Encouraging youth to regularly visit the mosque can be challenging. Parents often find themselves compelling their adolescent children to attend prayers. Many young people cease mosque visits entirely upon entering college life. However, there are inspiring examples where youth have been actively involved in mosque activities since childhood. Here are five practical ways parents, educators, and community members can help young individuals maintain a consistent connection with the mosque.
1. Empathy and Understanding
Parents, teachers, and youth counselors should recall their own childhood experiences to empathize with young individuals. Reflect on what motivated you to read good literature or engage in activities during your childhood. Consider what you enjoyed about visiting the mosque as a child or which places you liked to visit with your parents.
2. Making the Mosque Appealing
Parents and community members should work to make the mosque an attractive place for youth. It should be a location they enjoy visiting.
3. Early Habit Formation
Childhood is the best time to cultivate the habit of visiting the mosque. Regularly taking children to the mosque is simple, but it is also essential to teach them mosque etiquette.
4. Youth-Focused Activities
It is crucial to have activities for youth at the mosque. This allows them to feel like responsible members of the community. They can be given responsibilities for charitable work or organizing sports events. Alternatively, they can be involved in publishing leaflets. These activities will increase youth engagement with the mosque and value their contributions.
5. Role Modeling
Adult Muslims active in the mosque must be mindful of their behavior, personality, and etiquette. Youth closely observe the behavior of adults at the mosque and compare it with the behavior of Muslims they encounter outside the mosque. If the behavior of adults at the mosque is not good, youth may become reluctant to visit. They may think, 'I don't want to be like these people.'
Additional Step: Hajj and Umrah
Parents should plan financially for their children to perform Hajj and Umrah. Many youth return transformed and more committed to their faith after these pilgrimages. The experience of seeing the Holy Kaaba and praying at the Haram Mosques in Mecca and Medina boosts their religious enthusiasm and has a lasting spiritual impact, Insha Allah.
