IbnAhmad
Junior Member
:salam2:
The gift of life has not ever been fully appreciated by most human beings, nor has it ever been abused the way it is today. There are three major areas concerning life that need to be addressed. We must firstly understand with conviction and belief that the life we possess is a Sacred Amaanat or Trust from Allah. Life is a gift from Almighty Allah, Divinely entrusted into the care of man. Secondly, there are rules and regulations ordained by Allah for the protection and fulfillment of this Divine Trust. Thirdly, the time will most certainly come, sooner if not later, when we, the repositories of this wonderful trust, would have to deliver it back to the Original Owner.
As for the first point
The Holy Quran has enunciated this reality quite clearly. Almighty Allah states:
Say (O Muhammad): Certainly my salaah, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah The Lord of the worlds. (Surah, A'raaf, ayah 162).
When hearing of the demise of anyone, we are taught to read: Inna lillahi wa innaa ilayhi raji'oon, which means, 'Verily to Allah do we belong, and unto Him shall we return.' (Surah Baqarah, ayah 156) These ayaat (verses) proves that the life we enjoy is actually the property and endowment of Allah Azza wa Jall.
In another verse, Allah Ta'ala states: Verily the hearing, the sight, and the heart, each of these will be questioned (on Qiyamat). (Surah Bani Isra-eel, aayat 36) The ears, eyes, and heart, are key factors in the good or bad that man does. The accountability of these major parts of the body on the Day of Judgement is proof enough that they are all components of a Sacred Trust. It, therefore, follows that man has not been given a free reign over the use and abuse of his life. Since Allah Azza wa Jall has full and unilateral possession over our lives, He enjoys the right to impose liability and obligation upon its use and function. Islam thus enjoins that life is a Divine Endowment, and we are under compulsion to live this life in accordance with the Law of the Giver of Life. We are mere trustees to oversee the function of this human life on earth. However, out of His mercy, Almighty Allah will ultimately reward us, the administrators of His amaanat, beyond our wildest imaginations, should we succeed in keeping up this sacred trust. The honest and faithful trustee will be highly honoured by Allah Ta'ala.
THE FOUR DEPARTMENTS OF LIFE
Hazrat Amar bin Maymoon Al-Audi (radhiyallahu anhu) narrates that once Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) gave the following advice to a Sahaabi:
"Treasure five things before five: Your youth before old-age; your health before illness; your wealth before poverty; your free time before becoming occupied, and your life before death. (Tirmizhi)
This wonderful hadith depicts the four major areas of life, viz: youth, health, wealth, and free time. Although life is counted as the fifth point, but by mentioning it last the implication is that the previous four factors make up the capital of one's life. The word "treasure" at the start of this hadith is quite significant. A human being treasures things that are valuable. A Muslim in particular, is taught to value and appreciate the four major funds that make up man's capital for investment in the hereafter.
* INVESTING OUR CAPITAL
The other important factor this hadith teaches is the method of fulfilling this trust of Allah. The factors that represent man's capital on earth are youth, health, wealth, and leisure. Here Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is advising the youth, the healthy, the wealthy, and those who have free time on their hands. These are generally the areas where people suffer the most. Another hadith narrated by Ibni Abbas (radhiayllahu anhu) goes as follows: There are two favours in which many people suffer losses: Health and Free time. (Bukhari) The trustees of this capital are instructed by Allah and His Rasool to utilize these four funds before they become depleted. And that is what normally happens.
* THE ABUSE OF BOUNTIES
When man spends his youth flouting the law of Allah, he rarely finds time in his old-age to make amends and prepare for the life hereafter. Likewise, when one's health is expended in efforts other than Deen, there is obviously no strength or enthusiasm to do go good during illness. In similar fashion, when wealth is squandered in wrong avenues, the time for charity and benevolence seldom arrives. Finally, when valuable time is wasted, there is no way such time could be retrieved.
* THE NI'MAH OF ALLAH
Almighty Allah states in Surah Anfaal: .... verily Allah shall not change a ni'mah which He has conferred upon a nation unless they change what is within themselves..
The meaning of this verse is that when people abuse the favors of Allah then He either decreases His Favors upon them or totally deprives them of His Bounties.
* THE ABUSE OF YOUTH
Significantly, the first component of the Divine Trust mentioned in the hadith is youth, the prime of life Our young people today invariably, expend their youthful energy on pursuits that conflict with Shariah. Sports, night clubs, rave clubs, drugs, sexual indulgence, are but a few examples of what the youth find time to do. Frightfully, along with the destruction of this prime period of their lives, they are also wasting wealth, health, and most precious of all, time. Let them be warned that once these priceless gifts are lost, there is no way they can be retrieved.
What guarantee do the youth have that they will live till old age to do ibaadat (as many of our young friends believe)? And even if they do become old, how certain are they that the health and strength will still be there to perform acts of worship, especially when these young Muslims wantonly abused these gifts of Allah during their youth? For this reason Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) mentioned the young person who spent his/her time in the worship of Allah as among the seven people who will be granted shade under His Throne on Judgment Day, when there will be shade but that of The Arsh of Almighty Allah.
We urge our young brothers and sisters to review their lifestyle and make a concerted effort to reform themselves. Even if this reform is slow and gradual, let it be set into motion now, rather than later.
May Allah grant us all sound intellect to fully understand and appreciate the gift of life?
