Advice for Volunteers

Is it important that you, a young Muslim, try to bring the people you know closer to Allah? Is it really your responsibility, or is it something that the adults should do?

Don’t you have your own problems? But then again, doesn’t everyone? Whose job is it to reach out and try to make a difference? The answer is really clear. It’s your job! My job! Their job! Our job! The issue is, who cares enough or takes the time to actually do it? Who wants to be the one who will receive the great reward from Allah the Almighty for trying to help someone on the way?

Islam is not meant to be for individuals only. We have the responsibility to share the blessed message of Islam to everyone we know. And there is no effort that is insignificant—everything we say and do is recorded and counts toward our final destiny. The Muslim youth may feel like they are just beginners and think that they could never be activists or leaders or play a crucial role in anything, but that’s not right. No one can comprehend the extent of a good deed or the far-reaching effects of our actions. It’s like a candle that is lit in a small house far in the distance. Its glowing light can be seen for miles around. How do you know that YOU are not a glowing light in someone’s life?

The world today, although it is advancing so quickly in the fields of technology and science, is in great need of spiritual guidance and just and comprehensive laws to guide mankind back to morality and stability. The youth are in a special situation to help. By nature, youth are energetic, vital, and inquisitive; these characteristics, if coupled with Islamic principles, spell a vital force that can, if Allah wills, move the hearts and minds of people and make positive social change.

At the same time, it is difficult for young people to have a strong Islamic identity and keep themselves busy doing beneficial things. That’s what Volunteer – Youth Resource Network is all about. We want to provide useful information and discuss important subjects that are concerned with the youth. The youth make great volunteers and can serve Allah in so many areas, but before you start, take note of this advice:

• Make sure that your intention is sincerely for Allah. Even things like reaching out to friends, family, and neighbors should be done for His sake. In the end, Allah is the One Who guides people, but we hope that we will be the ones He chooses to bring about good and positive change.

• Make sure that your words correspond with your actions. If you say something but do something else, people will not respect you or listen to your advice. The first thing to do is establish your relation with Allah and continually seek His guidance.

• If you are ever stuck and don’t know how to approach a certain person or problem, go back to the Qur’an and the Sunnah and look for the answer there. The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) seerah (life history) is filled with wonderful examples of how to deal with all kinds of people and situations. Remember the pious young man in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Usama, was only 17 years old when he was made the general of an army? He succeeded. In the ranks of his army were famous Companions who humbly and sincerely obeyed his orders.

• When you speak to people, don’t assume you know them from just meeting and talking to them once or twice. Sometimes we misjudge people by making up our minds about them too fast. Everyone has a story to tell, and if we care to know people more deeply, we would find the reasons why they do what they do, and moreover, if we care enough to reach out, we may find the way to touch their hearts and help them on their way through life.

• Try to keep a smile on your face. It’s actually a Sunnah to smile and present yourself in a positive way, and this is good for the people around you as well as for yourself. Even though Muslims think carefully about things and are serious in their approach to life, they should also smile and be warm and friendly. If you want to approach people, be approachable. Smiling is the key. At the same time, we should be careful to be suitably serious when speaking with people of the opposite sex, and, if possible, we can refer them to someone of the same sex.

• Don’t wait for people to contact you. Reach out! Take the first step and you will be the one who gets the reward from Allah the Almighty. There are lots of things you could do to help people on a daily basis. Things like listening to someone who has a problem, helping someone with homework, and being positive when people are feeling down. But remember, if someone confides in you, you must keep his secrets because that is a trust from Allah, something to take very seriously. However, if a really serious issue comes up, something you don’t know how to handle, it is your duty to tell a responsible adult. Don’t feel guilty about that. The key is to remember to say and do to others what you would like them to say and do to you. That is a saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

• Today’s world talks a lot about freedom, and often people think that Islam is “out of touch” or “old-fashioned,” but you can prove them wrong. Gently and kindly remind them to turn to Allah if they have a problem. Even when taking tests, remind them to ask Allah for help. Show by your own behavior that you love and fear Allah and that you are trying to be a good person. Everyone likes kindness, truthfulness and good behavior—such things never go out of style.

• Volunteer work is a great way to get to know people and do something useful at the same time. Contact the people you know and tell them about the youth activities you are involved in and invite them to come along. Try to find something for them to do so they will feel involved and needed. Everyone likes to feel needed. Don’t forget to thank them for their efforts. People also like to be appreciated.

• As you get to know someone, you start to talk about more serious things. So you can try to steer the topic to discuss important issues. You could discuss issues like, what do you believe? Did you get to where you are today without the help of anyone else? Whom should you be grateful to? Where are you heading in your life?

• As subjects get more serious take the chance to talk about the significance of salah. During your conversation, mention Allah and thank Him for whatever you have. If you are facing a problem, say something like, “It will be ok in sha’ Allah.” And then explain what in sha’ Allah means. Don’t postpone your Prayer just because you’re spending time with your friend. Don’t be shy to pray in front of people; you don’t know how this might touch their hearts and make them think more seriously about themselves and their lives.

• Young people often think it is expected in the teen culture to be distrustful and disrespectful to parents and older people in general. This is where you can help. If an adult comes around for any reason, smile and talk nicely; communicate meaningfully and value that person. You won’t have to explain anything to your friends; they will understand by your behavior.

Your friends may become more practicing, but don’t think that’s where your involvement ends. We all need constant reminders and support. Yours is an ongoing friendship. Perhaps it will last until the the Hereafter.

Whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave someone a job to do, that person was successful. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described Khalid ibn Al-Walid as “a sword among the swords of Allah.” Khalid never tasted defeat during his whole lifetime. Likewise, besides such great soldiers and invincible commanders, he also made Usama ibn Zayd a commander over a great army in which he led Muslims such as Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, Talha and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. Usama was the son of Zayd, a black Muslim, and the emancipated slave of Allah’s Messenger. He was only 17 years old or so when he was made the commander. His father, Zayd, had also commanded the Muslim army in the Battle of Mu’ta against the Byzantines and was martyred.

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: 

The Prophet sent an army under the command of Usama ibn Zayd. When some people criticized his leadership, the Prophet said, “If you are criticizing Usama’s leadership, you used to criticize his father’s leadership before. By Allah! He was worthy of leadership and was one of the dearest persons to me, and (now) this (Usama) is one of the dearest to me after him (Zayd).”