How Faith and Morals Create the Men of the Future
Do you
know who the men of the future are?
They are those children, adolescents, and young men who come
to you every day to draw from your hearts the strength of faith and to borrow
from your minds a light by which they can find their way through the darkness
of this life.
They are
the blank page placed in your hands upon which you are to inscribe the history
of the future.
They are the ship that has surrendered its helm to you so that you may steer it
toward the shore of safety.
They are the fledgling bird that has fallen into your arms seeking rescue—if
you care for it and teach it how to fly, it will soar high in the open sky; but
if you neglect it and leave it to struggle alone amid confusion and reckless
experimentation, it will vainly attempt to fly, its wings will break, its
feathers will scatter, its strength will fail, and it will become prey awaiting
its devourer.
Building the Foundations of the
Ummah
So fear
Allah, O sons of the Ummah, in the Ummah!
Strengthen the foundations, for the nation seeks to build an edifice of honor
upon what you establish.
Raise the structure, for it wishes to plant the banner of freedom upon what you
construct.
Weave for
souls a new garment of knowledge and morals, for the nakedness of the old, worn
garment has become exposed.
Inject into the veins pure blood of religion to replace the corrupted blood in
hearts—because there is no life for souls except through knowledge and morals,
and no life for hearts except through religion.
A nation
built without morals and religion
is like a lofty structure made of fragile clay—dangerous, unstable, and
short-lived.
Nothing brings hopes closer, unites actions, creates harmony and love, and
strengthens morals like religion.
There are no morals without religion, and whoever attempts to build morals upon
philosophy alone has erred—because philosophy is a shifting opinion, a smoke
that never settles, and when it does settle, it harms and leaves the worst
effects.
Why Religion and Morality Matter
More Than Knowledge Alone
In our
present age, ladies and gentlemen, we are in greater need of religion and morals than of anything else.
Our need is not merely to spread knowledge, but to spread them—because
we live in an era of formation, growth, elevation, and the pursuit of freedom.
The sons of the Ummah will never be free unless they are servants of noble
beliefs and lofty principles.
History
confirms—and I believe as history believes—that the greatness of a nation does not lie in the abundance of scholars, geniuses,
or the spread of knowledge, but in the spread of noble creed and virtuous
morals.
For knowledge provokes explanation and analysis, which often weakens certainty,
erodes faith, and fragments desires. This is witnessed during the decline and collapse of nations—when the lighthouse of knowledge rises while the
light of religion and morals is extinguished.
Lessons from History: Faith Before Power
Here is
an example: The Arabs who shook empires and seized the greatest regions of the
world within a few short years were neither scholars nor philosophers. They
were simple, humble people who surrendered to religion—so noble belief led them
to that immense glory.
The
knowledge, intelligence, and philosophy of the Romans and Persians benefited
them nothing and did not shield them from the swords and spears of faith that
pierced their chests and stripped them of their dominion and honor.
Likewise,
when the Arab state—both in the East and the West—reached the peak of
knowledge, abandoned religion, and neglected morals, its knowledge did not
protect it from falling into the hands of barbaric invaders who destroyed it.
Victory,
therefore, always and forever belongs to firm belief and steadfast faith.
It was
said to one of the wise: “Which army is superior?” He replied: “Religion.” “And
which number is stronger?” He said: “Morals.”
Gustave
Le Bon even remarked that morals alone enabled sixty thousand Englishmen to
subjugate two hundred and fifty million Indians—many of whom were equal to them
intellectually, and some even surpassed them in refined arts and philosophical
depth. Morals placed them at the head of a vast colonial empire unparalleled in
history.
The
deeper and more dynamic belief becomes within souls, the greater its benefit and the broader its
goodness—like a mighty river, abundant in water and swift in motion, benefiting
by its flow and empowering by its force.
As for a
wide riverbed with little water and sluggish movement, it brings no
benefit—rather, it becomes a stagnant swamp that gathers deadly germs and fatal
diseases.
