Youth

As most people do, I turned to Allah and Islam during the hard times of my life. It's a sad fact of life. When times are happy and life is good, no one feels obliged to turn towards his or her Deen (religion).

Smoking is associated with poor overall health and a variety of short-term adverse health effects in young people and may also be a marker for underlying mental health problems.

Amid horror stories of youth, Muslim and non-Muslim, checking out websites filled with pornographic material, and generally using the internet negatively, bright spots can be found.

Do you think your teenager's mood swings, anger and rebelliousness are awful enough representations of "American teen culture". Think again. These are only the tip of the iceberg.

Young people are very vulnerable to the influences of society, their friends, TV, adults and those that appear to be fashionable in the music and fashion industries. They may be teased for being too "chicken" to try this type of intoxicant.

As I work toward better control, I remind myself of the Hadith: "the likeness of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember Him is like that of a living to a dead person" (Bukhari). If I forget my health, I die. If I forget Allah, I am already dead.