Selection of Ahadith 2

21) قال رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه وآله و سلّم: ما من شاب يدع للّه الدنيا ولـهوها وأهرم شبابه في طاعة الله إلاّ أعطاه اللّه أجر إثنين وسبعين صدّيقاً.

21. The Messenger of Allāh (s.w.a.) has said: “There is not a single young person who turns away from the transient world and its pleasures only for the [pleasure] of Allāh and spends his youth in the obedience of Allāh until he reaches to old age, except that Allāh would grant him the reward of seventy-two truthful [and righteous] people.”[51]

22) قال رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه وآله و سلّم: إنّ أحب الخلائق إلى اللّه عزّ وجلّ شاب حدث السن في صورة حسنة جعل شبابه وجماله للّه وفي طاعته، ذلك الذي يباهي به الرحمن ملائكته, يقول: هذا عبدي حقّا.

22. The Messenger of Allāh (s.w.a.) has said: “Surely the most beloved of the creations to Allāh, the Noble and Grand, is the youth who is young in age and who is a very handsome/beautiful individual however he places his youth and his beauty in Allāh and in His obedience alone. This is the thing for which the Most Merciful [Al-Raḥmān] boasts to His Angels about and says, ‘This is truly my servant.’”[52]

23) قال رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه وآله و سلّم: إنّ اللّه يحب الشاب الذي يفني شبابه في طاعة اللّه تعالى.

23. The Messenger of Allāh (s.w.a.) has said: “Surely Allāh loves that young person who spends his youth in the obedience of Allāh, the Most High.”[53]

24) قال النبي إبراهيم عليه السلام: لمـا أصبح فرأى في لحيته شيبا - شعرة بيضاء - : ألحمد للّه ربّ العالـمين الذي بلغني هذا المبلغ ولـم أعص اللّه طرفة عين.

24. It has been narrated about Prophet Ibrāhīm (a.s.) that one day he woke up and saw a white hair in his beard and said: “All praise belongs to Allāh, the Lord of the entire universe who has made me reach to this stage in my life in which I have not disobeyed Allāh for as much as the twinkling of the eye.”[54]

15.7 - The definition of a Youth

25) قال الإمام الصّادق عليه السّلام: لسليمان بن جعفر الـهذلي - : يا سليمان من الفتى؟ قال: قلت: جعلت فداك الفتى عندنا الشابّ, قال (عليه السّلام) لي: أما علمت أن أصحاب الكهف كانوا كلهم كهولا فسماهم اللّه فتية بإيـمانـهم؟! يا سليمان من آمن باللّه وأتّقى فهو الفتى.

25. Imām Jaʿfar ibne Muḥammad as-Ṣādiq (a.s.) said the following to Sulaymān ibne Jaʿfar Al-Hadhalī: “O’ Sulaymān, what is meant by a young person [Al-Fatā]?” He said, “May I be sacrificed for your sake. In our opinion, a young person [Al-Fatā] is a youth [Al-Shābb].” The Imām said to me, “However you should know that surely the Companions of the Cave [Aṣḥābul Kahf] were all old people, however Allāh refers to them as youth who have true faith?! O’ Sulaymān, the one who believes in Allāh and has consciousness of Him is a young person.”[55]

26) قال الإمام الصّادق عليه السّلام: - لرجل – ما الفتى عندكم؟ فقال له: الشابّ, فقال: لا. الفتى: المؤمن، إنّ أصحاب الكهف كانوا شيوخا فسماهم اللّه عزّ وجلّ فتية بإيـمانـهم.

26. Imām Jaʿfar ibne Muḥammad as-Ṣādiq (a.s.) said to a man: “What is meant by a young person [Al-Fatā] in your estimation?” The man replied, “A youth.” The Imām (a.s.) replied, “No, the young person [Al-Fatā] is the true believer. Surely the Companions of the Cave [Aṣḥābul Kahf] were all old people, however Allāh, Glory and Greatness be to Him, called them youth who believed in Him.”[56]

قال الإمام الحسن ابن علي المجتبـى عليه السلام:

إنكم صغار قوم و يوشك أن تكونوا كبار قوم آخرين فتعلموا العلم. فمن لم يستطع منكم أن يحفظه فليكتبه و ليضعه في بيته

) بــحار الأنوار – ج 2 – ص 152 – ح 37 (

Imām Ḥasan ibne ʿAlī al-Mujtabā (peace be upon him) has said:

“Surely today you are the youth of the nation, and tomorrow, you will be the leaders of the community, thus, it is incumbent upon you to seek knowledge. So then if you are not able to memorize all that you learn, then you must write it down and preserve it (for safe keeping) so that you can refer to it later on (when you need it).”

Biḥārul Anwār, Volume 2, Page 152, Ḥadīth 37

Notes:

[30] Al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, Page 343

[31] Ghururul Ḥikm, Ḥadīth 4768

[32] Ibid., Ḥadīth 5764

[33] You should know that people are of two categories of which the one category is the young person who has distanced himself from following the desires of his lower passions and is distanced from the ignorance which is accompanied by the period of the youth. He has a desire to gravitate towards goodness and to distance himself from bad traits and it is in regards to this type of youth that the Messenger of Allāh (blessings of Allāh be upon him and his family) has said:

يعجب ربك من شاب ليست له صبوة

“Your Lord is amazed to see a young person who has distanced himself from following the desires of his lower passions and is distanced from the ignorance which is accompanied by the period of the youth.”

[34] Kanzul `Ummāl, Ḥadīth 43058

[35] Amāli of al-Ṭūsī, Page 302 and 598

[36] Nahjul Balāgha, Sermon 233

[37] Tuḥaful `Uqūl, Page 70

[38] Qurbul Isnād, Page 128 and 450

[39] Biḥārul Anwār, Volume 1, Page 222, Ḥadīth 6 & Page 224, Ḥadīth 13

[40] Ibid.,

[41] Kanzul `Ummāl, Ḥadīth 28843

[42] Tanbīyatul Khawāṭir, Page 37

[43] Fiqhul Riẓā, Page 337

[44] Al-Maḥāsin, Volume 1, Pages 357 and 760

[45] Amālī of Al-Ṭūṣī, Pages 303 and 604