The definition of adolescence

Framing:

Despite the adolescence stage relatively short which includes both the stage of childhood and adulthood, it is distinguished by its hyper sensitivity due to its great impact on individuals from the psychological, social, religious, and moral aspects where their needs, behavior, and concepts about everything change. So, it is the duty of parents, teachers, and educators to prepare suitable circumstances for the stage and to teach adolescence everything about what will happen to them so as to get used to them. You should treat with them leniently and positively along with spreading the spirit of trust, hope, and high vigor into him.

Definition of adolescence:

• In the language it means draw nearer to something whether he gets it or not. And the meaning is that a person is about to reach adulthood.

• Idiomatically, it is the distinctive stage between childhood and adulthood. As for its definition in modern psychology, it is the stage which comes after adulthood, often from twelve to nineteen or twenty one.

Psychologists classify those who reach this stage by certain characteristics:

• Religiously and socially: The Shari`ah distinguished between two stages of humans by adolescence: The first is pre-adulthood stage where a person is exempted from bearing responsibility for his actions. The second is a stage that starts directly after adulthood during which an adolescent bears full responsibility for his actions for which he shall be either rewarded or punished. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There are three (persons) whose actions are not recorded: A sleeper till he awakes, a boy till he reaches puberty, and an idiot till he is restored to reason." [Reported by At-Tirmidhy, An-Nasa'y, and Abu Dawud].

Likewise, Islam made the decisive barrier between rulings in regard to `Awrah [bodily parts that must be screened] is puberty age. Allah (Glory be to Him) says:  "And when the children among you come to puberty, then let them (also) ask for permission, as those senior to them (in age)." [Surat An-Nur: 59].