5 key takeaways from Nouman Ali Khan’s IIUM lecture, ‘Agenda for the Next Generation’

By, Shaireza Jaafar

GOMBAK, 24 May 2025: The renowned Islamic speaker and founder of Bayyinah Institute, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, tooke centre stage on 22 May at the Main Auditorium of IIUM Gombak.

The two-hour event, from 8 pm to 10 pm, explored the critical issues within the Muslim community and touched on prophetic contexts as supplementary support and evidence while also addressing the concerns and future agenda for the next generation of Muslims.

Ustadh Nouman began by reciting Surah Asy-Syura verses 13 to 15, which serve as the navigating point for his lecture. His aim for the lecture was to bring positive transformation for himself and the audience.

Here are five key takeaways from the lecture:

“You need to stand your ground”

“This is the mentality injected into the Prophet SAW in which against all odds, he was being told to remain firm by Allah SWT,” said Ustadh Nouman. He went on to emphasise that when inviting others to learn about Islam, it is salient to remain steadfast and not fall into their (disbelievers) wishes. Their wish is for the Muslim faith to be weakened by their insults. Their wish is when they increase in disobedience and rejection, the Muslims will eventually quit. According to him, this happens when a Muslim is motivated more by results rather than efforts.

“Motivation should not depend on results”

In explaining why one should not base motivation on outcomes, Ustadh Nouman shared examples of students, one who succeeds with minimal effort and one who works hard but does not get the desired results. He warned that those who only rely on excellent results may be “crushed” when they taste failure. “Success in life is not about being smart, but perseverance and hard work,” he said. He continued by saying, “although the Prophet SAW was intelligent, at no point in his life did he take it easy,” showing his noble character – never settle for less.

“Our job as Muslims is not to change them, but to let them know”

Ustadh Nouman asserted, “sharing and spreading the words of Allah SWT is the core objective of the Prophet SAW because in previous religions, the words of Allah SWT were being hidden.” This objective also applies to all Muslims because according to him, there are places in the Muslim world today where people still have no idea about Islam. He stressed, “we do not do our job well enough as Muslims to let others know about our religion.” Hence, our job is not to convert them but to deliver the message, just like the Prophet SAW did.

“The youth needs to understand and represent the Qur’an”

“The external objective of the youth is to understand the Qur’an properly and be able to talk and represent it to the entire world,” said Ustadh Nouman. The youth must show what the Qur’an stands for; its value for humanity and its message to Christians, Jews, and others. It must be represented with honesty and integrity because the end goal is to ‘deliver the message,’ not to be involved in debates or arguments.

“Be an investigator”

Ustadh Nouman mentioned, “the Musyrikin (disbelievers) do not like to be questioned.” He emphasised that many Muslims today have adopted non-Islamic cultural practices and surprisingly, “can even be traced in our own families.” This is why the youth are encouraged to be curious, ask questions and not ‘blindly follow’ inherited traditions. “The purpose of being a student is to develop critical thinking and not become like the Musyrikin who are comfortable with what is already established,” he added.

Students participating in the Q&A session

Ending on a strong note, “because Islam is a message for global unification across all civilisations, we must focus on what we can build, which is ‘real unity’ and to step back and look at what we need as an ummah,” expressed Ustadh Nouman.

The event concluded with a Question-and-Answer (Q&A) session as well as a photography session with all participants.***