Youth Dialogue with Habib Ali: An invaluable lesson

By Syamsuar Dafinanza

Gombak, 11 January 2024: A Moment with Habib Ali Zainal Abidin al-Hamid, was a special event which took place today, as it provided us with insights that benefitted the youth, who are the bedrock of societal transformation when equipped with useful knowledge and understanding.

The event was held in the Main Auditorium of IIUM Gombak. The IIUM Student Union and committee members from diverse Kulliyyahs orchestrated this successful event.

Before the event began, there were many students who queued up to enter the Main Auditorium. There was an exceptionally long queue of students who were very excited to see Habib Ali.

When Habib Ali arrived, the committee quickly greeted him and kissed his hand as a sign of respect for the great Ulama, Islamic scholar, and figure.

Furthermore, the Head of the International Office of the IIUM Student Union, Hussein Ahmed Al-Baiti opened the event with a welcoming speech with the words, “Tonight, the International Office of the IIUM Student Union proudly welcomes you on behalf of myself and the students of the IIUM, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to honor Habib Ali Zain Al-Abidin, a distinguished figure in Islamic advocacy, for graciously accepting our invitation to join us today for this insightful discussion here at the IIUM.”

Moreover, after the speech ended, the melodious chanting of the Salawat was performed by Sheikh Usama Elshafie, with everyone chanting along with him.

Next was the dakwah session by Habib Ali that took place for two hours and closed with a Question and Answer session with the students. His main concerns were that there are three things that have led to problems for youngsters nowadays. First, the lack of Ilm (knowledge). The solution he gave was to find and learn from an older person or teacher who is smart, nice, and an expert. The second problem is Siraan Nafsi (self-awareness and introspection), and the solution to this problsm is Tagwiyatul Iman Billah (to enhance our Iman to Allah). The third one is the environmental problem in terms of having bad friends, and the solution is to have good friends who always remember and fear Allah whilst protecting the environment.

“Today, youngsters are busier on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms, they forget to invest time in spiritual acts; by reciting Al-Qur’an and Zikr. The absence of these acts is what makes their hearts become as hard as stone,” said Habib.

“Among the destruction to young people, is they do not find the teachers with the knowledge of the Prophet (pbuh). Many young people mistakenly identify these teachers, who are orientalists because they are idols rather than true teachers, leading the youths to believe whatever they learn from them whereas it may not be correct,” he mentioned.

In the final moments of the event, there was a student who asked Habib Ali, “How do we fight our laziness yaa Habibana?” and he answered, “In order to combat laziness, we need to understand what causes it, is it lust or Satan’s whisper, because neither is good for us. Istiqomah is the path to sweetness and joy in prayer, and it should never be abandoned. Allah loves tiny acts of charity, and when they are performed consistently, they will win Allah’s love further,” he explained.***