Muhammad Ahmad Kanaan
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Muhammad Ahmad Kanaan (fl. 1411 AH / 1990 CE) was a contemporary Islamic scholar and judge (qadi) based in Beirut, best known for his treatise on youth guidance and social ethics, Azmat al-Shabab: Asbab wa Hulul (Crises of Youth: Causes and Solutions).
Thought and Social Guidance
Kanaan approached the dilemmas facing modern youth as a vital component of wider societal challenges, asserting that addressing youth issues is especially critical because of their central role in the revitalization of the Muslim community. In his writings, he observed that young Muslims are frequently left without constructive guidance, exposed to intellectual confusion and harmful currents, and neglected by societal leadership.
He classified the crises afflicting youth into two main categories: general crises and specific crises. General crises encompass systemic disorientation and misdirection stemming from the shortcomings of rulers and those in authority, under which youth suffer as victims rather than primary instigators. Specific crises, by contrast, originate from an individual's own choices and conduct, including the abandonment of obligatory acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, and charity, as well as falling into major sins and vice. Kanaan argued that resolving these crises requires revitalizing religious consciousness, nurturing faith, and directing youth toward Islamic worship and ethical responsibility. He completed the final manuscript of Azmat al-Shabab in Beirut in Muharram 1411 AH (August 1990 CE).
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List of Works
Azmat al-Shabab: Asbab wa Hulul (Crises of Youth: Causes and Solutions) is a treatise on Islamic social ethics and youth guidance. The book examines the moral, intellectual, and socioeconomic dilemmas confronting young Muslims, identifies their root causes, and outlines remedies derived from Islamic teachings.