rahman2040
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Take Advantage of Five Before Five
by Yasir Birjas
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam has been
blessed with jawaami' ul kalim, the most concise,
or precise, speech. The Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam said, "I have been blessed with
concise speech." Therefore, when we look at the
precious pearls that came out of the Prophet’s
mouth, sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, we find that
many of his ahadith are in fact treasure chests
of wisdom. The words might be small, but the
meanings behind them are great. The speech might
be succinct, but the benefits and the blessings
that can be derived from them are innumerable.
And of the ahadith that are jawaami', or
comprehensive in nature, is the hadith of ibn
Abbas radi Allahu anhu reported in the mustadrak
of Al-Haakim, musnad Imam Ahmad, and others, with
an authentic chain of narration. In this hadith
the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to
a man while he was advising him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five other
matters: your youth, before you become old; and
your health, before you fall sick; and your
richness, before you become poor; and your free
time before you become busy; and your life,
before your death."
The first word, ightanam comes from same root
that signifies sheep - ghanam. Sheep, in Arabic,
means ghanam, and ightanam is from the same root
that also signifies sheep. What exactly is the
meaning of ightanam? Ightanam is used to indicate
any good that can be obtained without much
effort. Just like sheep, they can easily be
caught if they go astray. This is why the war
booty that is found on the battlefield after the
army has fled is called ghaneemah. It is easy to
take, just like the sheep. You can grasp it
without much effort. Ghaneemah, ightanam, and
ghanam are all from the same root.
So it is as if the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam is pointing out that these five matters
are very easy to obtain. They are easy to prey on
and catch, and very simple to benefit from. That
is because they are treasures that everyone
possesses but few people appreciate.
What are these five things?
#1: Take Advantage of Your Youth Before Your Old
Age
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam started
off and said shabbab or shab, a youth or young
person. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
said, "Take advantage of your youth before your
haram.” And the word haram means old age, maybe
even senility. It is an age in which the person
does not have the power or mental faculties that
he had while he was a youth.
Youthfulness is a time when a person is the most
energetic, when he lays out the foundations for
his future, and when he plans his life. So the
Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to take
advantage of this time before the time comes when
you do not have that enthusiasm, when you do not
have that zeal, or that outlook. The enthusiasm
and energy that you have been blessed with will
never again be given to you after this age.
Therefore, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said to seize the moment and take
advantage of it. A person should exercise this
energy for the sake of Allah by procuring
knowledge of Allah, obtaining halal sustenance,
and worshipping Allah through acts that he might
not be able to do later on in life.
Youth here does not mean the western concept of
youth that youthfulness finishes when someone is
eighteen or nineteen years old. In the Islamic
Shari’ah, a man's life has been divided into a
number of sectors or stages. Shabbab or shab,
according to the strongest opinion, means before
reaching the age of forty. This is because forty
is the prime of life, when mental and physical
capabilities have reached a peak, and after that
they start to go down.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Seven are the people that will be sheltered on
the Day of Judgment, the day in which there is no
shade except the shade of Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala.”
One of the seven people, the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam mentioned was a youth who grew
up in the worship of Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala. Remember, the youth is up to forty. So
this young person, whether he is twenty or thirty
or right before reaching the age of forty, he has
grown up and has been raised or has raised
himself busy in the worship of Allah subhaanahu
wa ta ‘aala.
Likewise, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said in an authentic hadith that Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala is pleased with and amazed
at the youth who does not have any evil
inclinations. This means he does not do evil.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala loves such a youth
who is straight in the worship of Allah and does
not turn left or right to the paths of Shaytaan.
Allah loves this person and is amazed at him
because in general it is the youth, due to their
virility and strong desires, who swerve left and
right away from the path of the worship of Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala. So this is the first of
the five: “your youth before your old age.”
#2: Take Advantage of Your Health, Before You
Fall Sick
The second of the five matters is, "your health,
before you fall sick." The fact that one lives a
normal life and is not afflicted with diseases
and plagues, represents a person’s health. Take
advantage of this before diseases and plagues
come because mankind, being mankind, will fall
sick. Everyone falls sick. If we did not fall
sick, we would not be humans, we would be divine.
There will come a time when we will fall sick.
Some of those times the sicknesses will be more
severe, and for certain people even more severe.
So the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is
reminding us that we do not know when we will
have full possession of our faculties, of our
strength, of our mental powers, before we will
fall sick. Therefore, take advantage of it before
that time comes.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"There are two blessings the majority of mankind
have been deceived concerning." The majority of
mankind do not appreciate these two blessings.
