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Why is our youth turning away from Islam. One factor explained by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hilli

Marriage is among the most important institutions in Islam, as it promotes a healthy family and community founded on love and mercy. God tells us in the Quran, “And of His signs is that He created spouses for you out of yourselves so that you might take comfort in them, and He created love and mercy between you.”1In a narration from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp), he strongly states, “Of my tradition is to marry.”2 Thus, we can see that in the religion of Islam, marriage is of the utmost importance. There are many contemporary challenges that young Muslims face when it comes to the issue of marriage. Today, we find many youth having difficulty getting married for a variety of different reasons. In some cases, parents think their children are too young, have not finished their degrees, or are financially unable to marry. And unfortunately, in other cases, parents consider the person the child wants to marry unsuitable because they are from a different ethnic background. For us to progress as a community, it is imperative that we hold on to the divine teachings that the Prophet and Imams (pbut) have given us, especially when it relates to marriage. Priorities Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) has advised us that, “There is no foundation that has been built in Islam more loved by God Almighty, than marriage.”3 At a very young age we begin to lay the foundation of our lives by establishing an educational background that serves as a framework for our future careers. Similarly, just as the best time for starting an education is at a young age, the best time for marriage is in our youth. While an academic background is needed earlier in life to enter into a career path, marriage is necessary at a young age to keep us safe from entering a sinful lifestyle. Therefore, while achieving an education is important, it does not need to come at the expense of getting married. There is no ruling or law in Islam that forbids the pursuit of knowledge and marriage at the same time. Hence, we can begin to see why marriage is the most beloved foundation built in Islam by God Almighty. Financial Complications of Marriage Financial hurdles are perhaps another major obstacle to allowing our youth to get married. God has promised, “Marry the single people among you…If they are poor, God will make them rich through His favor.”4 It is important to recognize that God has given a guarantee to help those who want to get married but do not have the means. We need to entrust our affairs to Him in this regard. Moreover, many young men are afraid of getting married due to the dowry that has to be given to the bride. These days, some families of the bride ask for a large sum of money that is often unaffordable to the groom. Islamically, the dowry is a gift that the bride requests from her husband and can be anything tangible (not necessarily money). We see the best example of this in the life of Imam Ali (p) and Lady Fatimah (p). Imam Ali (p) had nothing to give Lady Fatimah (p) for her dowry. The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) advised Imam Ali (p) to sell his shield and give its worth to Lady Fatimah (p) as her dowry.5 Sayyid al-Sistani has stated that, “Guardians are not permitted to prevent their daughters from getting married, nor are they permitted to put obstacles in their way using improper traditions not required by God, such as asking for exorbitant dowers.”6 Race Often, we see parents refusing to let their children marry someone who is outside their cultural or ethnic background. No matter how pious the person is, parents tend to concentrate on the fact that they do not come from the same country or speak the same language. This is not part of Islamic conduct. God states, “We have created you all male and female and have made you nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most pious of you.”7 God has created us from different backgrounds so that we may get to know one another and learn about each other. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) states, “If someone with good etiquette and religiousness comes to you [for marriage], then marry him. If you do not, then you have caused great corruption on Earth”8 It is extremely important to note that in this narration, there is not even a small hint that speaks about race. Additionally, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) did not direct any of his family to only marry within their bloodline. There are many sayyid (those who come from the lineage of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp)) families that do not allow their children to marry non-sayyid individuals, regardless of their excellence in piety and other good qualities. This has no basis in Islam. According to Sayyid al-Sistani, not allowing one’s children to marry outside of the sayyid lineage is an example of “improper traditions not required by God” and “there are many sources of corruption in these traditions.”9 Beneficial Tips 1. Choose a God-conscious spouse. We see some youth today getting married for the wrong reasons. Some marry solely for beauty or wealth forgetting that there is something far more important: faith. The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) states, “A [person] who marries… for the sake of… wealth, God leaves him [to consume the wealth until it depletes], and the one who marries… for… beauty, he will find… [the beauty depleting with old age], and the one who marries… for the sake of… faith (religiousness), God will give [him the long-lasting wealth and beauty].”10 2. Concentrate on Islamic Practices. As stated above, many of the youth are finding it difficult to get married due to cultural practices, such as sayyids marrying only sayyids. We should instead focus on what the religion of Islam permits and forbids. This way, we will allow the challenges of getting married to slowly disappear. 3. Parents should offer their help. Parents should find creative ways to support their children’s marrying early, even while attending college, such as by continuing to help pay for their children’s tuition until they are ready to support themselves independently. In addition, if the youth are not financially ready to have their own place, parents could offer their help by allowing their children to live at home. This will not only provide great support for the new couple, but also provide much needed support for aging parents who may require additional care. 4. Have a written document. Although Islamic marriages are solemnized verbally, it is important to have written documentation to record many of the points discussed above. By having any stipulations (i.e., dowry) recorded, a newlywed couple can eliminate fears of unexpected demands. To learn more about Islamic Marriage Contracts, click here. 1. Quran 30:21. 2. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 100, p. 222. 3. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 100, p. 222. 4. Quran 24:32. 5. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 43, p. 119. 6. “Advice to the Youth from His Eminence, Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani.” 7.I.M.A.M., July 17, 2017, www.imam-us.org/advice-youth-eminence-grand-ayatullah-sayyid-ali-al-sistani/. 8. Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-kafi, vol. 5, p. 347. 9.“Advice to the Youth from His Eminence, Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani.” I.M.A.M., July 17, 2017, www.imam-us.org/advice-youth-eminence-grand-ayatullah-sayyid-ali-al-sistani/. 10. Shaykh al-Jawahari, Jawaher al-kalam, vol. 29, p. 39. Contemporary Challenges of Getting Married - <-- Link to article on the I.M.A.M website.

