Respectful Youth and Elders With Strong Sense of Honour

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah, The Most High, said:

فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَىٰ إِلَّا ذُرِّيَّةٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ عَلَىٰ خَوْفٍ مِّن فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِمْ أَن يَفْتِنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ لَعَالٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

But none believed in Musa (Moses) except the offspring of his people, because of the fear of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them; and verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) was arrogant tyrant on the earth, he was indeed one of the Musrifun (polytheists, sinners and transgressors, those who give up the truth and follow the evil, and commit all kinds of great sins). [Yunus 83]

Meaning: Youth from the Children of Israel, (who) exercised patience ( in a state of) fear due to the firm Iman in their hearts.

“And verily, Firaun was an arrogant tyrant on the earth”.

And the wisdom – Allah knows best – behind the fact that only a small group of youth from his people believed in Musa is because the young people are more receptive to the truth and quicker to submit to it. This is unlike the elders and others who were raised upon disbelief. Because of the deeply rooted corrupt beliefs in their hearts, they are often further from the truth than others. [1] [end of quote]

The Youth Must Know That Elders Face Obstacles

Pride and an exaggerated sense of experience can lead some of us – in our early, mid and late fifties – to cling to nonsense or become opinionated while saying: “I’ve been around for a long time.” This attitude does make it very difficult for some of us to accept mistakes.

In addition, self-interest does obstruct a person from honesty, as the truth requires us to make sacrifices, particularly when it involves being frank – with clear, unambiguous proof – in the presence of old friends with whom we have shared numerous experiences. Thus, fearing the the loss of status, friendships, or acceptance are some of the biggest obstacles.

However, one of the greatest hurdles to overcome is our old habits because long-established behaviours do make change extremely difficult, even when the truth is evident. So, you find that sometimes instead of confronting our Nufoos, we might find an elder trying to rationalise and justify their actions to ease the discomfort of confronting their mistakes, weaknesses, or even behaviour that is tantamount to foolish defiance where an elder person is simply saying: “None will tell me what to do”, instead to paying attention to the fact that his choices appear ridiculous even in the eyes of the youth.

Therefore, whenever this becomes manifest, regardless of who we are dealing with, the youth – while being respectful to elders – must follow clear proof and not use the actions, stances or behaviour of any elder as proof, as Imam Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy upon him, used to say:

Indeed, the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the greatest criterion [i.e. amongst mankind and Jinn] and all matters are presented to him [i.e. for judgement and judged] based on his manners, path and guidance; whatever is in agreement with this is truth, and whatever is in opposition is falsehood. [2]

[1]An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi

[2] Al-Jami Li-Akhlaaq Ar-Rawi Wa Adaab As-Sami’ page 8