They are "health," good health, "and free time."
Once a person came to Yunus ibn 'Ubayy, one of
the scholars of the Salaf, and he complained of
extreme poverty as he had not been blessed with
much. Yunus ibn Ubayy asked him, "Would you be
willing to give away your sight for a certain
amount of money?" The man said, "No, of course
not." Then he asked him, "Would you be willing to
give your hands away?" He said, "No, of course
not." He asked, "Your feet?" He said, "Of course
not." When he finished he said "I see that you
have hundreds of thousands of millions of
blessings, yet you are complaining of poverty?"
We have our full faculties, we can see and hear.
Look at someone who Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala
has tested with blindness. It is a very severe
test, and that is why the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam has said in an authentic hadith:
"There are two things if Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala takes them away from a person and he is
patient, he is guaranteed Jannah. These two
things are the two eyes."
In other words, if a person is blind, and we seek
Allah's refuge from the physical and the
spiritual blindness in this world and in the
hereafter, then Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala is
testing him. And if he is patient, then Allah
will reward him with Jannah.
How about one who has been blessed not just with
eyesight, but with hearing, health, arms, limbs,
energy, vitality, enthusiasm, and many other
things. Should we not appreciate the blessing
from Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala? Do we not
realize how sweet health is? It can be used for
the worship of Allah. When we are blessed with
these bodies, why do we not use them in the
worship of Allah?
The least we can do, brothers and sisters, is the
faraa'id (obligatory actions) such as salah five
times a day, fasting in Ramadan, and going for
the Hajj. All of these require that we use our
physical bodies. That is the least that we can
do, the bare minimum. Of course, the more that
one does, the better it is for him.
This is the second of the five matters: “your
health before you fall sick.”
#3: Take Advantage of Your Richness Before
Poverty
The third is, "your richness, before poverty."
One day we might not have anything, and the next
we might have much more than we need. One day, a
person might have the best of jobs and the
largest of salaries, yet, the next day, something
happens and he does not have that job anymore and
loses his source of income. So the wise person
uses his richness before he becomes poor. He
invests for his future.
As for the investments of this dunya, then the
kafir and the Muslim are both the same; they both
do that. Even the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam would store staple food items even up to a
year. Sometimes he would store barley and grain
for a whole year for his family. So this is
obviously something halaal as the Prophet sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam himself did it, and we
should do it too. We should make sure we have
enough money for our family and our children and
ourselves, so we are not poor and we are not
beggars. There is no doubt that this is a part of
our Shari’ah as well.
But while we are doing this, let us not forget
that we also need to invest for the Akhirah.
Should we not think about investing this money so
we can pick it and pluck it in the Hereafter when
we need it far more than we need it in this
world? We need to invest for the real future, our
real life after our death.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam once
asked his companions, "Who amongst you loves his
inheritors' money more than his own money?"
The meaning of this hadith is that the Prophet
sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is asking for
example, does the father love the money of his
son or does he love his own money? Of course, the
father loves his own money. Likewise, every
person will love his own money more than he loves
the money of other people.
The Sahabah said, "Yaa RasulAllah, all of us love
our own money more than we love the money of our
inheritors. We all love our own money. We guard
it and protect it more than the money of our
inheritors.”
Then the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
said, "Verily, the money that you spend in
charity is your money, and the money that you
leave behind is the money of your inheritors."
Ponder over that hadith for a while, how true it
is. As for the father who loves his own money
more than the money of his son, does he not
realize that one day his son will take that very
money of his and he will have nothing to do with
it? All that is left of his money is what he
spent during his life for the sake of Allah, if
there was any such money. Any of it spent in
charity for the sake of Allah, is money that will
be yours permanently. The Arabic word for charity
includes zakah, sadaqah, waqf, and any type of
monetary good that you did. Everything besides
this will go into the hands of your inheritors.
Remember that feeding your family is an ibaadah
if you are doing it for the sake of Allah. If you
are doing it for the sake of Allah, you will be
rewarded. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said that, "A morsel of food," one morsel
of food, one handful of food, "if you put it in
your wife's mouth, this will be a reward for you
on the Day of Judgment." Now everybody, Muslim or
non-Muslim, feeds his family. But will everybody
be rewarded for that? No. Because only the one
who does it remembering Allah, thinking about
Allah, and doing it for the sake of Allah will be
rewarded.
