The Dangers in Digital Space

The Youth of the Ummah in Peril- II

More than ever before, our times are bearing witness to phenomenal changes in technological innovations and human lives are increasingly organized around smartphones and other technology-based instruments. Thanks to the convergence of communication technologies and the consequent emergence of social media platforms in cyber-space, virtual interactions with people anywhere is easily feasible in our globalized world. Certainly, advanced technologies are vital enablers and a force-multiplier for doing good, allowing individuals and nations to come together on common platforms to discuss specific concerns and to share best practices for addressing challenges. At the same time, we need to be critically-aware of the negative side effects- the many dangers and harmful impacts lurking behind the unprecedented ‘opening-up’ made possible by the new mediums of the digital space, especially for the young people.  

In his Friday Sermon of 22 February 2019~17 Jamadi’ul Aakhir 1440 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius continues the theme of the perils affecting modern-day youth in our societies. Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) warns against the increasingly unabashed pursuit of synthetic happiness- be it in drugs and other deadly cocktails by the youth in our times, and points to the critical need for comprehensive intervention at various levels by the social stakeholders to ensure that our deeply-vulnerable young people are weaned-away from fatal attractions and dangerous choices in their lives, with profound consequences for families and societies as well.

Likewise, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) alludes to the many dangers of the new "addictions" of the youth, represented by their 'trendy gadgets', and the virtual access to social media platforms. The extraordinary reach of the new mediums to capture our emotions, thoughts as well as other inanities through photos, videos and other forms of self- expressions, coupled with the temptations of the young to share it all with both friends and complete strangers can have profoundly negative implications for our emotional happiness, psychological well-being and mental health, especially for the people who are  virtually "addicted" to these devices. As the communication devices are 'neutral' enablers, the danger of criminality and immorality are ever-present, and as such, the new challenges of ubiquitous access requires careful handling, and the prudent deployment of vital ethical teachings on decent engagements and appropriate behaviour. The task ahead for the social actors is to ensure that the youth are constantly-educated and enabled to deal with the challenges and pitfalls of the new platforms so that they may only exploit their true potential in the most appropriate and creative ways for their own progress and the social common good, points out Hadhrat Saheb (atba). 

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

By the grace of Allah, I continue today the second part of my sermon on “The Youth of the Ummah in Peril”. Last Friday I told you how young people also have a mission to accomplish. The youth are our future, and they must be protected from the harmful effects of globalisation. The Islamic faith of the youth of our Ummah must be protected and safeguarded. 

Becoming ‘Maryam’, Bearing ‘Isa’

Our body is like Mary.

Each of us has a Jesus inside.

If a pain and yearning shows up inside us,

the Jesus of our soul is born.

If there is no pain, no yearning,

the Jesus of our soul will return to its origin from

the same secret passageway he came from…

If there is no pain, no yearning,

we will remain deprived

not benefiting from that Jesus of the soul.

 

-Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (ra) in Mathnawi---Translated by Omid Safi, in Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition (Yale, 2018).

 

A true believer becomes like ‘Maryam’ and is infused with the Holy Spirit

 

In Surah Al Tahrim, we read: “And Allah next compares the believers to Maryam, the daughter of Imran, she took care to guard her chastity, so we breathed into him (the believer who is exemplified here) Our inspiration while she declared her faith in the revelations of her Lord and His scriptures and she became of the devoted ones to prayers and obedient to Him”- (Surah Al Tahrim, HQ, 66: 13)

 

In this Qur’anic verse, Maryam is set as an example for righteous servants of Allah. Like Maryam, true believers- though they are not Prophets of Allah- can also be bestowed with Divine revelations. Such a servant is like Maryam and then Allah will infuse His Ruh in him and he will become the like of Jesus, a servant of God and recipient of His Revelations. According to Hazrat Khalifatul Massih Awwal Allama Hakkim Nuruddin (ra), “the verse clearly informs us that in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), there will be people- both men and women- like Maryam, who will guard their chastity, be devoted to prayers, declare faith in the Scripture and because of being an obedient servant of Allah will receive the blessings of Divine Revelations. This promise has been given in the very first chapter of al-Fatihah in the words, “Show us the path of those whom you bestowed your Mercy”.

Surah An-Nur: A Commentary

Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- Kerala has just published a new Book in Malayalam: ‘Surah An-Nur: A Commentary’. The present book, originally written in English by  Hadhrat Ummul Mu’mineen Fazli Amena Varsally (International Sadr Saheba- Siraj Makin), is translated into Malayalam by Fauzia Jamal-Zain Saheba, Na’ib Sadr- Siraj Makin, South Kerala. This important treatise contains a treasure trove of spiritual insights and practical guidance useful for all believers who use their God-gifted faculties to study and reflect on the Word of God. The present translation is an important contribution to Qur’anic studies in Malayalam and a vital addition to the growing literature of the Jamaat in Kerala.

Read the Introduction to the Malayalam Edition Below:

‘Surah An Nur’ constitutes the 24^th chapter of the Holy Qur’an. The chapter is named after the Divine Attribute of Light (Nur) indicated in the Light Verse (v.36). Focussing on Allah’s relationship to the humans, the chapter declares that Every Light that is visible in the universe and in human souls is a bounty of Allah’s Grace and Mercy. As the Source of all Lights, mercies and laws; Allah provides illuminating guidance in this chapter for the believers- men, women and children- clarifying several social and legal questions.

The Youth and 'Synthetic' Pleasures

The Youth of the Ummah in Peril

Liberal, lawless practices of the modern era, under the influence of Westerners and Americans, mainly affect young people. If this fringe of society of non-believers does not care so much about misdeeds, damage and other major problems caused by globalization, the youth of the Ummah, on the other hand, cannot and must not remain indifferent to its influence on their way of life, their way of behaving. And especially the harmful effect it causes to their faith and piety. This is disturbing.

The Youth's Mission

Now, the youth is the future. For all, without exception. Nations, countries, organizations, communities, family. All depend on the youth of today to take over for continuity. The same goes for Muslim youth, the youth of the Ummah in the four corners of the earth. This youth has a mission. To take over from the elders. To continue to propagate the Sahih al Islam (true Islam/ true teachings of Islam) in righteousness. To build educational centres for children and adults. But above all, to fraternize with members of other communities. For it is quite clear, according to Qur’anic verses and Hadiths, that to have respect for one’s neighbour is piety.

It is through this respect for everyone that this youth, the pillar of tomorrow, can build solid foundations for the Ummah to live in peace, serenity, tranquillity, and harmony. However, the youth of this century is going through difficult times with the rise of globalization that touches all corners of the world.

The Youth's Embarrassment

This situation really embarrasses the youth of the Ummah because they seem to be caught between two fires: (1) the principle of Islam which makes the clear-cut clear difference between the lawful (Halal) and the unlawful (Haram); (2) The boundless freedom in all matters of the unbelievers in this temporal world.