The short answer
Youth is the season of strength between the weakness of childhood and old age, and every person will be asked how they spent it. A young person who grows up worshipping Allah is among the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgment. So youth is a gift to invest, not a time to waste.
The Quran describes life as a curve: Allah "created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair" 1. Youth is the strong part of that curve, the time when energy, memory and health are at their peak.
That strength comes with a question. In a narration graded hasan by al-Albani, the Prophet ﷺ said a person's feet will not move on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about his life, "about his youth and what he wore it out in", his wealth, and what he did with what he knew 2.
The reward for using it well is extraordinary. Among the seven people Allah will shade "on the Day when there will be no shade but His" is "a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah" 3. Standing firm is harder when you are young, surrounded by distractions and pressure, which helps explain why it is honoured so highly.
The Quran's heroes include young people. The companions of the cave "were youths who believed in their Lord", and Allah "increased them in guidance" and made their hearts firm when they stood up for the truth 4.
The Prophet ﷺ also noted that health and free time are two blessings many people lose without noticing 5. Ibn Umar, who heard the Prophet ﷺ tell him to live in this world like a stranger or traveller, used to say: take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death 6.
Practical ways to invest your youth: guard the five prayers, memorise some Quran while memory is sharp, learn a useful skill, stay close to good friends, look after your body, and serve your family and community. You are building the person you will be at forty.
Allah creates weakness, then strength, then weakness and old age.
۞ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعۡفࣲ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ضَعۡفࣲ قُوَّةࣰ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ قُوَّةࣲ ضَعۡفࣰ ا وَشَيۡبَةࣰۚ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡقَدِيرُ ٥٤
Allah is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent
A person will be asked about his life, his youth and how he spent it, his wealth and his knowledge.
Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAW said:"The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: About his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it, and spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew." (Da'if) [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Gharib, we do not know of it as a narration of Ibn Mas'üd from the Prophet except through the narration of Husain bin Qais. Husain [bin Qais] was graded weak in Hadith [due to his memory]. There are narrations on this topic from Abu Barzah and Abu Sa'eed
حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا حُصَيْنُ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ أَبُو مِحْصَنٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حُسَيْنُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الرَّحَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ تَزُولُ قَدَمَا ابْنِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّهِ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ عَنْ خَمْسٍ عَنْ عُمْرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاهُ وَعَنْ شَبَابِهِ فِيمَا أَبْلاَهُ وَمَالِهِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَهُ وَفِيمَ أَنْفَقَهُ وَمَاذَا عَمِلَ فِيمَا عَلِمَ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ . وَحُسَيْنُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ يُضَعَّفُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ مِنْ قِبَلِ حِفْظِهِ . وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ .
A youth brought up in the worship of Allah is among the seven shaded by Allah.
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي خُبَيْبُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ الإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ، وَرَجُلاَنِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ طَلَبَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ. وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ أَخْفَى حَتَّى لاَ تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ ".
The companions of the cave were youths whom Allah increased in guidance and made firm.
نَّحۡنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيۡكَ نَبَأَهُم بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ إِنَّهُمۡ فِتۡيَةٌ ءَامَنُواْ بِرَبِّهِمۡ وَزِدۡنَٰهُمۡ هُدࣰ ى ١٣ وَرَبَطۡنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ إِذۡ قَامُواْ فَقَالُواْ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ لَن نَّدۡعُوَاْ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَٰهࣰ اۖ لَّقَدۡ قُلۡنَآ إِذࣰ ا شَطَطًا ١٤
13 It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance 14 And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression
Health and free time are two blessings many people lose.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time
حَدَّثَنَا الْمَكِّيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ـ هُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ ـ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ ". قَالَ عَبَّاسٌ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عِيسَى، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ.
Live in this world like a stranger; Ibn Umar advised using health and life before they are gone.
Narrated Mujahid:`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." The sub-narrator added: Ibn `Umar used to say, "If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَبُو الْمُنْذِرِ الطُّفَاوِيُّ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الأَعْمَشِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُجَاهِدٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبِي فَقَالَ " كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ ". وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ.
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24