The Role of Muslim Youth During the Time of Our Prophet (pbuh)
Youth is the most dynamic period of a person’s life, full of energy and movement. A young person requires more action to expend the energy they have. In this regard, they possess the enthusiasm, dynamism, and physical skills needed to solve many issues. When given the opportunity, they have the potential to achieve significant successes. The ability to carry out serious tasks is always present in young people. What is essential is to recognize and develop this ability in youth and to instill a sense of responsibility by assigning them tasks.
In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is clearly evident that he fully considered and utilized the characteristics of youth to the maximum. He appointed young people to many areas, including the highest levels of state administration, as well as to roles in the propagation of Islam and guidance. The youth, in turn, never disappointed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), did not betray his trust, and performed the very serious religious and administrative duties assigned to them with full dedication. Among these duties were important state positions such as ministers, governors, secretaries, judges, commanders, standard-bearers, intelligence officers, security officers, financial officers, and teachers.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) stated, “The best of my ummah are those who lived in my time,” thereby praising all of his companions. However, it must be said that he gave special importance to youth. The reason for this can be found in his statement, “I was granted the support of youth,” because their energy and dynamism were enough to elevate a movement to great heights. Islam, in large part, rose on the shoulders of the youth.
When we carefully examine the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we see that the younger generation accepted the message of Islam with greater desire and enthusiasm than the older generation. As a result, the majority of the first Muslims were young people. The attraction of youth to Islam was so great that, except for a few older individuals like Ubeyda ibn Haris, the overwhelming majority of Muslims during the migration (Hijra) were under the age of thirty, with only one or two individuals over the age of thirty-five. The young members of the most influential families and tribes rushed to Islam, supporting and assisting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his noble cause, and never abandoned him, even under the most adverse conditions.
Among these young people, we can mention Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son of the Prophet’s uncle. Before Islam, Ali stayed in the Prophet’s house. His father, Abu Talib, protected the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the polytheists with all his resources but never became a Muslim. However, Ali embraced Islam from the very first days, becoming the second person to accept Islam after the respected Khadijah, and he was only around ten years old when he became a Muslim. Thus, he was always part of Islam from its very beginning. His older brother, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, was also one of the first to accept Islam. Since Ja’far was ten years older than Ali, he must have been around 20 years old when he embraced Islam. It is also understood that Ja’far’s wife, Umays, and their daughter, Esma, were among the first young women to accept Islam.
The Role of Muslim Youth
One of the first Muslims was Zubair ibn al-Awwam, who embraced Islam at a young age and was praised by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as “one of my companions.” Zubair was only twelve years old when he became a Muslim. Another early and enduring Muslim who should be mentioned is Habbab ibn al-Arat, one of the first Muslims from the Meccan period, who was around sixteen years old when he converted to Islam. Osman ibn Maz’ûn, the fourteenth Muslim, was also part of the younger group of Muslims. His brother, Qudama ibn Maz’ûn, was one of the first to embrace Islam, and he was slightly over twenty years old at the time.
Among the early Muslims in the youth movement, whom can we not mention? Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, who was nineteen when he opened his heart to the Prophet’s sacred message; Talha ibn Ubaydullah, who, during the Battle of Uhud, shielded the Prophet with his own body and was among the first to accept the divine invitation, and who was around fourteen or eighteen years old when he embraced Islam; Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, who, despite his slender physique, bravely read the Qur’an aloud in front of the polytheists, challenging the leaders of disbelief, and who was about sixteen when he became the sixteenth Muslim; Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, who, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, opened his home to the Prophet for guidance and teaching during the Meccan period; Said ibn Zayd, who was around twenty-two during the migration (Hijrah), along with his wife, Fatima, the daughter of Hattab, who was of the same age; Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, who was about seventeen when she converted to Islam; Mus’ab ibn Umayr, who gave up all his wealth, endured all kinds of threats and torture, and dedicated himself to the divine message brought by the Prophet, and who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud, causing the Prophet to shed tears for him—along with many more young people whose names cannot all be mentioned here.
