Message to Pakistan s Youth

Nouman Ali Khan's Message to Pakistan's Youth

Introduction and Personal Connection

My dear brothers and sisters from Islamabad, I'd like to start by saying salam to all of you and expressing my deep gratitude and a sense of honor and respect that you requested me to speak to all of you. I don't really see myself worthy of doing so and I'm actually quite surprised and shocked that there's anybody watching any of my speeches but nonetheless here we are and I'm really happy to have the opportunity to speak to you.

Islamabad is especially close to my heart because I spent a year of my life in Islamabad, I was there for 8th grade in Islamabad and that's pretty much the only memorable experience I have of Pakistan is that one year that I've spent and I hope to visit soon again inshallah.

I was asked to speak to you about a few things and I'd like to start from with an acknowledgement and that is that I don't claim to understand what youth in Pakistan go through, I haven't lived there, I don't really understand the culture there very much, I worked with a lot of youth in the United States and I think I know a thing or two about how, what kind of challenges young Muslims are facing all over the world so I can speak from a more universal point of view or based on my experience working with young people here.

The Universal Challenges Facing Muslim Youth

And the kinds of challenges they face but hopefully some of the advice and some of the observations that I have to share with you will be a benefit to you inshallah. And the first of them I'd like to start with really a foundation and that is that most Muslim youth today as things are right now most of them we don't see Islam as a way of looking at the world. We actually see Islam as a religion, as part of our tradition that was passed down to us from our parents.

So if you ask an average Muslim youth, I would even argue anywhere in the world, why are you Muslim? Then the obvious question, the honest answer would be because my family is Muslim or I live in a Muslim country, I was raised a Muslim, etc. Those would be the kinds of answers you would get. And even the student or the young person that would say, no I'm a Muslim because it's the truth.

Because that's the truth. Even though I can't judge the intention of someone who says that, chances are that a young person who says that is only saying that because you want them to say that. Like that's what they're expecting you'd like to hear. It's not really something that's based on proper intellectual proof and evidence. And what comes with that at the same time is that youth have a lot of questions about Islam. There are a lot of things they don't understand.

The Problem of Worldview and Life Goals

There's a lot of things about Islamic law, Islamic principles, behaviors of Muslims, we'll talk about that in a little bit, that they see around them. It's really quite disturbing to them. And of course in our times, questions about Islam and its integrity and its validity and its sustainability, they're being raised in many circles.

In the media, in the West, in literature, even thinkers in the Muslim world, secularist thinkers and whatnot, or progressives as they like to call themselves, are questioning the very sanctity of Islamic principles and why we should hold on to them. There are even writers now talking about how Islam is the thing that's holding us back, etc. So in the midst of all of this, obviously the generation that's coming up in the middle of all of this rhetoric, you can't expect that they're not influenced.

Or that some of these thoughts don't cross your mind. And at the same time, so this is on the one hand about the intellectual kinds of foundations, why we are Muslims to begin with. Most of us see it as a traditional thing.

On top of that is just our world view. And what I mean by world view, I won't get into technical terminology, it's a very simple way of looking at it. What do you want the most in life? What do you want to get out of life? And if you ask an average Muslim teen or Muslim youth this question today, I don't think their answer is very different from a Christian youth, or a Jewish youth, or a Hindu youth, or a Buddhist youth, or a youth that's an atheist, or doesn't even have a religion.

I don't think their answer differs very much. They pretty much want to have a successful life, a career, a nice car, everybody has a favorite car. Or move to a country they'd like to move to, whatever it may be. And a handful of these things, and that's pretty much it. That's what I want out of life. So our life goals are not necessarily dictated or even influenced by this thing that we have inside of us, this Islam. It's not a major player in our outlook on life.

The Crisis of Identity and Belonging

Then the third part of this, so there's two parts I've mentioned so far. One, that we see it as just an inherited thing. Two, that it doesn't influence our outlook on life. And three, is that we, Muslim youth, and there are going to be four things all together. The third is that Muslim youth, in my opinion, a good majority of them don't see themselves as part of something bigger.

In other words, you identify yourself maybe with the college that you go to. Maybe with the city that you live in. Maybe with your favorite sports team. At the most, a lot of times youth are nationalistic, they identify themselves with their country. In some more tribal areas of the world, they might identify themselves with their race, their family, etc. But that's how they identify themselves.