The gift of life has not ever been fully appreciated by most human beings, nor has it ever been abused the way it is today. There are three major areas concerning life that need to be addressed. We must firstly understand with conviction and belief that the life we possess is a Sacred Amaanat or Trust from Allah. Life is a gift from Almighty Allah, Divinely entrusted into the care of man. Secondly, there are rules and regulations ordained by Allah for the protection and fulfillment of this Divine Trust. Thirdly, the time will most certainly come, sooner if not later, when we, the repositories of this wonderful trust, would have to deliver it back to the Original Owner.
As for the first point
The Holy Quran has enunciated this reality quite clearly. Almighty Allah states:
Say (O Muhammad): Certainly my salaah, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah The Lord of the worlds. (Surah, A'raaf, ayah 162).
When hearing of the demise of anyone, we are taught to read: Inna lillahi wa innaa ilayhi raji'oon, which means, 'Verily to Allah do we belong, and unto Him shall we return.' (Surah Baqarah, ayah 156) These ayaat (verses) proves that the life we enjoy is actually the property and endowment of Allah Azza wa Jall.
In another verse, Allah Ta'ala states: Verily the hearing, the sight, and the heart, each of these will be questioned (on Qiyamat). (Surah Bani Isra-eel, aayat 36) The ears, eyes, and heart, are key factors in the good or bad that man does. The accountability of these major parts of the body on the Day of Judgement is proof enough that they are all components of a Sacred Trust. It, therefore, follows that man has not been given a free reign over the use and abuse of his life. Since Allah Azza wa Jall has full and unilateral possession over our lives, He enjoys the right to impose liability and obligation upon its use and function. Islam thus enjoins that life is a Divine Endowment, and we are under compulsion to live this life in accordance with the Law of the Giver of Life. We are mere trustees to oversee the function of this human life on earth. However, out of His mercy, Almighty Allah will ultimately reward us, the administrators of His amaanat, beyond our wildest imaginations, should we succeed in keeping up this sacred trust. The honest and faithful trustee will be highly honoured by Allah Ta'ala.
THE FOUR DEPARTMENTS OF LIFE
Hazrat Amar bin Maymoon Al-Audi (radhiyallahu anhu) narrates that once Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) gave the following advice to a Sahaabi:
"Treasure five things before five: Your youth before old-age; your health before illness; your wealth before poverty; your free time before becoming occupied, and your life before death. (Tirmizhi)
This wonderful hadith depicts the four major areas of life, viz: youth, health, wealth, and free time. Although life is counted as the fifth point, but by mentioning it last the implication is that the previous four factors make up the capital of one's life. The word "treasure" at the start of this hadith is quite significant. A human being treasures things that are valuable. A Muslim in particular, is taught to value and appreciate the four major funds that make up man's capital for investment in the hereafter.
* INVESTING OUR CAPITAL
The other important factor this hadith teaches is the method of fulfilling this trust of Allah. The factors that represent man's capital on earth are youth, health, wealth, and leisure. Here Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is advising the youth, the healthy, the wealthy, and those who have free time on their hands. These are generally the areas where people suffer the most. Another hadith narrated by Ibni Abbas (radhiayllahu anhu) goes as follows: There are two favours in which many people suffer losses: Health and Free time. (Bukhari) The trustees of this capital are instructed by Allah and His Rasool to utilize these four funds before they become depleted. And that is what normally happens.
* THE ABUSE OF BOUNTIES
When man spends his youth flouting the law of Allah, he rarely finds time in his old-age to make amends and prepare for the life hereafter. Likewise, when one's health is expended in efforts other than Deen, there is obviously no strength or enthusiasm to do go good during illness. In similar fashion, when wealth is squandered in wrong avenues, the time for charity and benevolence seldom arrives. Finally, when valuable time is wasted, there is no way such time could be retrieved.
* THE NI'MAH OF ALLAH
Almighty Allah states in Surah Anfaal: .... verily Allah shall not change a ni'mah which He has conferred upon a nation unless they change what is within themselves..
The meaning of this verse is that when people abuse the favors of Allah then He either decreases His Favors upon them or totally deprives them of His Bounties.
* THE ABUSE OF YOUTH
Significantly, the first component of the Divine Trust mentioned in the hadith is youth, the prime of life Our young people today invariably, expend their youthful energy on pursuits that conflict with Shariah. Sports, night clubs, rave clubs, drugs, sexual indulgence, are but a few examples of what the youth find time to do. Frightfully, along with the destruction of this prime period of their lives, they are also wasting wealth, health, and most precious of all, time. Let them be warned that once these priceless gifts are lost, there is no way they can be retrieved.
What guarantee do the youth have that they will live till old age to do ibaadat (as many of our young friends believe)? And even if they do become old, how certain are they that the health and strength will still be there to perform acts of worship, especially when these young Muslims wantonly abused these gifts of Allah during their youth? For this reason Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) mentioned the young person who spent his/her time in the worship of Allah as among the seven people who will be granted shade under His Throne on Judgment Day, when there will be shade but that of The Arsh of Almighty Allah.
We urge our young brothers and sisters to review their lifestyle and make a concerted effort to reform themselves. Even if this reform is slow and gradual, let it be set into motion now, rather than later.
May Allah grant us all sound intellect to fully understand and appreciate the gift of life?
smile like this....