What important Islamic teachings and values should we carry over into high school?

By: Hassan Rabbani, Grade 8
Miracle New contributor
2024-2025 will, insh’Allah, be my first year in high school and as a graduate of an Islamic school I’ve heard what feels like a million times that high school is a place full of distractions to take us away from our deen — a place where we’ll have to make decisions between good and bad. In my 7 years of Islamic schooling, my teachers have taught me many Islamic teachings and values, and out of all those things, I’ve chosen three that I think need to be highlighted the most for Muslims on their way too, or already in high school. Remember to offer/make-up or salah, keep away from haram things, and make the right friends.
Firstly, we must offer our salah even if we are in school. Salah is one of the five pillars of Islam and is one of the first questions we will be asked about in the grave. Unfortunately, due to school timings students can be prone to missing one of the salah, but we should try our best to pray that salah or at least make it up. Thankfully, most high schools have allocated rooms for students’ religious use. . Allah says in verse 103 of Surah An-Nisa:
Indeed, performing prayers is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.
Secondly, we should keep away from haram things, whether it be alcohol, drugs, or haram relationships because Allah will punish us for the bad we do, and he will reward us for the good we do. We need to be mindful of the fact that Allah is Al-Basir, meaning all-seeing. He will always know what we are doing and the angels on our shoulders will record it. We will all be held accountable for our sins on the day of judgment.
Finally, we need to make the right friends. Our friends can influence us heavily, from doing good or bad. Even being near a bad person can be dangerous since you can get easily involved or peer pressured into doing something you previously didn’t want to do. We should make friends with good, pious people, who instead of telling us to skip class remind us to pray. As it says in Surah al-Furqan, verse 28 when talking about what the disbelievers will say on the day of judgment:
“ Woe to me! I wish I had never taken so-and-so as a close friend.
Highschool is a challenge that you will have to overcome, and a place where you will have to fight the distractions to keep on your deen but Allah will reward us for it, as Allah has seen your struggles. One of Allah’s names is Al-Alim or the all-knowing. There will be moments when you feel like giving up, but as Allah says in Surah Ash-Shahr, verse 5:
“So, surely with hardship comes ease”