The primary mode of identification for youth today is not that they're Muslim. That's not the first thought that comes, and that's a problem. That that's not the first thing that comes in your mind, is I'm Muslim. And because of that, I have a solidarity with people all over the world that share this (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh) with me. That sense of identification has become weak. I'm not saying it's not there, but it's certainly very weak.

We don't identify ourselves primarily as Muslims. When we think about ourselves, maybe we think of ourselves as Pakistani first. We think of ourselves as Punjabi first. We think of ourselves as one of those things first. And then Muslim is kind of assumed, or it's not that big of a part of the picture.

Negative Perceptions of Religion

Then, you know, the scary part of this conversation. There's a good number of Muslim youth to whom when Islam was presented, unfortunately, it was presented in a very negative light. And what I mean by that is, either you come from a family that's not very practicing, and maybe even the practices of religion are looked down upon in your family, and they're taken as a joke. And I know a lot of friends from even college that were raised in families like that, where, yeah, you should pray once in a while, or whatever.

But if a woman starts wearing hijab, or a guy has a beard, or something, then that's the first thing that goes off in your head, is that's the object of ridicule, that's something funny, or something stupid, or something extreme even. Or this person doesn't want to succeed in life, that's why they're turning to religion, or whatever. These assumptions come in the minds of a lot of people.

The second is that religion is really almost a nuisance. I mean, it's good, religion is when you get in trouble, like you didn't study for your finals this week, so you kind of make dua, and you go and ask the Imam Sahib to make a special dua for you, or something. But other than that, religion is really not for you, it's not like it's prohibitions, and it's obligations, they're just kind of a nuisance.

Why do I have to do that? Why do I have to do this? You know, why is it asking, everything is haram, you can't do this, can't do that, can't do the other. So you feel like the religion is just a bunch of restrictions, it's keeping you from having a good time, or you know, from living your life the way you'd like to. And that's the view of religion that a lot of youth see it as.

You know, that's how they see Islam, and that's actually not too far from how a lot of youth see their other religions. So these kinds of perceptions, they're kind of universal. I would think that's a big problem in Pakistan too, I don't know that for a fact, but it's my uneducated assumption at this point. That some of these things that I've raised, you are able to identify with, or some of these concerns resonate with you, or you can think of friends that these concerns resonate with.

Rebuilding Pride in Islam

So I want to start at the top. And what I want to start with is, that we have to reconstruct, for youth especially, we have to reconstruct the idea that our Islam is a source of pride. That it's something that

gives us strength. And it's something that made us, you know, from a point of view of history, Islam is what made us a noble civilization. And what held us in high, we had something to offer the world.

The world looked up to us, to Islam, because we had something superior to offer. And we have to bring that mentality back, that Islam in fact is superior. No matter, through all the garbage and all the rhetoric that you might hear, through all of that poison, we can't lose sight of the fact that Islam in fact is the truth. And is the superior way to live. And any other way to live is actually, you should feel sorry for. Instead of us, most of the time, imitating people that really don't deserve to be imitated.

You know, over here in America, Miley Cyrus is a big deal with the younger kids. And just a couple of days ago in the news, she got caught with a bong, right? With some drugs. And you know, we, even Muslims, they idolize this girl, and the little girls with her book bags, and watch her shows, and videos, and things like that. And they're huge fans of hers, and now she's caught with drugs. So we, unfortunately, have these role models that don't deserve to be role models. But we've made them that way. And so, what do you expect? How far do you expect to go in life when your role models are this pathetic?

The Responsibility of Being Role Models

So that's the one thing. A sense of pride has to be revived among Muslims. The second thing is for Muslim youth, we have to stop seeing ourselves as kids. I mean, as far as our deen, our religion, our way of life, our world view is concerned, the moment pretty much you're a teen, you should be treated like an adult. And you should act like one, you should be expected to act like one, and you should carry responsibilities like one. And what comes with that is automatically that you're a role model.

There are others who look up to you. So when you are living a lifestyle of recklessness, and you don't care about the consequences of your actions, or you know, you are, for example, even domestic things like you don't show respect to your parents, or you don't care about prayer, whatever it is, you're a role model to your younger siblings, you're a role model to the younger people in your neighborhood. So when you don't do that, you have left that legacy for them to follow.

Because believe it or not, there are kids in your community, and there are people in your family that wanna be like you. They look up to you. So what you do leaves a legacy for them. And so when you follow this miserable lifestyle, and you leave that legacy for them, if you have any ounce of belief in judgment day that we're gonna be standing in front of Allah answering questions, then on that day, it's not just that you have to answer for your own partying, you have to answer for that legacy, that trail you left behind, and all those who followed in your footsteps, they have to answer for themselves, and you have to answer for them too.

