Pars Today

If you remember we talked about self-building in the period of youth. This time we are going to continue the discussion. Hope you’ll enjoy it.

The early years of youth are the spring of attaining human virtues. Imam Ali (AS) writes in his letter to Imam Hassan (AS): “The heart of a teenager is like an empty field that accepts every seed sown on it. Therefore, I trained you before your heart gets hard. My son, know that the most loved thing, that you can cling to among my recommendations in this testimony, is Godwariness and piety.”

Youth and vividness is a great bounty. On one hand, a young person is susceptible to hot insects, desires and emotions especially the sexual desires. On the other hand, the light of his innate nature is also luminous and the storm of sins has not put it out. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, referring to the beautiful prayer of the Prophet on seeing a youth, says, “The Prophet was fond of one of the youths among his companions and prayed for him saying, ‘My Lord, cause him to benefit from his youth.’ Thus, not all youths benefit from their youth that the Prophet prays in this way. What does benefiting from youth mean? It is wrong to think that benefiting from youth means enjoying carnal desires of youth and entertainments. This is not benefiting from youth. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Prophet said, ‘A youth who keeps away from impurities and carnal desires and spends his youth in obedience of God; God will grant him with the reward of 72 Siddiqs (truthful).’ The example that God has put as a role model before the youths is Prophet Joseph. Benefiting from youth is spending it in obedience of God.”

One may ask, “What is obedience of God? The Leader of the Islamic Revolution answers this question, “Obedience of God is not just performing daily prayer. Performing prayer is of course significant, important and constructive. But it is not all. In the vast arena of life there are many examples of obedience of God. One of the most important of them is giving up sin and abstaining from pollution. Your studying is obedience of God. Your innovation is obedience of God. These very things that you do in the fields of chemistry, energy, humanities, medicine, etc. the efforts that you make in these ways are all obedience of God.”

Dear listeners, self-building and purification of self is valuable only when the individual has not isolated himself from the society but he is active among people; yet, he tries his best not to be trapped in sins. The Holy Qur’an gives the example of Prophet Joseph as a role model for youths. Prophet Joseph was in the climax of youth, beauty, wealth and reputation. However, when he was invited to adultery by Zulaikha, the young wife of the Aziz of Egypt or Egyptian palace guard, Potiphar, he remembered God and left the room and took refuge in God.

Ayatollah Khamenei maintains that Joseph is the role model of piety for youths. He states, “Suppose that a youth called Yusuf [Joseph] at the age of 18-19 who has carnal desire and ultimately beautiful and a woman with the same qualities falls in love with him. Here one can act in two ways: one way is to submit and turn into a libertine person while the other way is to abstain and to suddenly grow, ascend and be culminated. This is very clear and of those reciprocal impacts whose consequence one sees very soon. If you resist against any of the carnal desires the first result is that you’ll be more ready and stronger for the next resistance. Hazrat Yusuf, while having beauty and youth and enjoying material dignity at the house of the Aziz of Egypt, tramples his desire; hence deserves a lofty status that God granted him, namely, Prophethood. God knows that this servant has such a gem of a nature and will spend his willpower in the way of God; thus designates him for other great and heavy responsibilities each of which has great rewards in turn.”

From the viewpoint of the Leader one of the most important steps in the way of self-building, which is superior to even other qualities, is sincerity. He elaborates, “Sincerity of worship and deed means that it is for God’s sake.”

Dear listeners, it is important that Prophet Joseph had a covenant with God to please only Him and not show off and satisfy people. Most of the people like to publicize their good deeds. But according to the teachings of the Prophets and divine leaders, a good deed will be more effective and valuable if is performed covertly and for the sake of God’s satisfaction. Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) said, “Everything has a spirit and reality and no servant of God will reach the real meaning of sincerity unless he doesn’t like to be praised by people for none of the deeds he has done for God’s sake.”

Sincerity is one of the important affairs that should be started from the prime of youth. This will reinforce the roots of sincerity in one’s heart and will facilitate the course of self-building. Immoral qualities are like thorns that if their roots grow deep it will be hard to eradicate them. Similarly, a young person can give up sins and embark on reforming his self as he has not got used to negative characteristics.

Imam Khomeini (God’s mercy upon his soul) advised the youths, saying, “The youths shouldn’t sit idly so that they grow old. We have reached old age and are aware of the calamities and problems of it. You can do something as long as you are young. You can ward off carnal desires, worldly tendencies and animalistic inclinations as long as you have the energy and will of youth. But if you don’t think of reforming and building yourselves it’ll be too late in the old age. The heart of the youth is fine and heavenly and the motives of corruption are weak in it; but the older one gets the root of sin will be stronger and firmer in the heart so that it is impossible to eradicate it.”

Self-building is a course that should begin in youth and continue incessantly till the end of one’s life. As Ayatollah Khamenei says, “A faithful should work on himself continuously. Don’t think that being ‘continuous’ is too much or infeasible. No, it is both feasible and not too much. If a person takes care of himself not to do forbidden deeds and cover the way of God seriously he will be successful. This is the continuous self-building and the Islamic program complies with this very continuous self-building. These five time daily prayers, uttering zikr, repeating ‘Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’een’ [You alone do we worship and to You alone do we appeal for help], genuflection, prostration and glorification, praising and saying ‘there is no god but Allah’; what are these for? These are for engaging one in continuous self-building.”

RM/ME