بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

إن الحمدَ للهِ, نحمده و نستعينه و نستغفره و نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا و سيّْئات أعمالنا. من يهـده الله فلآ مضل له و من يضلل فلا هـادي له.

و أشـهـد أن لا إله إلا ألله و حـده لا شـريك له, و أشـهـد أن محمّدا عبده و رسوله, بلّغ الرساله و أدّى ألأمانه و نصح ألأمه فَتَركها على المحجَّة البيضاء ليلها كنهارها لا يزيغ عنها إلا هالك. اللهم صلّي و سلم و بارك على سيّدنا محمّد و على آله و صحبه و من سـار على نهجـه.

أمّـا بَعدُ: فإنّ خير الحديث كتـاب الله, و خير الهـدي هدي محَمّـد, و شرّ الأمور مُحدثـاتـهـا و كلّ بدعـة ضلالة.

عباد الله, أوصيكم و نفسي بتقوى الله و طاعته, فقد فاز المتقون.

Today, I would like to share with you a story from the Quran. It is a story full of wisdom and lessons for everyone of us. This story is narrated in Surah Al Kahf. And it is the story of Ashabul Kahf:

أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا(9)إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا(10)فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا(11) ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَى لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا(12)نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى(13)وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَنْ نَدْعُوَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَهًا لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا(14)هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لَوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا(15) وَإِذْ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مِرفَقًا(16)

“Or do you reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our Signs?

Behold, the youths betook themselves to the Cave: they said, "Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!"

Then We drew (a veil) over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave, (so that they heard not):

Then We roused them, in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried!

We relate to you their story in Truth: they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in guidance:

We gave strength to their hearts: behold, they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we call upon any god other than Him: if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity!"

"These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing) for what they do? Who does more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah?

"When you turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah, betake yourselves to the Cave: your Lord will shower His mercy on you and dispose of your affair towards comfort and ease."”

Dearest brothers and sisters, what a beautiful story is told here, if we but understand its wisdom. This story is told here in the Quran for a purpose. There is nothing in the Quran that is narrated in vain.

إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا(10)

“Behold! When the youths betook themselves to the cave: they said : “Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way.”

Do you notice that Allah (swt) has specifically praised them for being youths who are asking for His mercy and guidance?

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى(13)

“We narrate to you their story in truth, they were youths who believed in their Lord and we advanced them in guidance”

They were youths and that is the truth and that is very important. Being young is not an excuse for being away from Allah (swt). To say: I want to enjoy my life first and then I will come back to Allah later when I am old is not an acceptable reasoning.

Many people, especially sisters, when someone talks to them about wearing proper Islamic clothing they will say, I am still young, wait. Insha Allah when I go to hajj first then I will wear hijab.

Many young men ignore their Islamic duties, prayers, fasting, jummuah, but the ready excuse that always come in their defense, they are still young, wait until they grow old enough then they will pray. But Allah (swt) says:

إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى

“They were youths who believed in their Lord and we advanced them in guidance”

Islam, my beloved brothers and sisters, was not built by the old people. The companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were full youthfulness and strength and the majority of them were youths. They did not wait until they retired from work to join Prophet Muhammad. They were youths at the prime of their lives. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once commented:

Do you hear that? Do you hear what Prophet Muhammad said about the youths? You should to be proud of the fact that you are a youth who believe in Allah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) acknowledges the contribution of the youths. What we need now a days, is Muslim youths who are proud to say we are Muslims. Who are proud to commit themselves to the service of Allah (swt). We need young Muslim sisters who are proud to put on her proper Islamic clothing and adhere to the teachings of Islam but at the same time prove that she is no less than anyone else, be successful in her life. Educated, confidant, and capable. We need Muslim young men who are proud of their Islamic values, who have strong sense of right and wrong but at the same time confidant and successful. Just like those youths whom Allah (swt) praises:

إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَنْ نَدْعُوَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَهًا

“They stood up and they said: Our Lord is the Lord of heavens and earth. We shall never call upon any god other than Him”

It is very important to have this understanding. It is important to understand that the duty of Islam does not only fall upon the shoulders of the elderly. Muslim youths have great role in Islam and they need to fill the gap.