I heard a shia scholar from Iran saying that Iranian youth is converting back to zoroasterism (Majoosiat) (the video is available on Youtube) I did a small google search and found a number of sources saying the same thing. Why so?

Salam, Mut'ah marriages (Islamic "pleasure" marriages) are wajib (obligatory) for most Shia Muslim youth who attend undergraduate college in the West. This is because most Muslim youth in such situations will be sexually frustrated unless they relieve themselves in three ways: masturbation, permanent marriage, or mut'ah. The first way is haram, the second way is highly impractical and unfeasible for most such youth in their freshman/sophomore/junior years of college (of course it shouldn't be this way, but unfortunately this is the way things often are and we should now see what a youth should do if permanent marriage in these years is indeed not possible for him - while we should also try to change the way society is, but that takes time, so what should youth do right now?), and therefore the third way is the only way a youth must take nowadays. Considering that most Muslim youth have normal youthful human libidos, most of them cannot survive years of time without sexual release. It would be seriously delusional to think otherwise. Most normal, healthy, normal-libido-possessing youth cannot go for years without neither masturbation nor sex. Heck, I don't think even an adult can go that long. Of course there will be the rare and exceptional cases where a youth either has no libido or possesses extreme self-control (which may be superhuman or even unhealthy), but for the most part, youth generally cannot go for years with absolutely no form of sexual release. And that is why for most youth, mut'ah will not only be mustahab - it will be wajib. If I found a Shia Muslim youth who was in his junior year of college, and he wasn't permanently married, and he hadn't ever done mut'ah in his life either, I think I can be reasonable in my assumption that this guy has been masturbating (committing haram). Of course, Islamically, I shouldn't assume negative things about a fellow Muslim brother, but from a secular/realistic/statistic perspective, such an assumption would not be irrational. It's time that more Shia college boys are encouraged to get girlfriends in college by doing mut'ah. Whoever encourages another Shia Muslim brother to get a girlfriend using mut'ah will have done a very good deed by preventing him from committing haram (masturbation). P.S. I follow Ayatollah Khamenei, and according to him it is obligatory precaution to seek the father's permission when doing mut'ah. But my next-in-line scholar is Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani, and according to him, such permission isn't necessary. So mut'ah is very feasible for me and others who follow these two scholars. There are plenty of Christian and Jewish females in college whom us youth could take as partners.

Hi everyone, How is everyone doing? I am MuhammadXII, a Pakistani Sunni, but one who views Shias as Muslim brothers and sisters. I was wondering, why are the youth in Iran abandoning Islam at an alarming rate. Every single Iranian youth I have come across here in Canada is against Islam and anti-Islam. Furthermore, I heard that the youth in Iran is like this as well. I have heard from a trusted source that 70% of Iran's youth are irreligious, and eventually this will lead to the end of Islam in Iran as the youth form the majority of the population of Iran right now. Is this true, are there any religious youth? Why is Tehran one of Iran's least religious cities?