Ask yourself if the last time you went shopping,
Allah was in your mind? Did you think of doing
this for Allah? When you picked up the milk and
the bread, was your heart thinking, "Oh Allah, I
am buying this food through halaal money, and
this is halaal food, because I want to feed my
family and this is an obligation that You have
put upon me, therefore, I am doing it for your
sake." Who amongst us has this in his mind?
When we say, "That is spent for the sake of
Allah," we are not just talking about money,
zakah, sadaqah, and charity. Of course, giving in
charity is the best thing you can do with your
money. But do not forget that the majority of
income that we spend, and in fact for the mu'min,
all of the income that he spends, can be for the
sake of Allah as well. This means thinking of
Allah, spending for the sake of Allah, and having
the intention of pleasing Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala.
This is the third of the five things: “your
richness, before poverty.”
#4: Take Advantage of Your Free Time Before You
Become Busy
This is yet another great treasure that every
single one of us possesses. Every single one of
us must use our free time before we become busy.
How much free time do we have and what do we
waste it on? Think about it. Think about how much
free time all of us have been blessed with. We
have hours and hours every day and they go by.
What do we waste it on? Primarily, in this
country at least, television. It is also wasted
on gossip and socialization of which there is no
benefit whatsoever, in this world nor the
hereafter.
Remember the hadith of the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam that we just quoted about the
two blessings (health and free time) most people
have been deceived by. In other words, they don't
realize their blessings of health and free time.
You may have to work eight hours a day, no
problem. Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala has allowed
this for you. He has obligated it upon you. When
you come home, you have four or five hours, so
spend them wisely for the sake of Allah.
Spending time wisely does not necessarily mean
purely religious deeds. But spending your time
wisely and even be something in this world. Learn
a trade. Learn something that can benefit you in
this world and that can benefit other people as
well. Islam is a complete way of life, a complete
code. Do not forget that all of the acts a mu'min
does can be transformed into acts of worship if,
and only if, he does them for the sake of Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala.
Of course that there are religious deeds which
are the best deeds to do. Every one of us should
recite the Qur'an everyday, even if it's only for
five or ten minutes. You should have some
relationship with the Qur'an. Every one of us
should pray some extra prayers as well, a few
sunnahs or the nafls, if not the continual
sunnahs that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam used to pray. This is the most important
thing for us to do. But at the same time, do not
forget that there can be many acts that can be
rewarded if you change your niyyah and do them
for the sake of Allah.
Do not waste your time. The greatest waster of
time is the television. You turn it on, and an
hour or two go by, and not only have you not
gained anything for the Akhirah, you have not
gained anything for this world. You have
literally killed, murdered your time, and done
absolutely nothing with it. And realize that you
are lucky if you don't come away from those two
hours without any sin. How many are the sins that
are in television, with music, and the women, and
other things. In my opinion, it is better for a
mu'min not to even have this instrument in his
house because of the evil that comes from it.
Like Allah says about alcohol, the evil that
comes from it is more than the good that is
obtained from it.
When you have some free time, take advantage of
it. The greatest thing that we can do in this
free time is to worship Allah. And one of the
greatest acts of worship is to seek knowledge.
Take a book out to read, listen to some
cassettes, or listen to some CD's. Do whatever
you can do to increase your 'ilm. Attend some
classes or even visit one another for the sake of
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala. Visit your Muslim
brother with the proper Islamic etiquette and
adab. This is an act you can do that will pass
your time away, and be worthwhile.
This is the fourth of the five matters: "take
advantage of your free time before you become
busy."
#5: Take Advantage of Your Life Before Your Death
This one phrase summarizes it all: "take
advantage of your life before your death." Every
one of us has a life. That is why we are here
right now. Every one of us without a doubt will
die. Allah says:
You are going to die and they too are going to
die.
And it is as Allah said, the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam passed away and so did the
people that opposed him and believed in him. They
all have passed away. And the turn came for those
after them, and then those after them, until it
is our turn.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
therefore reminded us, "Take advantage of your
life before your death." This is the greatest of
foresight. Hence the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi
wa sallam concluded the hadith with this phrase.
How are we going to use this life before death
comes? As for the kafir, he will totally waste it
because he will make this life his goal. He will
live only to appease and satisfy every desire of
his. Then on the Day of Judgment, he will beg
Allah to send him back to this life. Allah
describes this in the Quran:
When death comes to them, he will say, “O my
Lord!”