Reforming Education for Real Progress
We are in
urgent and essential need to reform educational programs that fail to achieve
the desired goals or guarantee the outcomes we seek.
It is imperative to design curricula that align with our present condition and
modern awakening—because education suited to the spirit and reality of a nation
is more beneficial than even a government suited to it.
Religion must be
placed at the forefront of the new curriculum.
It is unjust to establish a medical school needed only by the sick and a law
school needed only by those who wrong or are wronged—while neglecting religious
education needed by everyone: healthy and ill, strong and weak, young and old.
Subjects
crammed into students’ minds—forced and stuffed—must be reduced, for they offer no practical benefit and instead cause intellectual indigestion, inhibit
analysis, paralyze thinking, and sow despair.
Knowledge is a
means to action, not an end. Whoever makes it an end condemns himself to
poverty and humiliation and strays from the straight path.
It was
narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah loves the
servant who adopts a profession by which he becomes independent of people, and
He dislikes the servant who learns knowledge merely to make it a profession.”
And it
was narrated that Prophet `Issa (peace be upon him) saw a man and asked: “What
do you do?” He said: “I worship Allah.” He asked: “Who supports you?” He said:
“My brother.” He replied: “Your brother is more devoted than you.”
Thus,
knowledge is nourishment for the tree of action, whose fruit is wealth and
strength. It is unwise to gather nourishment without planting a tree first.
Why Our Current Educational Model Is Failing
Our current system
demands children become encyclopedic scholars—diving into every sea of
knowledge—yet neglects instilling love for work.
Thus, laziness has spread, unemployment has flourished, and educated youth now
see professions as degrading and labor as shameful.
Such
knowledge and such programs will never lead us to our aspirations.
True knowledge is what leads to loving work, organizing it, and directing the
sons of the Ummah toward factories and workshops.
The
gravest flaw in our curricula is that they were designed for others and imposed
upon us—without regard for the vast differences between us and them. We became
like a child dressed in a garment tailored for a man—heavy, dragging,
restraining movement, hindering, while others race ahead unburdened.
Know,
dear ones, that a nation which does not act according to its own judgment and
does not walk the path inspired by its own happiness is an enslaved nation—even
if it bears the grandest titles of freedom.
Plato described
a slave as the one who does not express his own ideas in his actions, but the
ideas of others.
Rural
education programs are barren and ineffective. They attempt to turn farmers’
children into scholars while their environment compels them toward
agriculture—thus dragging them backward into unemployment, arrogance, and
idleness.
Children
of villages should be taught self-care, animal care, agriculture, and orchard
cultivation—skills that serve their lives and benefit the Ummah.
A Call to Educators
You and
your colleagues hold the future in your hands.
Guide your youth. Teach them how to gather in the arena of sacrifice and
glory—in factories and workshops—under the banner of true brotherhood and
sincere love.
Illuminate
diseased and despairing souls. Teach parents how to raise children, for
schools are not enough to reform them. Train youth in sincerity, sacrifice,
obedience, and self-leadership. Support scouting—it strengthens bodies,
develops minds, and spreads unity and love. Raise the children of the Ummah the
way you want the Ummah to become.
Light the
lamps of hope, for the future is dark without it.
Call out to the men of tomorrow: forward—to glory or honorable death.
Plant
freedom in souls, water it with harmony, nourish it with courage, honesty, and
initiative—for the tree of freedom bears no fruit without these.
Direct
efforts toward the goal. Inscribe eternity upon their foreheads with light.
Feed them the spirit of history so they may write the history of the future.
Plant true religion in their
hearts and mold their souls upon upright morals—for the worth of a person lies
in belief and character, or else the men of the future will become mere
playthings in the hands of circumstance and desire.
Also Read:
- Dangers of Fragmented Religious Beliefs
- The Age of Corruption and Decline
- Raising a Generation in the Footsteps of the Companions
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