Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) is considered as the most famous actress in film history. The level of her fame and popularity was such that the companies which made their own films used to sign her for films on her terms. The actress, who became a metaphor for beauty and femininity all over the world in the fifties, committed suicide at the age of just 36 and passed away. Her young death kept her importance and remembrance in the world media even decades after her death.
The death of youth is something that shakes others. Youth is the time when a person’s strength, beauty, health and emotions are at its peak. The desire to live, the passion to do something, the courage to work tirelessly, the constant hard work, the ability to work and the passion to find a purpose in life are the attributes of youth. Therefore, the death of a young, especially if it is a suicide, is enough to shake others.
However, one of the positive aspects of the death of youth is that Allah Almighty is more lenient to those who return to Him in their youth. It is known from the Holy Quran that Allah Almighty declares forty years of age as the age of maturity (Quran 46:15). The required attributes of this age include gratitude to Allah Almighty and parents, righteous deeds, thought of reforming children, repentance and obedience. A person who leaves this world after reaching this age, if he does not bring these attributes, then there will be a strict standard of accountability for him.
Before that it can be expected that those who leave the world in their youth, Allah Almighty will lessen the criteria of accountability due to their immaturity and if the deceased turns to Allah before death, the chances of his salvation will be very high. This is not only the benefit of turning to Allah in youth, but also many other benefits. The first and foremost benefit is that the young man is often free from the diseases of ego and prejudice that often block the path to accept the truth.
So we see that whether it is the people of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) or those who believe in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in the beginning, most of the people were young. The people we know as Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulfa-e-Rashideen) were all young people or teenagers at the time of conversion to Islam. The same was the case with the Companions of the Cave (Ashaab-e-Kahf) who in their youth stood up against the whole nation and its oppression and had faith, and Allah made them a sign for the rest of the people.
Another benefit of turning to God in youth is that man has a very long time to do good deeds. Youth is the beginning of a person’s conscious life. The result of the repentance and turning to Allah in youth is that such a person continues to do good deeds in his entire conscious life. Thus his good deeds become immense and, as a result, his ranks become very high. Additionally, it is a fact that the rewards of every action of the youth are multiplied due to adopting prayers, fasting, good manners, chastity and modesty by curbing the fun and desire of the youth.
Youth is the peak of life in a material sense. But if a person at this age makes righteousness and goodness his motto, then it will be a means of elevating him to the heights of the Hereafter.