All of a sudden, when his Lord comes to him he
remembers Allah. Whereas throughout all of the
years that he lived, Allah was nowhere near him;
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala was the furthest
thing from his death. On the Day of Judgment when
he is resurrected, he will say:
Oh my Lord! Allow me to go back so that I may do
good in the time that I had left.
Allah obviously will say, "Kalla” – no. You have
only been allowed one life and you will not be
able to go back and change that life. For every
good you do you will be rewarded, and for every
evil you do you will be punished.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala also describes them
in the Qur’an as saying on the Day of Judgment:
O our Lord, we have seen and we have heard. Let
us go back to do good deeds; we are now
believers.
They claim to believe in Allah and the Day of
Judgment but Allah will not allow this to happen
because everyone has only one life. That is what
Allah has given and this is what we must make the
best of in this world so that we are compensated
accordingly in the Hereafter.
These are the five things that the Prophet sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam told the man to do. He
advised him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five
others: your youth, before your old age; and your
health before you fall sick; and your wealth
before you become poor; and your free time before
you become busy; and your life before your
death."
This hadith deals with responsibility, wisdom,
foresight, long-term planning, and good strategy.
Every one of us has been blessed with these five
blessings. There is no one amongst us who has not
been blessed with these five things. So how do we
utilize them? What do we utilize them for? Why do
we utilize them?
The wise person is the one who strives to achieve
the pleasure of Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala and
then expects the best from Allah. The wise one is
one who tries to arrive at the goal and then has
tawakkul in Allah. Tawakkul does not mean to sit
back and say, "Oh, this will happen to me."
Rather, you must strive for it. The fool is the
one who follows his desires and then presumes
that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala will reward
him.
We ask that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala makes us
amongst those who can ightallim, those who can
seize these five things, who can take advantage
of them before the five will come. These five
matters will inevitably be taken away from us,
and substituted by the others that the Prophet
sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned.
Wa aakhiru da'waana 'anil hamdulillahi Rab al
'Alameen, wa subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdika wa
ash hadu'an laa ilaaha illa ant nastaghfiruka wa
atubu ilayk.
--------------------
Take Advantage of Five Before Five
by Yasir Birjas
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam has been
blessed with jawaami' ul kalim, the most concise,
or precise, speech. The Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam said, "I have been blessed with
concise speech." Therefore, when we look at the
precious pearls that came out of the Prophet’s
mouth, sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, we find that
many of his ahadith are in fact treasure chests
of wisdom. The words might be small, but the
meanings behind them are great. The speech might
be succinct, but the benefits and the blessings
that can be derived from them are innumerable.
And of the ahadith that are jawaami', or
comprehensive in nature, is the hadith of ibn
Abbas radi Allahu anhu reported in the mustadrak
of Al-Haakim, musnad Imam Ahmad, and others, with
an authentic chain of narration. In this hadith
the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to
a man while he was advising him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five other
matters: your youth, before you become old; and
your health, before you fall sick; and your
richness, before you become poor; and your free
time before you become busy; and your life,
before your death."
The first word, ightanam comes from same root
that signifies sheep - ghanam. Sheep, in Arabic,
means ghanam, and ightanam is from the same root
that also signifies sheep. What exactly is the
meaning of ightanam? Ightanam is used to indicate
any good that can be obtained without much
effort. Just like sheep, they can easily be
caught if they go astray. This is why the war
booty that is found on the battlefield after the
army has fled is called ghaneemah. It is easy to
take, just like the sheep. You can grasp it
without much effort. Ghaneemah, ightanam, and
ghanam are all from the same root.
So it is as if the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam is pointing out that these five matters
are very easy to obtain. They are easy to prey on
and catch, and very simple to benefit from. That
is because they are treasures that everyone
possesses but few people appreciate.
What are these five things?
#1: Take Advantage of Your Youth Before Your Old
Age
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam started
off and said shabbab or shab, a youth or young
person. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
said, "Take advantage of your youth before your
haram.” And the word haram means old age, maybe
even senility. It is an age in which the person
does not have the power or mental faculties that
he had while he was a youth.
Youthfulness is a time when a person is the most
energetic, when he lays out the foundations for
his future, and when he plans his life. So the
Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to take
advantage of this time before the time comes when
you do not have that enthusiasm, when you do not
have that zeal, or that outlook. The enthusiasm
and energy that you have been blessed with will
never again be given to you after this age.
