Music...

A very common trend among us teenagers in general, is listening to music. Even practicing Muslims often get unconsciously caught up into this issue and take it very lightly. Before you start claiming that there is a difference of opinion on the permissibility of music among scholars, let's evaluate the facts. Let us logically assess the matter rather than Islamically.
The truth is, and I don't think anyone could disagree with me, the music industry is filthy. If you look at the lyrics of most songs today, no one can argue against the fact that most of it is dirty and not-so-innocent. Whether we always realize it or not, most of the time we sit there listening to artists who are either talking about the opposite gender or some sort of other inappropriate discussion. And although we may or may not feel affected negatively by this, we definitely are unconsciously. Not only do these filthy images pollute our minds, but they also give us false ideas about love and intimacy. 

You can think of it this way: Us Muslims are supposed to say bismillah before starting anything, correct? Do you know of anyone who says bismillah before plugging in the earphones and listening to music? Of course not! That is because we know for a fact that it would not be appropriate to say that you are listening to the filth in the name of Allah. 

If you do currently listen to music, I will ask you to start small and start today. No one expects you to stop listening to music immediately and drop the habit cold-turkey; however, if you are able to, then alhamdulillah, that is great! If not, then just like every long-term habit you wish to make or break, take baby steps towards your ultimate goal. For example, switch to nasheed, very preferably ones without music (I don't see the point in listening to nasheeds if they have music in them anyway). There are loads of nasheed artists out there! Alhamdulillah! You might also like poetry or spoken word; the opportunities are endless, really. Inshallah I will post some substitutions to music in the near future. Ultimately, your best choice would be the Quran :) Subhanallah it really does rest the soul like no other!

We must remember that music and Quran cannot be combined together in one heart, it just does not work...so be wise in which one you choose over the other!