It should be immediately emphasized that the first people to accept the Prophet’s sacred call were not only the young people from Mecca, but also the youth of Medina, who embraced this noble message before the older generation of Medinans. As is well known, the people of Medina opened their hearts to the Prophet in his most difficult times and pledged their allegiance to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that only the true believers would love the Ansar (the helpers), and that those who loved them would be loved by Allah, while those who did not love them would also not be loved by God. He also said, “If the Ansar took a path, I would follow the path of the Ansar. If there had been no migration, I would have wished to be one of the Ansar.”
Among the Muslims of Medina, who held great value in the eyes of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the first to embrace Islam were also young people. Just like in Mecca, in Medina too, there were elderly individuals who opposed Islam, and there were young people, their sons, who supported Islam and helped spread the faith. The most typical examples of this are Abu Amir, one of the respected and influential figures of Medina, who turned away from the Prophet because of jealousy, and his son Hanzala, who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud and whose body was washed by angels due to his deep devotion to the Prophet; and Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites, who sought to undermine the Muslim community and mock the Prophet, while his son Abdullah, who was sincere and strong in his faith, was ready to kill his own father to defend the Prophet.
The youth of Medina were not limited to just these two examples. Among them were Es’ad ibn Zurara, who arrived in Mecca three years before the migration and was the youngest leader at the Aqabah gathering; Ukbah ibn Amr, who was around thirteen or fourteen years old during the second pledge of Aqabah and was the youngest among those present; Jabir ibn Abdullah, who was around fifteen years old when he attended the second pledge of Aqabah; Mesleme ibn Salama, who was about twenty-four when he pledged allegiance to the Prophet at Aqabah; Mu’adh ibn Amr, who, even before his father, had pledged to protect the Prophet at Aqabah; and many others.
It is evident that while many of the older people of Medina remained on polytheism, their children or nephews pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), swearing to obey and protect him at all costs.
All of this clearly shows that the majority of those who supported the Prophet and carried the weight of Islam were young people. In other words, Islam rose greatly on the shoulders of the youth and achieved its deserved place and victories through them. The reality is that, even today, if Islam is presented to people properly and in accordance with its principles, it will be the youth who will first run to embrace it. This is because Islam, with its universal and human messages, is a faith that is particularly appealing to the youth.
An important point to note is that these young people not only made promises but also fulfilled them, demonstrating an unparalleled loyalty to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and showing exemplary acts of dedication to how loyalty to the Prophet should be expressed. Indeed, youth were the first to run towards the Islamic call, and they also became the group most dedicated to protecting the Prophet. From the moment the Prophet began delivering his first message and faced hostility and threats from the polytheists, the youth carefully and vigilantly protected him.
On one occasion, the Prophet invited his relatives for a meal to openly begin his call. During this gathering, the Prophet invited them to believe in God, but they did not respond favorably. As they were about to leave and turn away, the respected Ali stepped forward and said, “Although my opinion is brief, my arms are weak, and I am younger than all of you, despite all this, I will protect you, I will support you, O Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him).” The others only laughed at him. At that time, the respected Ali was just a young boy, about thirteen years old. Years later, when he was in his twenties, during the migration (Hijrah), the respected Ali lay down on the Prophet’s bed, knowing he was putting his life at risk, allowing the Prophet to leave quietly and escape death.
If it is suggested that the respected Ali’s protection was due to his familial connection to the Prophet, and that his protection of him was expected, it is worth recalling that Abu Lahab, the Prophet’s uncle, was one of the staunchest enemies of the Prophet. Therefore, the respected Ali’s sacrifice is clearly not a familial duty but rather a sacrifice based on his faith.
The effort shown by Talha ibn Ubaydullah, a young man, to protect the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during the Battle of Uhud is truly beyond praise. He held out his hand to shield the Prophet from sword strikes, causing his hand to be severed and leaving him maimed for life. Even with this, when the Prophet found himself in a dire situation and was injured, Talha carried him on his back, climbed a large rock, and helped him escape. Afterward, the Prophet said to Abu Bakr, “O Abu Bakr! Today, paradise has become obligatory for Talha.”
Abdullah ibn Zayd, the son of the famous female companion Umm Umara, also won the Prophet’s favor by protecting him closely during the Battle of Uhud. Abdullah and his family’s loyalty and heroism were rewarded by the Prophet, who prayed that this family be granted a place next to him in paradise.