Please read all of it. This is a serious issue affecting our Muslim community! Assalaamu alaykom wa rahmatullahu wa barakatuh, firstly I ask all of you who read this to sincerely open your hearts to accepting what is truth and rejecting what is false. If you find any good in what is said then follow it, if not you are free to choose what to do with it. There is an issue in the Muslim youth that I am particularly disturbed by and have been looking for ways to create this awareness through people of influence or who have the platform to create awareness on a large scale. I don't know how impactful this message will be but I pray to Allah that he makes it reach all of you and that this helps to put an end to this issue. The problem effecting our youth is the whole Youtuber and Social Media Celebrity syndrome especially in our women with the whole Muslim "Make Up Artist" (MUA) and "Modest trend". This is a trend that is leading our youth in complete destruction. Day after day, one after another Muslim MUAs are popping up and Muslim youtubers/vloggers/pranksters in search of fame and money. I am so ashamed to admit that MAJORITY of our hijabis have fallen into this trap. I really don't wish for you anyone to see any of the images of our sisters in this way social media is filled with it and there is no escaping from them. We have sisters with a million over followers and some hundreds and thousands and are promoting make up and "modest" fashion which are not what would be considered acceptable or pleasing to Allah at all. And their fame is a complete joke vlogging about everything and nothing. Astaghfirllah -hijabis using vulgar language, talking about what they wear underneath, bedroom talk with their husbands, full on tabbaruj and just complete shamelessness. On the other hand you have the youtuber brothers doing pranks, vlogs, social experiments and what not. They start innocently and end up with kufr pranks such as pranking their friends that they are leaving Islam and actually say words of kufr and even asking Muslim sisters for sex as a prank and many other sick things. And they are so followed and come across as "Islamic" because they combine committing major sins openly and doing qur'an or prayer social experiments or "dawah" and occasionally post Islamic quotes or term their videos as "halal". And sometimes these brothers are defending hijab at the same time kissing hijabis and posting the photos. What a combo right? "I'm not perfect, I commit major sins and kufr and love Allah at the same time." This is the trend now wal iyyadhubillah! I want to reach out to the youth to let them know to make a concious decision to get ouf of it. Unfollow these people! I don't want to name names but you know who they are. Unfollow them FOR Allah'S SAKE. I am begging you brothers and sisters. Wallahi I have no self interest in this matter. Do it for the ummah, for Islam. Don't support the wrong things. And sisters, stop beautifying yourself, whether you do it for your own self or for men or whatever, it is still haram and hated by Allah. It is sinful for you to display yourself in public beautified whether you are wearing hijab or not. Please learn more seek knowledge and let Imaan enter your hearts. Seek Allah's pleasure alone don't fall for the trap of shaytaan. It's gotten so bad to the point that the pages with pornographic images of women are reposting hijabi photos praising their makeup and eyebrow game and beauty. And the husbands who allow their wives to display their beauty, Rasulullah ص called them dayooth. ‘’Three people will not enter paradise, and Allah will not look to them on the Day of Judgment: the one who is disobedient to his parents, the woman who imitates men and the ad-Dayooth.” Please brothers and sisters, reach out to them and speak more openly about this issue. Discourage the sisters from displaying their beauty. From wearing heels and the wrong hijab and fake lashes and doing their eyebrows and displaying themselves. Brands today have completely hijacked the term modesty and Hayaa, we need to redefine it to it's originally meaning which is what Allah has defined it as. So please brothers and sisters talk more about this and discourage them from it. Keep on sending the message out. Wassalamm aleikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh PS: Sorry for the long post

Salaam Alaikum A brilliant opportunity for an educational trip, as well as activities, please email the email on the poster for any further questions. Would not miss this opportunity!

Salaam Alaykum, I'm new to Gloucester, Uk. Just moved in over two weeks ago and the first thing I did was find out if there was a community. Turns out there is a small family who run programs on thursday nights - whilst that is nice and does feel like I get some connection to a mosque, I was wondering if there were any youths around the age of twenty or slightly older who were also in Gloucester? It would be nice to meet/hang out/socialise every once in a while. Please get in touch Wasaalaam

(bismillah) Another great lecture series helping you ready for marriage and even helping those out who are already married. Worth a watch!