It was a particularly hot summer, and
the harvest was about to begin. Thus, it was a most inopportune time for a
military expedition. Yet, this did not deter the Prophet . The tribe of Ghassan, a Christian tribe to the North,
repeatedly attacked the Muslims and declared its open hostility to the
Muslim state in Medina. Thus, the Prophet was compelled to deal with this emerging threat. There was only
one problem: Ghassan was an ally of Byzantium, and any attack on Ghassan
necessarily meant an attack on Byzantium, which would definitely come to
the aid of their Arab co-religionists.
The Prophet knew this, but fight them he must, otherwise the lives and
livelihoods of the inhabitants of Medina would be constantly threatened.
Therefore, the Prophet ordered every Muslim capable to carry a sword to converge on
Medina to take part in the attack on Tabuk. Many responded. Yet, there
were some, chief among them the hypocrites, who did not want to take part
in such a difficult task, and they came to the Prophet with all sorts of pathetic excuses as to why they could not go
and fight with him. The Prophet accepted them without question, because he knew that these
waverers would be of no benefit to the Muslim army
anyway.
There were some Muslims, however, true believers and
not hypocrites, who failed to join the army and had no legitimate excuse.
The most famous were these three: Ka'b ibn Malik, Mararah ibn ar-Rabi' and
Hilal ibn Umayyah. When the Prophet returned from Tabuk, he rebuked them and ordered that they be
ostracized from the community. No one was to say one word to them, not
even "salam." In fact, whenever one of them would say "salam" to the
Prophet , he would not answer out loud, but would mouth the words
"alaikum salam."
This continued for forty days until Allah
revealed this verse: "And [He turned in His mercy, too,] towards
the three who had fallen prey to corruption, until in the end-after the
earth, despite all its vastness, had become [too] narrow for them and
their souls had become [utterly] constricted, they came to know with
certainty that there is no refuge from God other than [a return] unto Him;
and thereupon He turned again unto them in His mercy, so that they might
repent: for, verily, God alone is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser
of grace" (Quran 9:118).
The earth, despite its vastness, had
become too narrow for them. That feeling, I suspect, is the exact same
feeling our youth have growing up here in America. This is especially true
for the youth who struggle to stay committed to the laws and dictates of
Islam. I was one of those youth, and the earth indeed felt ever so narrow
around me. I felt totally alone, even though I was surrounded by hundreds
of fellow students in school. It was a horrible feeling and a very
difficult time in my life.
These feelings will naturally lead
the young one to ask "Why?" He or she will ask, "Why can't I go to that
party?" "Why can't I drink alcohol?" "Why can't I ask him or her on a
date?" "Why can't I go to the prom?" And the answer given to them from
their parents and elders are frequently inadequate and cold-hearted:
"Because...because I said so."
This is wrong. Allah , the Holy Creator on High, never said "Because I said so." So,
why should we? Of all the beings in the universe, Allah , the creator of everything, should not be asked "why," as the
Quran says: "He cannot be called to account for whatever He does, whereas
they will be called to account [for what they do]" (Quran 21:23). Yet,
Allah still provides an explanation for why he makes certain things
forbidden. That is why He is such a wonderful Lord and Sustainer. Why,
therefore, should we be threatened by the "whys" and "wherefores" of our
children and youth?
When our youth ask "why?", we should seek
out the motivation behind such a question. Frequently, we will find out
that he or she is seeking to understand his or her faith better; he or she
wants to understand the reason behind a particular prohibition, especially
when it comes to issues alcohol, dating, and sex, things which are
pervasive among youth today. Rarely, they ask these questions out of sheer
rebellion.
Youth and adolescence is perhaps the most
difficult time for any person, let alone a devout Muslim adolescent
growing up in America. Whether we like it or not, our conduct embodies
Islam to our youth, and if we fall short of the ideals of our faith, our
youth frequently become disenchanted with Islam and are liable to leave
the faith. They know what the pamphlets and brochures about Islam say, but
when they see us behaving in a manner unbecoming of a Muslim--all the
while criticizing them for their rebellion against the faith--they will
immediately see through this hypocrisy, and it will have a devastating
effect on their faith, especially given the enormous pressure they face
each and every day as an American Muslim in the post 9/11
era.
Our youth are our future. Let us welcome them and their
questions with open arms. Let us include them in the running of our
affairs: they have a valuable perspective having grown up as Americans.
Let us improve our own religious commitment and live up to the ideals of
our faith. If we fail to do this, I fear our mosques--gorgeous and
magnificent on the outside--may be completely empty of the next generation
of believers on the inside. And we will have no excuse whatsoever before
our Lord on the Day we will meet Him again.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago
physician and writer. His forthcoming book, "The Beliefnet Guide to Islam," is due to be published by
Doubleday in 2006. His blog can be visited at: www.hassaballa.org
http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0503-2631