My beloved brothers and sisters, the youth whom Allah praised in this surah had similar circumstances to what our Muslim youths now a days are living. They lived in a city which its people did not believe in Allah. They worshiped gods that they made, idols of materialistic nature. They had festivals in which the people offered offerings and celebrated their gods and materialistic believes. And those youths brothers and sisters, used to join the celebration and enjoy the fun. Nevertheless, one day, a young man, and while everyone else was enjoying himself, left the celebration. He went far from the people and sat by himself in a shade of a tree. A few minutes later, another youth came and sat down in the shade of the same tree, then another and another until there was six of them. All of them came by himself, none of them knew the others before, but some how, my beloved brothers and sisters, they all ended up sitting under the shade of the same tree at the same time.

Do you see the similarity here, in our community? We all came from different parts of the world. None of us knew the others before, but we are here under the roof of this Masjid (wa allhamdu lillah).

Anyway, the youths sat down for a long time. None of them talked to the others. But, one stood up and said: There must be a reason behind why we are all here. Let everyone of us tell his reason and I will start. He then said: I find that what the people of our town are doing is wrong. I believe that our Lord is the Lord of heavens and earth. In response to him all the others said: We believe the as you do. Then they got together and established a mosque in which they gathered regularly and prayed and worshiped Allah.”

My dearest brothers and sisters, those youths were agents of change. They knew the truth and they decided to act upon their knowledge. Our youth as well can be agents of change. They can contribute significantly towards the development of this community. When more of our brothers become proud in their Islamic culture and confident enough to present themselves as Muslims and give good example of a successful Muslim. Successful in their studies, in their business, in their work and yet display true Islamic ethics and values, our position in this society will change. When more of our sisters be proud of their Islamic clothing and values and yet succeed as doctors, business women, students and even house wives a change will come.

Brothers and sisters, It is difficult and Allah (swt) understands that but we have to do it for the sake of our children and the future of Muslims in this country. Listen to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) inviting a man called Thu Al Jaushan to Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spoke to him he said:”O Zu al Jaushan! Would you like to be among the early winners? But Zu al Jaushan’s reply was: I will wait. If your tribe followed you then I will come and follow you. Zu al Jaushan then went back to his twon. But after the conquest of Mecca, he came back to Prophet Muhammad to accept Islam. Prophet Muhammad upon seeing him smiled as if he was not pleased, then he commented, now you are coming.”

My beloved brothers and sisters, with which group would you like to be, with the early winners? Or you want to wait.

إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى

“They were youths who believed in their Lord and We advanced them in guidance”

عباد الله أقول قولي هذا و استغفر الله العظيم لي و لكم فيا فوز المستغفرين و يا نجاة التائبين.

الحمد لله ربّ العالمين, حمد الشاكرين , حمدا كثيرا طيبا كما أمر. و صلى الله و سلم و بارك على سيّدنا محمد و على آله و صحبه.

The story of those youths in surah Al Kahf is so inspiring and very important for everyone of us. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has even made it a sunnah to read surah Al Kahf every Friday. He even said:

"من حفظ عشر آيات من أول سورة الكهف عصم من الدجال"

“One who memorizes the first 10 ayahs from surah Al Kahf will be protected from the false Masayah”

I ask Allah to bestow on us His mercy and make us from among those who hear the words and follow the best of its courses.

أللهم إجعلنا ممن يستمعون القول فيتبعون أحسـنه

إن الله العظيم الجليل امركم بامر كريم, بدأ به نفسـه و ثنى بملائكته المسبحة بقدسه و ثلث بكم من إنسه و جنه, فقال و لم يزل قائلا حكيما, تنبيها لنا و تعليما:

"إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا"

لبيك اللهم صلي و سلم و بارك على سيدنا محمد و على آله و صحبه و من إهـتدى بهديه و أقتدى بسنته إلى يوم الدين.