Mitigating Economic Anxiety and Pessimistic Future Prospects Among Youth: A Strategic Framework in the Light of Seerah

نوجوانوں میں معاشی بے چینی اور ناامیدی کے رجحانات اوران کاحل: سیرتِ طیبہ کے معاشی و نفسیاتی اصولوں کی روشنی میں

Abstract

Economic instability, rising inflation, and unemployment in the contemporary era have severely impacted the youth, leading to pervasive economic anxiety and pessimistic future prospects. This research paper critically examines the underlying causes of economic distress among young people, analyzing not only financial and structural challenges but also psychological, behavioral, and spiritual factors. These include time misallocation due to the excessive and non-productive use of social media, frivolous engagements, ostentatious consumerism, and a growing spiritual vacuum resulting from a detachment from worship and moral discipline. Adopting a descriptive, analytical, and deductive methodology grounded in primary Islamic sources (the Qur'an, Hadith, and classical Seerah literature) alongside contemporary socio-economic data, this paper presents a comprehensive, integrated framework derived from the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The study highlights key economic principles, including the dignity of labor, skill acquisition, entrepreneurship, self-reliance, debt avoidance, and institutional socio-economic support (as demonstrated through Muwakhat). Simultaneously, it offers psychological remedies by emphasizing optimism (Fa'l-e-Hasan), the balance between effort (Tadbeer) and reliance on God (Tawakkul), contentment (Qana'at), financial discipline through moderation (Iqtisad), and the spiritual dynamics of charity (Infaq). The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for integrating Seerah-based economic ethics into modern digital economies, educational curricula, career counseling centers, and community institutions (masjids). It asserts that an authentic synthesis of Prophetic economic and psychological principles provides a viable and sustainable alternative to secular economic paradigms, offering youth a pathway toward self-sufficiency, psychological resilience, and hope.

Keywords: Youth Economic Anxiety, Seerah Nabawiyyah, Dignity of Labor, Entrepreneurship, Social Media Misuse, Psychological Resilience, Financial Discipline