Allah says. They're gonna be carrying their burdens, and a burden on top of their own burdens. You know. And these were people that were, they were just bad influences. You know.

The Influence Among Young People

And a lot of times the worst influences for young people are other young people. Young people don't look up to old folks to find their ways. I feel like a senior citizen talking to you guys right now. Right. Among you guys, you're each other's major influence. And so we find in the Qur'an, when it talks about this idea of influencing others, and there were these people that wanted young Muslims to become kuffar again among the sahaba.

So they said, follow our way, we'll carry your sins, don't worry about it. We'll take care of your sins.

Allah tells us, they're not gonna be carrying anybody's sins at all.

At all. They're just liars. All they're doing is lying. So don't fall into that trap.

Don't become a trendsetter for evil, and don't be a follower. Be, you know, be a leader. And that's where, you know, confidence in Islam plays such a major role.

Empowering Muslim Women

If there are sisters watching this, in my opinion, one of the biggest crises in the Muslim world today is the confidence of Muslim women. Muslim women have to be proud of the fact that they're Muslim women. They have to take pride in wearing their hijab. They have to take pride in, you know, practicing their deen. And you know, when that pride is not there, then they're looking for valid... A woman will look for validation in other things. You know, we have to... Our families, our fathers have to give confidence to our women.

You know, our husbands have to empower the wives. And that culture needs to change. You know, we've become... Unfortunately, when you think of Islam, you think of women being oppressed, and you think of women, their voices being suppressed, and them not being able to, you know, say what they want to say, etc., etc.

But if you look at the Sahaba, the women were outspoken. I mean, they spoke. Their opinions were heard. They were educated people. They were teachers in the community. They were really... They were in these positions of responsibility. So, you know, our sisters, we have to revive that confidence in them as well.

Appreciating the Gift of Islam

And we have to rise above these petty goals in life. You know, we have to look at, you know, the people who Allah has not given the gift of Islam, this high, high thing that Allah has given us, this noble thing that Allah has given us. The people that Allah has not given that to, we should look at them and feel sorry

for them. Really. I feel sorriest for the person who Allah has given Islam, and they don't appreciate what it is.

Can you imagine you being given just a really expensive gift? I don't know, a 5 series BMW? And you don't appreciate what it is? You know, you don't get an expensive gift and throw it away, or trash it. You value it if you truly appreciate what it is. I feel like in the Muslim world, we don't appreciate what Islam is.

You were raised in a Muslim family, Islam, you know, Masjid on every corner, even though there's all kinds of drama and misogyny nowadays, but at least Islam is common, right? It's not like that over here. I mean, I have friends that were Christians, and Jews, and Atheists. And when they became Muslim, their entire family kicked them out of the house.

I just, I mean, was it 5 months ago, I met a girl in Alabama. This girl, you know, daughter of a minister, Christian minister. And she saw the Kaaba in her dream. Can you imagine? And she became Muslim. And she started wearing hijab. Only Muslim girl, white girl in her town, in the entire village. And her father finds out, and he says, you're worshipping the devil, kicks her out of the house. You know? And she holds on to her Islam. There are people who make sacrifices to hold on to their deen.

The Challenge of Understanding Islam

And here we are, assuming that it's, it's just a bunch of annoying rules. Or it's a bunch of things that don't make any sense. By the way, if the religion doesn't make any sense to you, I challenge you, I challenge you, to acknowledge the fact that you haven't spent the time trying to understand it. Or you haven't gone to the right people to ask the question. Why is this the way it is? Or you're... I would even challenge your foundation isn't there. The foundation that builds in you the absolute certainty that Islam is the truth. That unshattering conviction that Islam is the truth. That foundation is not there. That needs to be there in you.

The Warning from the Quran

You guys are the future. You know? You guys are... The hopes of this ummah lie on you. And if you don't carry your weight, then the scary ayah of Quran, it will hold true.

If you turn away, if you guys turn away, then He will replace you with someone other than yourselves. And they won't be like you. In other words, they won't be turning away. They won't be turning a blind eye to this truth that Allah has given them.

The Historical Context of Pakistan

So that's the first major half of what I wanted to share with you. Kind of a reality check. You know, looking back and saying, what is it that Allah has given us? Especially in Pakistan. I mean, it's a tragedy that two, three generations ago, not even a century has gone by that young people were out in the streets, they

were making prayer to Allah the entire night. Oh Allah, give us a land where we can worship you, where we can live as Muslims, where our children can say (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - la ilaha illallah) one day.

