26/02/2026
Salam all friends!☺️ We are happy to have one of our members, Salifian giving his take on Abu Bakar’s most recent Ramadan Refection on Surah Al Kahf. To Salifian, the reflection invoked three main learning points:
💪His personal reflection about one of the sleeper’s contributions in Surah Al Kahf.
🌙To have Faith in Allah SWT
🙆♀️🙆♂️ the role of us Youths in Society and in Islam.
Salifia’s Full Reflection:
There were three parts of the story that stood out to me, and I will delve into them before offering some personal reflections I had while reading them.
One of the Sleepers Contribution
One of the sleepers was assigned the task to not just spend, but investigate the everyday actions in the city, assessing the situation, before going back and reporting to his companions. I was not just intrigued by his bravery, but also the work that he did was inspiring. In such a time of challenge and tribulation, he took up the role willingly and did more than just buy basic necessities; he also did what I saw as reconnaissance missions to find out more about what was happening in the city.
This story encapsulates the common belief that we must combine efforts and faith together in everything that we do. For instance, we cannot just study for our exams without prayers, and we cannot just pray and not study. Effort and prayer work together. I remember my parents reminding me about this lesson often since I was a child, and I do my best to merge both together in my everyday life.
Moreover, as an aspiring anthropologist, my research requires me to go into the field and observe actions, including chatter among people and their opinions about situations. The Sleeper here did not go to the castle or interview leaders to understand what was happening; instead, he went to the markets and eavesdropped on conversations there. There is merit in knowing what people are doing and taking an interest in the lives of others. We often are too caught up in either our personal lives, or we go on social media to hear the thoughts of powerful people, or influential media outlets. However, sometimes, a better understanding of our situation, the country we are in, or the meaning of life, can be understood through a conversation with a Pakcik at the coffeeshop or just taking off your earpiece on the train and absorbing the rich conversations around us. I think this story is an inspiration for me to not take everyday actions lightly.
Faith in Allah
Our project lead, Abu Bakar, reminded me of how the reality of a believer is to be tested, and I believe that this story further reinforces that. However, here, I would like to draw upon the aspect of migration that all of the SMSO members have undergone—or are currently undergoing—and how this story is relevant to us.
When they slept across centuries, what they were greeted with was a brand new world, one that was perhaps inconceivable to them when they realised. In some sense, they underwent a migration, but they did their best to adapt and embrace the challenge that God had provided them. This aspect of the story struck me greatly, as we can draw some similarities to it.
Many of us migrate to other countries (SMSO members to the UK), and we are often greeted with many challenges. At first, it might have been grand to take a plane and see the countryside for the first time, but after a while, we are confronted with the realities of life: problems of integration, loneliness, homesickness, etc. In these times, we often need to remind ourselves why we do it, and most of the time, the reason is as simple as us doing our best to improve the lives of ourselves and our family.
However, what if we are faced with challenges that we cannot rationalise, or we come across obstacles that seem insurmountable? In these instances, I believe faith is the most important. Faith that no matter what, God is helping me. Faith that God will guide me through the best path. Faith that even though what I am facing currently is not ideal, it is ideal in the eyes of God. Faith that in the end, I will be rewarded if I do my best to be a good person.
There are many moments in my life that I cannot seem to justify why I am doing certain things, or why I am faced with such challenges. However, I hold a firm belief that as long as I do my best, help others, and work to be a better person, I leave the rest to Allah and His plans for me.
We, Youths
This story centres around youths who were brave enough to stand up for what they believe in, and will do everything they can to protect these beliefs. I question myself: is there anything that I would do the same for? Are my beliefs as
strong?
We might simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ here, but I believe that there is value in reflecting on this at some point in our lives. This is especially true for young people, as we are constantly reevaluating our values and undergoing transformations of personhood in our everyday lives. In this light, I believe that we cannot understate the value of youth and their ideas. Yes, we tend to be more idealistic, but with that apparent naivety comes a belief that we can do better for ourselves, our loved ones, and the nation we all love. Yes, we are inexperienced, but let’s instead look at our desire to learn, our ability to be flexible, and our hunger for a better world. I believe that what people criticise the young people for is often also what is our greatest strength, and let us use the limited time we have in this stage of our lives for good. Let us not be in a rush to ‘grow up’.
Lastly, as we are rushing in so many aspects of life, an important thing we should always do is to reflect. These youths were in the cave, praying and reflecting. This act of reflection or muhasabah, is not just limited to them, but to all the figures that we revere. The Prophet Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, and many more; these figures reflected in their own way, and with that, they help us improve our understanding of our world today. Never take reflection for granted, never forgo time to just think and reflect. In our world, where we are always in a rush, especially for economic reasons, let us always remind ourselves to make some time for reflection. Especially so for us youths.
We will be reflecting on Surah Yusuf tomorrow, see you there!☺️
