Islamic Centers – We Can Make Them Better Places

I contemplated about how could I help these people. I can't deny that Allah has granted me a lot of blessings that I can't even count. Being a Muslim in itself is the greatest blessing I have. Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to be a mercy for all mankind, and all Muslims in turn have to tread his path.

Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whosoever begins the day with the feeling of security and good health, and possesses provision for his day is as though he possessed the whole world" (At-Tirmidhi).

Al-hamdu lillah, I possess the whole world, so to speak, but Allah has not granted me all of these blessings just so I can feel happy and satisfied.

Allah will ask us on the Day of Judgment about all these blessings and how we thanked Him for them. So we have to be grateful to Allah for His blessings because he who does not thank people, does not thank Allah.

The Islamic center that is located near to my house arranges, from time to time, campaigns and different activities to help whoever needs their help, such as homeless people. I decided to take part in these campaigns and to invite my friends to do the same.

We — as Muslim youth — are the ones who will lead the Islamic centers in the future. We shouldn't wait until we are asked by the older generation to come forward and help.

We often say that the older generation never gives us the chance to play effective roles in helping our communities. Things do take time! We have to get involved instead of asking for a role to play and then sitting back and waiting.

Although there are many weak points that exist now in Islamic centers, it is our job to participate in and develop these centers. Now is the time to build up what we would like to have in the future.

Islamic centers that gather Muslims to celebrate `Eid and different Islamic occasions can also be our community gathering places at regular times to help us preserve and maintain our Islamic identity. We can start new activities to help Muslim and non-Muslim youth to get a clear and correct image about Islam. We can arrange training courses to improve our talents and to gain more experiences that will help us be qualified for better job opportunities.

Saying no to drugs, violence, and terrorism are perfect themes for different campaigns that we can establish to spread awareness among youth by youth.

We have to be the change we wish to see in the world. It is never too late to become what you might be.

To live our Islam, and to have our aimed-for identity, we have to start now, without any hesitation. We all have to submit to Allah's words:

[Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts.] (Ar-Ra`d 13:11)

Nermin Abd El-Moneimis a staff writer and a Multimedia editor at IslamOnline.net, based in Cairo. She worked as an editor at Youth 4 the Future, and has been working in the youth field for three years. She can be reached at youth_campaign@iolteam.com.