The loyalty of Habib ibn Zayd, the other son of Umm Umara, to the Prophet was truly legendary. This devotion elevated him to martyrdom. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent him as an envoy to Musaylima al-Kadhdhab, who claimed to be a prophet. However, Musaylima captured Habib and asked him whether he believed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the Prophet. Habib affirmed his belief, and Musaylima then asked if Habib believed that he was a prophet as well. Habib responded, “I am deaf; I cannot hear you.” This question and answer were repeated several times, with Musaylima cutting off one of Habib’s limbs after each response. Habib was ultimately martyred in this way, and he did not hesitate to face such a fate because of his unwavering belief and love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He did not resort to dissimulation (taqiyyah), but rather chose to act with integrity and commitment.
During the time when the Meccan polytheists did not allow the Prophet to enter Mecca, they sent word to Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites, telling him that he could come to Mecca and perform the Tawaf if he wished. Upon hearing this, Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s son, Abdullah, said to his father, “God will expose your hypocrisy everywhere and disgrace you. The God’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has not performed Tawaf, and you think you can?!” Ibn Ubayy turned away from his son, who responded firmly, “As long as the Prophet does not perform Tawaf, neither will I.” This act of defiance deeply pleased the Prophet. Abdullah, due to his immense love for the Prophet, rejected his hypocritical father and demonstrated his loyalty to the Prophet.
The Muslim youth of the Age of Bliss (Asr al-Saadah) were bound to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) with a willingness to sacrifice their very lives for him. Indeed, just before the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when the companions pledged their lives to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the first to pledge was Abu Sinan al-Asadi, a young man around twenty years old. During that same event, many other young men, such as Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, who was also around twenty, Abdullah ibn Yazid al-Hatmi, about seventeen, and Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was only sixteen, gave their famous pledge of allegiance at the “Bay’at al-Ridwan,” promising with profound faith and loyalty to sacrifice their lives for the sake of God and His Messenger.
All of this clearly shows us that the youth of that time did not merely believe; they were also prepared to lay down their lives for their faith. Because of their purity of heart, intolerance of injustice, and openness to universal truths, young people were naturally drawn to the divine message proclaimed by the Prophet. This explains why the majority of the first Muslims were from the youth.
In contrast to the youth’s wholehearted acceptance, the older generation, for the most part, clung stubbornly to their old beliefs. Moreover, they subjected the young believers — those who had wholeheartedly devoted themselves to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) — to every kind of persecution and torture. They closed their ears to this new and universal message and were unable to free themselves from the shackles of their past conditioning. Trapped within narrow molds, the older generation either lacked the courage to step outside their inherited worldview or simply did not want to. Many among them held prominent positions and enjoyed prestige within society. They may have feared losing their status and influence in the new order that Islam proposed.
Among the young believers were those whose fathers were prominent figures in society. Nevertheless, because of their inherent openness and natural inclination towards truth, these young men did not hesitate to embrace the divine message and the noble Prophet. What mattered to them was not worldly rank, status, or personal gain; the true importance lay in the authenticity of the universal divine message. When the pure, uncorrupted nature of these young hearts met the humanistic principles and divine goals that Islam brought forth, a wave of youth flocked to Islam. The young rejected the unjust beliefs and practices of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and made the divine message their way of life. Thus, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) successfully managed to win the hearts of the youth. In light of all this, it can be said that Islam, at its core, spread initially as a movement of young people. The extraordinary spiritual strength that fueled Islam’s rapid spread across Arabia and eventually to lands far beyond lies in the fusion of youthful energy with faith.
Therefore, the most critical task today is to nurture generations of faithful youth, instilling in them not only the awareness of belief but also a consciousness of sacrifice — the ability to give of themselves for the values they believe in. Raising such youth is vitally important not only for the Muslim community but for all of humanity. Indeed, through the efforts of youth imbued with faith and commitment to the universal message of Islam, the earth, now saturated with blood and tears, will finally be freed from its agonizing state. Without a doubt, the long-awaited eras of peace and happiness for all of humanity will be ushered in through the hands of such youth.
Assistant Professor Seyfullah Kara, Issue: 74, Year: 2006
