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Abdisalam Adam, Board Member, Islamic Civic Society of America (Dar Al-Hijrah), Minneapolis

These days, the Somali immigrant community is struggling with the attitudes and choices the youth are making. Sadly, there have been high profile Somali youth related incidents in the news over the last three years that included gang related murders, radicalization, and immoral sexual activities. These are all worrisome trends that cannot be allowed to continue.  The youth need inspiration, faithfulness, and pride in their Islamic heritage to counter the pressures of alienation and popular culture. They need to realize the great expectations the community places on them. Many parents came to Minnesota to find better future for their children. Thus, it is disheartening to see the youth go astray and waste their potential to learn, grow, and lead. As the new Islamic year 1432 AH and new Gregorian year 2011 CE begin, it is worthwhile to remind the Muslim youth of their place in history. The youth played a pivotal role in the most significant occurrence of Islamic history – the Migration of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions from Makkah (Mecca) to Madinah (Medina) in 622 CE. We can say the religion survived because of the contribution of the youth. Why can our youth today, with all the resources at their disposal contribute positively to society and lead the way? Why don’t they focus on their education and become messengers of peace and prosperity? Let’s turn to some youth pioneers of Islam to see the sacrifices they made in the service of their community.

Struggles of Early Muslims

In the early days of Islam, when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called his people to embrace Islam, they did not accept it easily. The tribe of Quraysh, to which the Prophet belonged, was reluctant to leave the religion of its forefathers, and the Makkan unbelievers spared no effort in trying to eliminate the religion from existence. They resorted to every conceivable means and method of torture and persecution. They ridiculed the new converts and subjected them to all kinds of hardships in order to force them to renounce their faith.

But the ill treatment only made them more determined and firm. Among the early converts who suffered most were the Yassir family (father, mother, and son), Bilal Ibn Rabah, and Khabbab Ibn Al-Art. The latter was in fact publicly executed to deter others from embracing Islam. But nothing could turn the new Muslims away from their faith. This situation continued for thirteen years in Makkah, while the Muslims were still weak.

The Prophet’s Migration (Hijrah)

Then, Allah (the Exhaled, the Mighty) instructed His Prophet to migrate from Makkah to Madinah, then known as Yathrib. This migration marked a turning point in Islamic history as the Muslims found support in Madinah. Within a few years, their situation changed from weakness to strength.

However, the Hijrah itself was overshadowed by all kinds of dangers. The Quraysh conspired to kill the Prophet before he left Makkah, and they contrived a master plan to assassinate him. They agreed that each clan should select a warrior to represent it, whereby the warriors would jointly stab the Prophet. The idea behind this plan was to escape the onus of blood compensation and tribal feuds. In this manner, all the clans would share the compensation, and at the same time, the Prophet’s clan could not engage in war against the allied tribes.

But Allah (swt) protected His Prophet from their conspiracy. As the group selected to carry out the plot gathered outside the Prophet’s home, he asked his cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, to sleep in his bed. Then the Prophet left silently under the cover of darkness, as he recited these verses of the Qur’an:

“And We have put in front of them a barrier, and We have covered them so that they cannot see.” [Yasin, 36:9]

The Prophet went to his close companion, Abu Bakr, and they left Makkah secretly, accompanied by Abu Bakr’s servant, ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, and a guide who had good knowledge of the way. The group left in a direction other than the one usually taken to Madinah so as to escape the pursuit of their adversaries. The Prophet and Abu Bakr hid in the cave of Thawr, near Makkah, to wait for the frantic search of the unbelievers to subside. In fact, The Quarysh placed a reward of a hundred camels for whoever would capture the Prophet before he reached Madinah.

The Role of the Youth in the Migration

It is worth noting here the role played by Muslim youth in this crucial journey, which required much planning, secrecy and courage. Four young people who stood up to this task were Ali ibn Abi Talib, ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr and Asma bint Abi Bakr. The role of Ali Ibn Abi Talib on the night of the Prophet’s escape from assassination has already been mentioned. Abdullah Ibn Abi Bakr sneaked out each night to inform his father and the Prophet of what was transpiring in Makkah among the unbelievers, and of the relentless search they were undertaking.

‘Aamir Ibn Fuhayrah, on the other hand, drove his sheep to graze over and wipe out any footprints leading to the cave where the Prophet and Abu Bakr were hiding. Asma took food and water to them. She stood firm in the face of close scrutiny by the leaders of Quraysh, such that one of them even hit her hard to extract from her information of the whereabouts of the Prophet and Abu Bakr. One day, Asma could not carry the food and water with her bare hands, so she tore her waist-band into two sashes and used them to tie and carry the provisions on her shoulders. When she reached the cave and the Prophet saw what she had done, he said to her, “Surely, Allah has exchanged your two sashes with two sashes in Paradise.”

Indeed, the story of the circumstances surrounding the Prophet’s migration serves as an inspiration for Muslim youth in all generations. These young individuals realized the significance of the Message of the Prophet (pbuh) and importance of his personal safety for the survival of Islam. They therefore made the decision to contribute to the success of the Islamic message with all the means at their disposal.

The sacrifice each one of them made reveals the love and loyalty that they had for the Prophet (pbuh). They also serve as role models for all Muslims youth to emulate. Youth is the most vigorous and dynamic stage in an individual’s life.

Therefore, Muslim youth of today should realize their role in society, and they should contribute selflessly to the advancement of the community. In a hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said that among the things for which every person will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment is his/her youth and how he/she spent it. In another authentic Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Take advantage of five before five: ‘Your youth before your old age; your health before your illness; your wealth before your times of poverty; your spare time before you get busy; and your life before your death.’” (Related by Hakim, 4/306, and Musnad Ahmad).

The Muslim youth should therefore rise to the occasion and shoulder their responsibilities to their communities. They must also have the courage and foresight to help shape the future of their community and nation.

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