Right? And these people were slaughtered like animals. Like Muslim blood was cheap. And these people died so that one day we could stand up and we could say (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - la ilaha illallah). That we can be at the masjid five times a day and not have to worry about somebody burning the masjid down while we're inside. Or being shot when we come outside. That's what the... Our ancestors live like that.

You know, and that's what they live like. And here we are, the adhan is going on and you're playing on your PlayStation 3, I don't know if they have, you guys must have PlayStation 3 in Pakistan. Or you're watching YouTube or whatever. And like the adhan is going on and like it's nothing. That adhan, that adhan was the call to somebody to risk their life at one point in that same land. And now it's become so cheap, it's so valueless, you know.

The Meaning of Allahu Akbar

What does it mean when you hear (الله أكبر - Allahu Akbar)? You know in Arabic, I won't get technical with you guys, but in Arabic (أكبر - Akbar) doesn't mean greatest, it means greater. It's a comparative form. You know how they have comparative adjectives and superlative adjectives? (أكبر - Akbar) is a comparative adjective.

When you hear the adhan, you know what you're hearing? You're hearing that Allah, the call to Allah is greater than whatever you're doing. I don't care if you're at a work meeting, I don't care if you're in the middle of, you know, a graduation ceremony, you're in the middle of an exam, whatever is going on, the call to Allah is greater (الله أكبر الله أكبر - Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar).

The only people who would actually accept that Allah is the greatest are the people who would testify that it's the truth. (أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله - Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah) I mean even if you just think about the adhan and what it's saying, it's a transformational experience. But it's a tragedy that we don't experience it like that, that we don't see it for what it is.

The Challenge of Multiple Interpretations

The added challenge for you guys that I wanted to talk to you about in the second half of my talk is that you're living in a place that is the absolute most chaotic combination of interpretations of Islam in the world. You have all these different groups, you have all these different scholars, and they have their own brand of Islam and they're all trying to basically build their alliances and build their following, etc. And so it can be very challenging and for you, for someone on the outside to look at that, it's easy to say, all these mullahs, all they do is fight each other and make groups and bash each other. So why should I even bother? And you know what? It's understandable.

That is something that Bani Israel had done before us. And they ended up, you know, Allah talks about this idea of Muslims, you know, knowledgeable Muslims clashing with each other. And then the next

generation just dropping their religion altogether because they're like, why should I even bother with this, right?

So Allah says in Quran, for example, in Surah Ash-Shura, He says,

They didn't disagree with each other until after knowledge came to them out of an arrogance and rebellion among themselves and urge to rebel against each other and dominate each other. That's why they were arguing.

And then at the end of that ayah, He says

Those who were given the book after them in inheritance, they're in serious doubt about it. They're completely in doubt about their religion because they see the people of knowledge arguing with each other. Like, how can this religion be true if these knowledgeable people are arguing, right? So I understand that challenge. I'm not saying that that challenge is not there.

The Obligation to Study Islam

But at the same time, you are intelligent people. You're going to college, you're going to high school, you're living in the 21st century, the century of open information. You have the obligation to at least study the religion for yourself. Sincerely. Not to cut corners, not to justify for yourself what you're doing is halal or not. Not for those cheap or low purposes.

But really to find your purpose in life. Why are you alive? Why has Allah put you on this earth? You know. Why is He gifted you with (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - la ilaha illallah) The youth of the young people of the ummah are the greatest treasure. And them wasting their life, them not appreciating the talent and the potential that they have, what they can do for the world. For the world, it's a tragedy. It really is.

Youth as Agents of Change

As you're watching this video, the events of Egypt are unfolding before us. And I couldn't help but talk to you about that too. It's young people. Young people that brought a dictator to his knees. With all the corruption in Pakistan, and all the things that are going on around you, and how hopeless the situation is. From the economic point of view, the political point of view, the social point of view, how the country is in chaos constantly. And all we hear is bad news. You guys can be a force of good. You guys can be a force of moral reform, social reform, economic reform.

It's a matter of us saying that this deen is a means of empowerment and pride. We can really do this, honestly. It can be done. And it's in your hands. Allah has given that to you. So, take it and take it with pride.

I'm talking right now to the men and the women that are listening. That this is a responsibility to uplift the Muslim community in Pakistan, to uplift them, and to have them live by the principles of justice, live by the principles of mercy, to truly show Islam what Islam is supposed to be. That's your responsibility.

