أعوذُ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

يَا يَحْيَىٰ خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا

وَحَنَانًا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَاةً ۖ وَكَانَ تَقِيًّا

 وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُن جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا ‎

وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

Surah Maryam [19: 12-15]

 

So Zakariyya has his son. His son’s name is Yahya. 

 

يَا يَحْيَىٰ خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ 

“Oh Yahya, take hold of the book with strength.”

 ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا

“We gave him wisdom as a young person, as a child.“

 

I’d like to stop here for a second and just talk about the fact that Yahya has wisdom as a child. Wisdom is not something that we normally ascribe to children. Wisdom is normally something that we ascribe to adults and elders.

The fact that Yahya had wisdom as a child was a big blessing from Allah, and Allah (swt) says that He gives wisdom to whoever He wills, and that the one who has wisdom – فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا – the one that has been given wisdom has been given a great amount of good.

And so, Yahya is this wise young person. It makes me think about our own community and how sometimes we can neglect the ideas of our youth, and the wisdom within our youth. We underestimate how much they really understand, how much they really can give, how much they can contribute. That was something that the Prophet (pbuh) recognized. He would put young people in leadership positions.

He would give them the plate for them to step up to that plate. Even after him, in the time of Abu Bakar and Umar (R), they would have the young companions of the Prophet – like Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn Masa’ud – in their committees and in their councils.

And so, Yahya had this wisdom, and that’s something that we should try to recognize in our own young people. If we are young ourselves to try to act more wisely, to try to act with wisdom, and not give into the nature of youth – which leads us, a lot of times, to make unwise decisions – but to give into that wisdom that Allah (swt) has given us naturally, and to ask for more wisdom.

To ask for the ability to make the right decisions and wise decisions that are good for us, not only in this life, but also in the next.

So I ask Allah that he helps us to do that. Ameen.

 

What do you think? Please share your reflections below!

 

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