Youth is like a passing breeze, it comes softly and leaves before you realize its worth. One morning you wake up and find your face has changed, your body no longer carries the same energy, your nights no longer feel endless. The same laughter that once filled your heart now feels hollow. Youth never returns once it fades, it is a gift that slips through your fingers like sand. Yet today’s generation spends this golden time on screens, reels, and illusions that promise happiness but deliver emptiness. Phones have replaced prayer mats, scrolling has replaced reflection, and the sajdah that once brought peace now lies forgotten. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Take advantage of five before five — your youth before old age, your health before sickness, your wealth before poverty, your free time before busyness, and your life before death.” But the world today lives as if death is only for others. Every day is consumed in endless scrolling, every night wasted chasing pleasure, while the heart grows darker and the soul thirstier for meaning. Once youth was the age of worship and dreams, now it is the age of distraction. Boys and girls spend nights chatting with strangers and days pretending to be happy. Haram relationships have become normal, modesty is mocked, and sin is decorated as freedom. The Qur’an warns clearly in Surah Al-Isra, verse 32, “Do not go near zina, for it is an indecent act and an evil way.” Yet every day hearts walk toward it without fear. A message starts it, a photo deepens it, a meeting seals it, and Shaytaan smiles. What begins as friendship ends in regret, guilt, and heartbreak. Many boys and girls lose peace, dignity, and faith in the name of love. They give their hearts to those who never prayed for them. They cry at night for people who forgot them by morning. They destroy their peace for someone who was never theirs to begin with. True love is not found in sin; it is found in dua. The only relationship worth holding before marriage is the one with Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “No man is alone with a woman except that Shaytaan is the third.” This warning is forgotten in a world that calls privacy with sin modern love. Shaytaan uses attraction as a weapon and whispers that it is harmless. But the same hearts that chase each other lose connection with Allah. The same fingers that type messages never count tasbeeh. The same eyes that stare at haram lose the light of faith. Every step toward sin is a step away from peace. Allah sees every message, every glance, every meeting. Nothing escapes His knowledge. On the Day of Judgment, the same devices used for sin will testify. The same eyes that looked wrongly will speak. The same tongue that lied will confess. Youth is a trust, not a toy. Those who use it for sin trade eternal peace for temporary excitement.
The saddest truth of our time is that the sajdah is forgotten. It is the most powerful act, the closest point between a human and his Creator, yet it lies untouched. People bow before desires but not before Allah. They wake up for chats but not for Fajr. They spend nights watching others live fake lives while their own life slips away. They search for peace in people who cause pain while ignoring the One who heals. The world offers noise, but sajdah offers silence that heals. In that silence, tears fall, hearts speak, and souls find rest. When you touch your forehead to the ground, Allah listens in ways no human ever can. Every sajdah cleanses a wound that sin creates. Every tear in prayer erases what words cannot. But today, sajdah mats gather dust while screens shine bright through the night. Allah honors those who worship Him in youth. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that on the Day of Judgment, seven people will be under Allah’s shade, and one of them is a young person who grew up in the worship of Allah. Imagine that moment when the sun burns above every head and Allah shades those who bowed to Him in youth. Every sajdah made when it was difficult, every temptation resisted when everyone else fell, will become your protection on that day. That is success, not beauty, not fame, not followers, but faith that survives temptation. Today, youth has become a slave to screens. The phone controls the heart, the mind, and the soul. People scroll for hours, comparing lives, copying trends, and losing purpose.
“Cease the opportunity to repent and pray (prostrate to “Allah) the time when you’re healthy and strong. Youth is short, and if you wait until you’re old or in the grave, you’ll deeply regret not building your connection with Allah now. Act immediately to find peace and guarantee success in the next life.”
Every reel watched is a page of life turned forever. Every night wasted on chats is a prayer lost. Social media glorifies sin and kills modesty. Couples show haram love proudly, and society calls it progress. Boys forget their responsibilities, girls forget their modesty, parents stay silent, and Shaytaan smiles. He doesn’t need to attack with swords; he destroys with entertainment. He kills time with laughter and faith with distraction. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When you feel no shame, do as you wish.” This generation has reached that state. Shame is gone, humility is gone, fear of Allah is gone, and yet death approaches. Angels write every word, every click, every action. Nothing is forgotten. The heart that beats for sin will one day stop, and the body that dances in rebellion will lie silent in the grave. Phones will fall from hands that once scrolled without end. Friends will cry for a while and then move on. The world will forget, but your deeds will not. Your missed prayers will stand against you. Your ignored Qur’an will testify. Your secret sins will be revealed, and you will wish for one more chance to bow. But the grave gives no second chances.
Those who spent youth in sin will wish to return for a single sajdah, a single tear, a single “Astaghfirullah.” But the doors of repentance close with death. Now, in this moment, Allah’s mercy is wide open. He says in Surah Az-Zumar, verse 53, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.” Return before regret becomes eternal. Delete what leads to sin. Leave what brings darkness. Walk away from haram relationships. Replace messages with duas, music with Qur’an, and scrolling with remembrance. Turn the time you waste into the time that saves you. Every step toward Allah brings peace greater than any love story.
Real happiness is not in someone’s message but in Allah’s mercy. Real peace is not in the sound of laughter but in the silence of sajdah. The world can give you attention but not tranquility. Only Allah can give peace that doesn’t fade. The youth that bow in sajdah are the true heroes of this age. They protect their gaze, control their desires, and cry when the world laughs. They may be few, but they are blessed. Allah raises their rank, forgives their sins, and fills their hearts with light. One day, this world will end for each of us. The faces that now attract will be covered in dust. The eyes that look at haram will close forever. The lips that spoke sin will be sealed. The same youth that once ignored prayer will stand before Allah trembling. On that day, every second of youth will be questioned. How did you use it? Where did you spend it? Whom did you love more, Allah or people? That is when the truth will burn. Those who built their relationship with sajdah will smile, and those who wasted it on sin will weep.
Youth is not meant for wasting. It is meant for building. Build faith before fame. Build your salah before your comfort. Build your connection with Allah before your grave. Stop chasing people who do not value you. Stop seeking attention that fades. Stop living for screens that only drain your soul. You were created for something greater than likes and messages. You were created to bow before the Creator of hearts. Every sajdah you make now will shine for you when the world turns dark. Every tear you shed in repentance will become a light in your grave. Every sin you leave for Allah will bring a peace that nothing can replace. Bow before it’s too late. Cry now before the tears of regret are useless. Pray now before your body can no longer bend. Remember Allah before you are remembered by others in silence. Life is short, youth is shorter, and the grave is waiting. Build your connection with sajdah before youth fades, because youth never returns. Those who give their youth to Allah will gain both worlds. Those who waste it will only have regret left to offer when the curtain falls forever.
(The author a teacher by profession is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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