The word “adolescence” comes from the Arabic verb rahāqa, which means “to approach something.” Thus, rāhaqa al-ghulām means that the boy became an adolescent, that is, he approached puberty. Rahiqa al-shay’a rahqan means “he came close to it.” In this context, the meaning refers to approaching maturity and sound judgment.

The term “adolescence” is a modern term. In the various Islamic religious texts, the term “adolescence” does not appear in reference to the stage under discussion. Rather, the terms “young man” (al-shābb) and “youth” (al-ḥadath) are used to describe this age period in human life.

The term “young man” (al-shābb) refers to a young, growing boy.

The term “al-ḥadath” means “new,” as opposed to old, and its plural is “aḥdāth.” Both terms appear in several narrations, including the statement attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):

“Whoever learns during his youth is like an inscription carved in stone.”

Imam Ali, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), also said:

“The heart of a young person is like empty land; whatever is cast into it, it accepts…”

Dr. Ali al-Qa’imi says that the best term for describing a person at this age is “adolescent,” a term used by psychologists and educators. In our view, it is the most appropriate and fitting expression because a person at this age is neither completely a child, with purely childish desires and characteristics, nor a mature young adult who has fully developed and is capable of having an independent opinion and identity in life.

In psychology, adolescence means approaching physical, skeletal, psychological, and social maturity. However, it is not maturity itself. During this stage, the individual begins to develop mentally, physically, psychologically, and socially, but does not reach complete maturity until several years later, which may take as long as ten years.

From an Islamic perspective, adolescence is regarded as the beginning of the stage of maturity and youth. In this stage, the individual leaves childhood behind and begins to assume the responsibilities that Heaven has placed upon the human being, along with the consequences of reward and punishment that accompany those responsibilities.

Therefore, adolescence is an important and sensitive stage because young people are the living pulse of the nation. Tomorrow emerges from their hands, and through them the future of society is shaped. Today, they may be in a stage of learning and development, but tomorrow they will take responsibility and assume leadership. They will become the future rulers, leaders, scholars, and merchants.

Life proceeds according to the law of change. Every generation passes the torch to the generation that follows it. Just as previous generations have departed, the present generation will eventually leave its place to those who come after it.

The world today will not remain forever, and one of these young people will eventually step forward to carry responsibility for religion and knowledge. The current ruler will not remain in office forever; someone from this generation will succeed him. Likewise, merchants, craftsmen, and decision-makers will all eventually make way for new faces who will build and develop society.

For this reason, educating and guiding young people is a great responsibility. If they are righteous and upright, the future will be promising and bright. But if they are neglected and lost, corruption will prevail and society will deteriorate.

It is narrated that Imam al-Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him) called his sons and the sons of his brother and said:

“You are the young ones of a people who will soon become the elders of another people. So learn knowledge. Whoever among you is able to preserve it should write it down and keep it in his home.”

True investment, therefore, is not merely in money or projects, but in building an aware generation that firmly upholds its values and leads the nation toward a better future.

The Stages of Adolescence

The length of the period known as adolescence varies from one society to another. In some societies it is relatively short, while in others it is longer. Therefore, scholars have divided adolescence into three stages:

1. Early adolescence (11–14 years):
This stage is characterized by rapid biological and psychological changes, such as physical puberty and hormonal changes.

2. Middle adolescence (14–18 years):
Biological changes continue, but there is greater emphasis on independence and social adjustment.

3. Late adolescence (18–21 years):
The young man or woman has approached physical, emotional, and social maturity, but may not yet be fully mature in certain psychological and social aspects.

This classification shows that adolescence extends over more than ten years of an individual’s life. During this period, major changes take place, and these changes may sometimes cause varying degrees of disturbance in areas such as sexual characteristics, body image, interest in sexuality, social roles, intellectual development, and self-concept.