope we've learnt a lot, really. This is my last public lecture in this beautiful country for this particular season. Although I have a few visits that I will be making tomorrow and perhaps the following day.
But that will be to a few schools and so on. In the meantime, really, let's not be from amongst those who go away saying it was a good talk and we have not changed our lives. Sometimes we may never meet again.
Sometimes this might be the last that we may see each other. It could be. At least if we had a flicker in our hearts that inshallah, we will do something about it.
We will be responsible leaders of tomorrow and by the will of Allah, we will protect ourselves from these days. And inshallah, we will not be lost in a maze.
Closing Dua
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness and ease. May Allah make us among those who listen to the word and follow the best of it. May Allah protect us from being youth in a daze, lost in a maze. May Allah guide us to the straight path and make us leaders of tomorrow who will serve the ummah with dedication and sincerity.
May Allah bless our parents who have sacrificed so much for us, and may Allah make us dutiful children who appreciate their efforts. May Allah grant us the strength to work hard, stay focused, and use our energies in beneficial ways.
May Allah protect us from bad company and bad habits, and may Allah surround us with righteous friends who will encourage us toward good. May Allah make us among those who remember death often and prepare for the akhirah while living productive lives in this world.
"Our Lord, grant us goodness in this world, goodness in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the fire."
Ameen Ya Rabb al-Alameen.
"And may Allah send His peace, blessings and salutations upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions."
End of Khutbah