Reclaiming Islam from Extremism

And the hijacking of Islam by groups that, when you think of them, when you think of Islam, all they want you to think of is fighting, and killing, and anger, and rage, and who's going to hell, and this like negative view of Islam that's being perpetrated, and is being pumped constantly by the enemies of Islam. And unfortunately from within the Muslims also, you have to take our deen back. You really do. It's our deen. And we have to stand by it as the way it's supposed to be stood by.

Planning for the Future and Legacy

Finally, inshaAllah ta'ala, I want to give you a bit of encouragement from a different point of view. You guys, alhamdulillah, you're in college now or high school now, and you have your entire careers ahead of you, your family lives ahead of you, and you have a lot of major decisions around the corner in your life. And what I'd like you to think about for yourself, and you're just only doing this for yourself, is I want you to think about what legacy you leave behind in the world.

When you're about to get married, I know she's pretty, and you're crazy about her and all of that. But beyond that, is she going to be a good mother? Is she the kind of girl that you would want raising your children? And will those be the kinds of children that long after you're gone, they will be committing to the prayer, they will understand the truth of Islam, and they will be torchbearers for justice and truth in that society no matter what's going on. Will they be those kinds of children?

A decision like marriage, a decision like what kind of career you're going to go into, you have to recalibrate your thoughts, and you have to really think at a higher plane, that you're going to be leaving a mark. And sincerely you ask Allah, you ask Allah, how can you be of service to his deen? How can you be a force of good, a mark of good in the world? And inshallah, Allah will open a door for you.

Excellence in Your Field

Whether it's in the field of medicine and engineering, it doesn't matter. Those are not irreligious fields. And if you're going to go into a field, be the best at it. That's what Islam asks of you. If you're going to be a programmer, don't be a scrub programmer with dirty code. Be the best there is at it.

If you're going to go into medicine, be the top of your class. Excel, you know. That's something at least that we push a lot in Pakistan, right? To get good grades. But I'm saying even from a religious point of view, a professional point of view, a business ethics point of view. Be a reformer of business ethics in Pakistan. God knows we could use it, you know.

But think big, think very, very big. Think big for your family, think big for your community, your country, you know, the ummah at large. We make du'a, really, I honestly, I make du'a for the young people, the

courageous young people in Egypt. And what a historical thing they've done to topple the new, the Firaun of this century, you know. And inshaAllah good comes out of it. That it's not more of the same old.

Maintaining Hope and Optimism

We have to be optimistic. As bad as news are, if we lose hope, we've lost everything, right? So we ask Allah that He makes their challenges easy for them and He makes your challenges easy for you. And that you come out of your, you know, if you're just lost in a world of entertainment and living for the day and not really thinking about the future, that you come out of that and you become the way, you start becoming a thinker like you're supposed to be. An open thinker. And a source of inspiration for other Muslims. That's what I honestly hope you become.

The Call to Be Inviters to Good

Okay, here's, I promise, my last thing I want to share with you. InshaAllah ta'ala. Allah says

This is Ali'lmran, the third surah. He says, Let there rise among you an Ummah that calls to the good, and commands what is right and forbids what is wrong, and those are the successful ones.

I've been having this discussion with our community here in Texas for the last month. What does that mean? An Ummah calling to the good. You guys, I'm not just asking you for things like, you should pray regularly and you shouldn't look at haram things. That would be me assuming I'm talking to children. You guys are adults. You guys already know that stuff. And plus you're in a Muslim country. So, even if you don't know much about Islam, you at least know that much. That you're obligated to pray and you're supposed to try and understand the Qur'an.

Becoming Students of the Quran

What I'm trying to tell you now is you guys can be an invitation to the good if you guys become students of the Qur'an. Don't let anybody else tell you what the book says and what it doesn't say. Become a student of the language of the Qur'an. Learn Arabic. You know there are people I know here in America that leave their studies in Harvard and they leave their studies in Cambridge and they go to Egypt and they go to even Pakistan to study Arabic. And you guys are in Pakistan. Some of the best teachers of Arabic are in Islamabad I think. You know. Study Arabic.

Have a direct relationship with the Qur'an. Study tafsir. Understand, make the Qur'an's thought process your own. Make it your own. Because this is Allah's book to you. So it can give you wisdom. And so you can become inviters to the Qur'an. You can be in whatever career you want to be but you can live a life as Muslims. You can be the best student and the best Muslim at the same time.