Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question:
My 17-year-old son recently put a Kaba’h wall hanging and Ayat ul kursi in the recycling bin. He recently had an argument with us, and in anger, he put these in the recycling bin. The reason he gave me is that Allah does not care about him, as my son doesn’t get what he wants in terms of power and wealth. We got took those pictures out, and I am deeply disturbed about his act. How can he repent for his bad deed?
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. I am sorry that your son did this in anger; Allah is All-Merciful and forgives all sins. Now, you must instill in your son that knowledge and worship have far more weight in life than power and wealth.
Repent
The door to repentance is always open to your son. He should find solace in these Qu’ranic words: “Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Qur’an, 39:53]
A good deed now
Please see the link below about sincere repentance and tell him to give charity, for the Prophet, (Allah bless him and give him peace), told us: “Have taqwa (fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people. [Tirmidhi]
Priorities
Please explain to your son that his anger about wealth and power is misplaced. He is still young and should know that he only has a few obligations in front of him right now. He should study, plan on a career, respect his parents, and fulfill his religious duties. Wealth and power won’t give him happiness; rather, he must thank Allah for what he has; only then will Allah increase him. If he does see problems in his life, tell him to blame himself.
Allah told us, “And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.'” [Qur’an, 14:7]
The reality
The Prophet, (Allah bless him and give him peace), “Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world.'” [Ibn Maja]
Please see these links about true wealth:
https://seekersguidance.org/show/what-is-true-wealth-in-islam-shaykh-faraz-rabbani/
https://seekersguidance.org/show/will-deal-power-watch-inner-pharaoh/
https://seekersguidance.org/articles/guidance/the-trial-of-wealth-lessons-from-surah-al-kahf/
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha[ Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.