Therefore, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said to seize the moment and take
advantage of it. A person should exercise this
energy for the sake of Allah by procuring
knowledge of Allah, obtaining halal sustenance,
and worshipping Allah through acts that he might
not be able to do later on in life.
Youth here does not mean the western concept of
youth that youthfulness finishes when someone is
eighteen or nineteen years old. In the Islamic
Shari’ah, a man's life has been divided into a
number of sectors or stages. Shabbab or shab,
according to the strongest opinion, means before
reaching the age of forty. This is because forty
is the prime of life, when mental and physical
capabilities have reached a peak, and after that
they start to go down.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Seven are the people that will be sheltered on
the Day of Judgment, the day in which there is no
shade except the shade of Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala.”
One of the seven people, the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam mentioned was a youth who grew
up in the worship of Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala. Remember, the youth is up to forty. So
this young person, whether he is twenty or thirty
or right before reaching the age of forty, he has
grown up and has been raised or has raised
himself busy in the worship of Allah subhaanahu
wa ta ‘aala.
Likewise, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said in an authentic hadith that Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala is pleased with and amazed
at the youth who does not have any evil
inclinations. This means he does not do evil.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala loves such a youth
who is straight in the worship of Allah and does
not turn left or right to the paths of Shaytaan.
Allah loves this person and is amazed at him
because in general it is the youth, due to their
virility and strong desires, who swerve left and
right away from the path of the worship of Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala. So this is the first of
the five: “your youth before your old age.”
#2: Take Advantage of Your Health, Before You
Fall Sick
The second of the five matters is, "your health,
before you fall sick." The fact that one lives a
normal life and is not afflicted with diseases
and plagues, represents a person’s health. Take
advantage of this before diseases and plagues
come because mankind, being mankind, will fall
sick. Everyone falls sick. If we did not fall
sick, we would not be humans, we would be divine.
There will come a time when we will fall sick.
Some of those times the sicknesses will be more
severe, and for certain people even more severe.
So the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is
reminding us that we do not know when we will
have full possession of our faculties, of our
strength, of our mental powers, before we will
fall sick. Therefore, take advantage of it before
that time comes.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"There are two blessings the majority of mankind
have been deceived concerning." The majority of
mankind do not appreciate these two blessings.
They are "health," good health, "and free time."
Once a person came to Yunus ibn 'Ubayy, one of
the scholars of the Salaf, and he complained of
extreme poverty as he had not been blessed with
much. Yunus ibn Ubayy asked him, "Would you be
willing to give away your sight for a certain
amount of money?" The man said, "No, of course
not." Then he asked him, "Would you be willing to
give your hands away?" He said, "No, of course
not." He asked, "Your feet?" He said, "Of course
not." When he finished he said "I see that you
have hundreds of thousands of millions of
blessings, yet you are complaining of poverty?"
We have our full faculties, we can see and hear.
Look at someone who Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala
has tested with blindness. It is a very severe
test, and that is why the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam has said in an authentic hadith:
"There are two things if Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala takes them away from a person and he is
patient, he is guaranteed Jannah. These two
things are the two eyes."
In other words, if a person is blind, and we seek
Allah's refuge from the physical and the
spiritual blindness in this world and in the
hereafter, then Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala is
testing him. And if he is patient, then Allah
will reward him with Jannah.
How about one who has been blessed not just with
eyesight, but with hearing, health, arms, limbs,
energy, vitality, enthusiasm, and many other
things. Should we not appreciate the blessing
from Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala? Do we not
realize how sweet health is? It can be used for
the worship of Allah. When we are blessed with
these bodies, why do we not use them in the
worship of Allah?
The least we can do, brothers and sisters, is the
faraa'id (obligatory actions) such as salah five
times a day, fasting in Ramadan, and going for
the Hajj. All of these require that we use our
physical bodies. That is the least that we can
do, the bare minimum. Of course, the more that
one does, the better it is for him.
This is the second of the five matters: “your
health before you fall sick.”
#3: Take Advantage of Your Richness Before
Poverty
The third is, "your richness, before poverty."
One day we might not have anything, and the next
we might have much more than we need. One day, a
person might have the best of jobs and the
largest of salaries, yet, the next day, something
happens and he does not have that job anymore and
loses his source of income. So the wise person
uses his richness before he becomes poor. He
invests for his future.
