Confessions Of A Teenager

Part 3- The Cure

'For every malady, there is a remedy.' What might the remedy be, for the spiritual sickness we discussed about?

Before digging deeper into the 'remedies' let me share an example that comes to my mind, which is that of a sick person. Where would you expect a sick person to go to, seeking cure? A doctor, of course! Imagine that person decides to go to a mechanic/technician instead? Would he get himself cured? In fact he would only cause more harm to himself.

This signifies the importance of going to the right source for help. Allah created us and therefore knows each and every weakness of ours. He knows what is in our hearts and minds. At the same time, he knows our needs better than ourselves, so He advices us, but it is seldom followed. We go to the wrong sources instead and then ironically complain about feeling lonely or incomplete.

I recall watching a mother trying to stop her son from playing with a pair of scissors which seemed entertaining to the little kid. She yanked it away at the displeasure of the child, for his own protection, but she did so out of love. This is the nature of us, human beings, as servants of Allah. Allah, out of his infinite knowledge and wisdom forbids certain things because it is harmful to us and we may not be able to comprehend the wisdom behind it. But we have to understand and learn to place our trust in Him and follow his commands with complete conviction that He is the Only one who can guide us through this rocky journey of life.

So we turn to Allah to cure this sickness. But how do we do so? There are so many ways to connect to our Creator. This path is freely accessible, but only to those who truly wish to seek it. Once we set upon this path, although we may struggle at the beginning, Allah's protection will always be with us and He will make it easy for us to deal with the challenges that life throws at us.

The most important step is prayer. The benefits of prayer are always underestimated. As Muslims, we all pray and have been trained to do so since childhood. We pray 5 times a day which is to some a burden, to some a source of consolation and to some just a daily ritual. Now that we have the capability to ponder and reflect, it's time we realize its true meaning. Ask yourself these questions and be honest. "Why do I pray? Do I pray sincerely? Do I pray on time and strive to perfect it? Or do I consider it a burden?" Only when we understand the significance of prayer, will we be able to experience the tranquility that it infuses in our desperate heart. It may be difficult to get ourselves to pray regularly, but once we train ourselves to do so, we'll realize that the benefits are far greater. Wouldn't we trade anything for a second with the celebrities we admire today? Then why not for the Most Merciful Master? Start right now. If we aren't perfecting our prayer, we're missing out on a priceless ingredient that would bring happiness in our lives.

Another important element that is missing in most of the teenagers' lives is the Quraan. If we truly knew the status and specialty of the Quran, we would be greatly attached to it. We've all heard about how we must recite regularly, but how many of us actually implement it. Why is it that we don't? Is it because the Quran seems insignificant? Do we consider it a waste of time or do we lack the motivation?

The Prophet p.b.u.h. said "No people gather together in a house of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah makes mention of them to those in His presence."

So what's keeping us back from reciting it regularly? We get overjoyed when we know that our name has been mentioned in special meetings or on the papers, then imagine being mentioned by Allah, the All-mighty! Such an honourable privilege should never be missed. So get closer to the Qur'aan. This small change will definitely bring about tremendous results because it is our Creator talking to us, trying to guide and teach us how to lead a peaceful life and constantly reminding us of our purpose of existence while Shaytaan keeps trying to deceive us. The Quraan is a need for us, so if we ignore it and then claim to be lonely or falling into sins we are to blame ourselves because we are ignoring the cure while it is at our reach.