The term "adolescence" is a modern term from Western culture. It indicates a period from puberty until age eighteen or more. Its duration differs from person to person based on hereditary and environmental factors. Based on this concept, adolescence includes all physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social changes in a person. His Eminence, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra) expounded on this matter in his book, “The World of Children.” Following are edited excerpts.
Adolescence is a vital transformation phase in a child's character. It imposes a change in how we treat them. When dealing with adolescents, Islam considers all surrounding objective circumstances. It provides teachings that alleviate their crises and straighten their path.
Due to rapid physical changes, a sense of anxiety inflicts the adolescent. This could worsen if caregivers neglect how to raise and adequately prepare them for this stage. We believe adolescence is a natural stage in a child's life. It is connected to the sexual changes and desires that affect the body. This can be hard due to the lack of means to satisfy sexual desires. It could lead to a state of anxiety not easily handled by the teenager or those around him.
We ought to deal with the adolescent in a special way. It must consider his special condition. Instability is not restricted to mental illness. It includes the state of instinctual and emotional excitement that a person could experience without being mentally ill. The instinctual excitement is like a natural turbulence. It is similar to floods, volcano eruptions, and earthquakes. All these events are natural. Adolescence represents a phase of instinctual excitement that was inert before. This excitement causes a problem in a society with extensive restrictions. Islam recognizes this sexual aspect in people's lives as ordinary.
Islam considered sex a natural innate need. It deemed it normal. A male can express his sexual needs to a female and vice versa, within religious limits. The problem lies in society overburdening marital relationships with traditions and customs. This hinders establishing healthy marital relationships. Islam wanted to facilitate marriage. It permitted two students who are still learning and living at their parents' house to get married. This shows Islam's interest in early marriage.
A society willing to face the problem ought to change its laws and its view about sex. By facilitating marriage, the teenager would not face the aforementioned problems. We would wed the boy and the girl as soon as they reach puberty. We would circumvent problems caused by marriage and childbirth via legitimate means of birth control.
I believe our society solves the sexual problem simply by evading it. This forces boys and girls to deviate. This is especially true after they are left alone in an open, mixed society. It facilitates continuous direct contact between males and females in schools, which can be luring.
Adolescence is not to be regarded as a complex or a dilemma. Suppression turns it into a crisis. When physical transformation takes place in a closed society, the teenager would feel incapable of controlling his instinctual needs. This causes him to be confused, depressed, and to think irrationally.
Adolescence is a natural state. Its negative effects should be alleviated by the parents as much as possible. It does not hinder the process of coming of age or Al-Taklif. Parents ought to facilitate teenagers' response to religious responsibilities. This can be through early marriage. It can also be by distracting them from sex. Keep them preoccupied with religious, sport, and scout activities. These respond to the inclinations of youth in this stage of life.
By: Bayynat Editor
The term "adolescence" is a modern term from Western culture. It indicates a period from puberty until age eighteen or more. Its duration differs from person to person based on hereditary and environmental factors. Based on this concept, adolescence includes all physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social changes in a person. His Eminence, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra) expounded on this matter in his book, “The World of Children.” Following are edited excerpts.
Adolescence is a vital transformation phase in a child's character. It imposes a change in how we treat them. When dealing with adolescents, Islam considers all surrounding objective circumstances. It provides teachings that alleviate their crises and straighten their path.
Due to rapid physical changes, a sense of anxiety inflicts the adolescent. This could worsen if caregivers neglect how to raise and adequately prepare them for this stage. We believe adolescence is a natural stage in a child's life. It is connected to the sexual changes and desires that affect the body. This can be hard due to the lack of means to satisfy sexual desires. It could lead to a state of anxiety not easily handled by the teenager or those around him.
We ought to deal with the adolescent in a special way. It must consider his special condition. Instability is not restricted to mental illness. It includes the state of instinctual and emotional excitement that a person could experience without being mentally ill. The instinctual excitement is like a natural turbulence. It is similar to floods, volcano eruptions, and earthquakes. All these events are natural. Adolescence represents a phase of instinctual excitement that was inert before. This excitement causes a problem in a society with extensive restrictions. Islam recognizes this sexual aspect in people's lives as ordinary.
Islam considered sex a natural innate need. It deemed it normal. A male can express his sexual needs to a female and vice versa, within religious limits. The problem lies in society overburdening marital relationships with traditions and customs. This hinders establishing healthy marital relationships. Islam wanted to facilitate marriage. It permitted two students who are still learning and living at their parents' house to get married. This shows Islam's interest in early marriage.
A society willing to face the problem ought to change its laws and its view about sex. By facilitating marriage, the teenager would not face the aforementioned problems. We would wed the boy and the girl as soon as they reach puberty. We would circumvent problems caused by marriage and childbirth via legitimate means of birth control.
I believe our society solves the sexual problem simply by evading it. This forces boys and girls to deviate. This is especially true after they are left alone in an open, mixed society. It facilitates continuous direct contact between males and females in schools, which can be luring.
Adolescence is not to be regarded as a complex or a dilemma. Suppression turns it into a crisis. When physical transformation takes place in a closed society, the teenager would feel incapable of controlling his instinctual needs. This causes him to be confused, depressed, and to think irrationally.
Adolescence is a natural state. Its negative effects should be alleviated by the parents as much as possible. It does not hinder the process of coming of age or Al-Taklif. Parents ought to facilitate teenagers' response to religious responsibilities. This can be through early marriage. It can also be by distracting them from sex. Keep them preoccupied with religious, sport, and scout activities. These respond to the inclinations of youth in this stage of life.
By: Bayynat Editor