As for the investments of this dunya, then the
kafir and the Muslim are both the same; they both
do that. Even the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam would store staple food items even up to a
year. Sometimes he would store barley and grain
for a whole year for his family. So this is
obviously something halaal as the Prophet sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam himself did it, and we
should do it too. We should make sure we have
enough money for our family and our children and
ourselves, so we are not poor and we are not
beggars. There is no doubt that this is a part of
our Shari’ah as well.
But while we are doing this, let us not forget
that we also need to invest for the Akhirah.
Should we not think about investing this money so
we can pick it and pluck it in the Hereafter when
we need it far more than we need it in this
world? We need to invest for the real future, our
real life after our death.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam once
asked his companions, "Who amongst you loves his
inheritors' money more than his own money?"
The meaning of this hadith is that the Prophet
sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is asking for
example, does the father love the money of his
son or does he love his own money? Of course, the
father loves his own money. Likewise, every
person will love his own money more than he loves
the money of other people.
The Sahabah said, "Yaa RasulAllah, all of us love
our own money more than we love the money of our
inheritors. We all love our own money. We guard
it and protect it more than the money of our
inheritors.”
Then the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
said, "Verily, the money that you spend in
charity is your money, and the money that you
leave behind is the money of your inheritors."
Ponder over that hadith for a while, how true it
is. As for the father who loves his own money
more than the money of his son, does he not
realize that one day his son will take that very
money of his and he will have nothing to do with
it? All that is left of his money is what he
spent during his life for the sake of Allah, if
there was any such money. Any of it spent in
charity for the sake of Allah, is money that will
be yours permanently. The Arabic word for charity
includes zakah, sadaqah, waqf, and any type of
monetary good that you did. Everything besides
this will go into the hands of your inheritors.
Remember that feeding your family is an ibaadah
if you are doing it for the sake of Allah. If you
are doing it for the sake of Allah, you will be
rewarded. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam said that, "A morsel of food," one morsel
of food, one handful of food, "if you put it in
your wife's mouth, this will be a reward for you
on the Day of Judgment." Now everybody, Muslim or
non-Muslim, feeds his family. But will everybody
be rewarded for that? No. Because only the one
who does it remembering Allah, thinking about
Allah, and doing it for the sake of Allah will be
rewarded.
Ask yourself if the last time you went shopping,
Allah was in your mind? Did you think of doing
this for Allah? When you picked up the milk and
the bread, was your heart thinking, "Oh Allah, I
am buying this food through halaal money, and
this is halaal food, because I want to feed my
family and this is an obligation that You have
put upon me, therefore, I am doing it for your
sake." Who amongst us has this in his mind?
When we say, "That is spent for the sake of
Allah," we are not just talking about money,
zakah, sadaqah, and charity. Of course, giving in
charity is the best thing you can do with your
money. But do not forget that the majority of
income that we spend, and in fact for the mu'min,
all of the income that he spends, can be for the
sake of Allah as well. This means thinking of
Allah, spending for the sake of Allah, and having
the intention of pleasing Allah subhaanahu wa ta
‘aala.
This is the third of the five things: “your
richness, before poverty.”
#4: Take Advantage of Your Free Time Before You
Become Busy
This is yet another great treasure that every
single one of us possesses. Every single one of
us must use our free time before we become busy.
How much free time do we have and what do we
waste it on? Think about it. Think about how much
free time all of us have been blessed with. We
have hours and hours every day and they go by.
What do we waste it on? Primarily, in this
country at least, television. It is also wasted
on gossip and socialization of which there is no
benefit whatsoever, in this world nor the
hereafter.
Remember the hadith of the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam that we just quoted about the
two blessings (health and free time) most people
have been deceived by. In other words, they don't
realize their blessings of health and free time.
You may have to work eight hours a day, no
problem. Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala has allowed
this for you. He has obligated it upon you. When
you come home, you have four or five hours, so
spend them wisely for the sake of Allah.
Spending time wisely does not necessarily mean
purely religious deeds. But spending your time
wisely and even be something in this world. Learn
a trade. Learn something that can benefit you in
this world and that can benefit other people as
well. Islam is a complete way of life, a complete
code. Do not forget that all of the acts a mu'min
does can be transformed into acts of worship if,
and only if, he does them for the sake of Allah
subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala.
