*Sebuah post ditujukan kepada diri penulis*
"I just want to concentrate on my studies at the moment, do what youngsters have to do, and don't want any interruptions. I'll shift my focus to learning Islam when I get an established job, have settled down and have a family."
This is a plain deception from syaitan, the kind of thinking he wants us to have. May Allah protect us all from it. By saying this, am I not being arrogant? It is as if I am certain that I will still be alive for the next five, ten years to come. Forget about years, I might not even make it to school, or job tomorrow. There's no guarantee that I'll still be breathing for the next five minutes even. Being young, I think it's very "unlikely" for me to die? The Akhirah seems very far away that talking about it now doesn't sound right. Well, I still got at least 40-50 years to go, so what's there to worry about? Yes there is. The reality is, the Akhirah is so close to me that I don't realize it's just beneath my feet. The land that I step on every day, underneath it is the beginning of the hereafter. Like it or not, I've been in contact with the hereafter for as long as I can remember. It was never apart from me to begin with.
Sometimes it does strike my mind that, I've been striving so hard (konon2) for this such and such degree. But what if I die tomorrow. Where will my degree be? Where will my 4.0 be? Where will my promised well-paid job be? Where will my beautiful wife be? (oops..) The moment I breathe my last breath, it'll all be finished. An absolute "The End" to all my striving and struggles for the unseen future. And this is when I will have to resort to the good deeds I've done, if any. Had I made my youth an investment for the hereafter, alhamdulillah..but had I used up my youth in the pursuit of worldly pleasures, hoping that I can make it up when I hit old age, nauzubillah. Let's not get the wrong idea here. It's not that we cannot strive for our future..being students it's our primary responsibility even. In fact, we should be the best in our studies, or whatever fields we're in. But never let the urge to enjoy our youth get the better of our preparation for Akhirah. "A degree" is not certain and "the joy" doesn't last long, but "akhirah" is certain and it lasts forever. So lets not risk our akhirah for mere worldly offerings.
By sparing our times in seeking the knowledge of Deen, while others are enjoying their youth to the fullest, are we being deprived of our youth? Nope. Not at all. It appears as if we're missing out on what others are gaining but it's actually the opposite. From the viewpoint of Islam, "enjoying our youth" has got it's very own meaning. Youth is the most productive period throughout our entire lifetime, in which our energy and intelligence are at their peaks. When these are used for the sake of Islam, biiznillah, Deen will spread within and without. Nothing beats the blessing of being able to spend our youth in the worship of Allah swt. Of course this comes from His guidance in the first place. So never regret the times we have given for the Deen, for they will come back to us as a relief, a glad tiding. And watch out for the things we do out of desires, for they may come back to us as a regret.
Once Imam Abu Hanifah rah. was giving advice to his student, Imam Abu Yusuf rah. He said that in your youth you should spend your time in seeking Islamic knowledge, and thereafter seek a job, and when you get enough money then you should get married. He has made spending our youth seem "simple", but on the contrary I am making my youth seem "complicated."
P/S: There are some (a lot actually) Islamic books in this house I've been wanting to read. But the fact that I never got around to it makes me angry at myself. Apparently I'm failing the "seeking Islamic knowledge" part. (-_-*)