Of course that there are religious deeds which
are the best deeds to do. Every one of us should
recite the Qur'an everyday, even if it's only for
five or ten minutes. You should have some
relationship with the Qur'an. Every one of us
should pray some extra prayers as well, a few
sunnahs or the nafls, if not the continual
sunnahs that the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa
sallam used to pray. This is the most important
thing for us to do. But at the same time, do not
forget that there can be many acts that can be
rewarded if you change your niyyah and do them
for the sake of Allah.
Do not waste your time. The greatest waster of
time is the television. You turn it on, and an
hour or two go by, and not only have you not
gained anything for the Akhirah, you have not
gained anything for this world. You have
literally killed, murdered your time, and done
absolutely nothing with it. And realize that you
are lucky if you don't come away from those two
hours without any sin. How many are the sins that
are in television, with music, and the women, and
other things. In my opinion, it is better for a
mu'min not to even have this instrument in his
house because of the evil that comes from it.
Like Allah says about alcohol, the evil that
comes from it is more than the good that is
obtained from it.
When you have some free time, take advantage of
it. The greatest thing that we can do in this
free time is to worship Allah. And one of the
greatest acts of worship is to seek knowledge.
Take a book out to read, listen to some
cassettes, or listen to some CD's. Do whatever
you can do to increase your 'ilm. Attend some
classes or even visit one another for the sake of
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala. Visit your Muslim
brother with the proper Islamic etiquette and
adab. This is an act you can do that will pass
your time away, and be worthwhile.
This is the fourth of the five matters: "take
advantage of your free time before you become
busy."
#5: Take Advantage of Your Life Before Your Death
This one phrase summarizes it all: "take
advantage of your life before your death." Every
one of us has a life. That is why we are here
right now. Every one of us without a doubt will
die. Allah says:
You are going to die and they too are going to
die.
And it is as Allah said, the Prophet sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam passed away and so did the
people that opposed him and believed in him. They
all have passed away. And the turn came for those
after them, and then those after them, until it
is our turn.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam
therefore reminded us, "Take advantage of your
life before your death." This is the greatest of
foresight. Hence the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi
wa sallam concluded the hadith with this phrase.
How are we going to use this life before death
comes? As for the kafir, he will totally waste it
because he will make this life his goal. He will
live only to appease and satisfy every desire of
his. Then on the Day of Judgment, he will beg
Allah to send him back to this life. Allah
describes this in the Quran:
When death comes to them, he will say, “O my
Lord!”
All of a sudden, when his Lord comes to him he
remembers Allah. Whereas throughout all of the
years that he lived, Allah was nowhere near him;
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala was the furthest
thing from his death. On the Day of Judgment when
he is resurrected, he will say:
Oh my Lord! Allow me to go back so that I may do
good in the time that I had left.
Allah obviously will say, "Kalla” – no. You have
only been allowed one life and you will not be
able to go back and change that life. For every
good you do you will be rewarded, and for every
evil you do you will be punished.
Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala also describes them
in the Qur’an as saying on the Day of Judgment:
O our Lord, we have seen and we have heard. Let
us go back to do good deeds; we are now
believers.
They claim to believe in Allah and the Day of
Judgment but Allah will not allow this to happen
because everyone has only one life. That is what
Allah has given and this is what we must make the
best of in this world so that we are compensated
accordingly in the Hereafter.
These are the five things that the Prophet sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam told the man to do. He
advised him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five
others: your youth, before your old age; and your
health before you fall sick; and your wealth
before you become poor; and your free time before
you become busy; and your life before your
death."
This hadith deals with responsibility, wisdom,
foresight, long-term planning, and good strategy.
Every one of us has been blessed with these five
blessings. There is no one amongst us who has not
been blessed with these five things. So how do we
utilize them? What do we utilize them for? Why do
we utilize them?
The wise person is the one who strives to achieve
the pleasure of Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala and
then expects the best from Allah. The wise one is
one who tries to arrive at the goal and then has
tawakkul in Allah. Tawakkul does not mean to sit
back and say, "Oh, this will happen to me."
Rather, you must strive for it. The fool is the
one who follows his desires and then presumes
that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala will reward
him.
We ask that Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala makes us
amongst those who can ightallim, those who can
seize these five things, who can take advantage
of them before the five will come. These five
matters will inevitably be taken away from us,
and substituted by the others that the Prophet
sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned.
Wa aakhiru da'waana 'anil hamdulillahi Rab al
'Alameen, wa subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdika wa
ash hadu'an laa ilaaha illa ant nastaghfiruka wa
atubu ilayk.
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