TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FIVE BEFOR FIVE

 

Khutbah: Take Advantage of Five Before Five

The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam was certainly blessed with jawaami' ul kalim, the most concise and precise speech, for he 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 ahadeeth are in fact treasure chests of wisdom. The words might be small but the meanings behind them are great. The speech might be brief but the benefits and the blessings that can be derived from them are innumerable.

And of the ahadith that are comprehensive in nature, is the hadith of Ibn Abbas Radi Allaahu Anhu reported by Al-Haakim, 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, your health before you fall sick, your wealth before you become poor, your free time before you become busy, and your life before your death."

The first word, Ightanam is used to indicate any good that can be obtained without much effort and thus, these five matters are very easy to acquire. They are easy to grasp and very simple to benefit from. That is because they are treasures that everyone possesses but few people appreciate.

#1: Taking Advantage of Your Youth Before Your Old Age...

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 period before the time comes when you do not have such enthusiasm or vigour. The zeal and energy that you have been blessed with during this stage will never again be given to you at such levels, after this age. Therefore, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to seize these moments and benefit from them. A person should exercise this energy for the sake of Allaah by doing good deeds, obtaining halal sustenance, and worshipping Allaah through acts that he might not be able to do later on in life.

Youth here does not mean the western concept of youth, which is 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 stages.

Shabbab or shab, youth or a young person, 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. This period is followed by old age, during which the person does not have as much power or vibrancy that he had while he was a youth.

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.”

( وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ )
رواه البخاري

One of the seven people, the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned, was a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah. Remember, the youth is up to forty. So this young person mentioned, whether he is twenty or right before reaching the age of forty, has grown up and has been raised or has raised himself busy in the worship of Allah, Who has no partners.

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 abstains from engaging in evil. Allaah loves such a youth, who is dedicated to worshipping Him and does not give in to the whisperings 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: Taking Advantage of 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. We must strive to take advantage of this before ailments and afflictions come because mankind, being mankind, will fall ill at some point. Everyone falls sick. If we did not fall sick, we would not be humans, we would be divine.

There will come times when we will experience poor health. During some of those occurrences, the sickness will be more harsh, and for certain people, even more severe. So the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam is reminding us that we do not know for how long we will have full possession of our faculties, of our strength, of our mental powers, and when we will fall sick. Therefore, we must make every effort to gain maximum profit from our well being before that time comes.

The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ رواه البخاري

"There are two blessings the majority of mankind have been deceived concerning." Most people do not appreciate these two blessings. “They are (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 "You have hundreds of thousands of millions of blessings, yet you are complaining of poverty?"

We have most of our senses, if not all, working at full capacity. We can see, hear, taste, touch and smell, yet we take them for granted and are ungrateful to He, Who blessed us with them. Allaah says in the Qur’an,

وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَاۤۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومࣱ كَفَّارࣱ

[Surah Ibrahim 34]

“And He gives you of all that you ask Him; and if you count Allaah's favors, never will you be able to number them; most surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful.” (14:34)

Look at someone who Allaah 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:

وعَنْ أَنسٍ  قالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّه ﷺ يقولُ: إنَّ اللَّه  قَالَ:"إِذَا ابْتَلَيْتُ عَبدِي بحبيبتَيْهِ فَصبَرَ عَوَّضْتُهُ مِنْهُمَا الْجنَّةَ يُريدُ عينيْه

رواه البخاريُّ

"There are two things, if Allaah 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 is testing him. And if he is patient, then Allah will reward him with Jannah.

On the other hand, how about the one who has been blessed, not just with perfect vision, but with good hearing, healthy organs and limbs, vitality, enthusiasm, knowledge and countless other things. Should we not appreciate the blessings from Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala? Do we not realize how precious health is? When we are blessed with these complex functional bodies, which are miracles in themselves, why do we not use them in the worship of Allah and doing beneficial acts?

The least we can do, brothers and sisters, is the faraa'id (obligatory actions) such as Salaah five times a day, fasting in Ramadaan, 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: Taking Advantage of Your Richness Before Poverty...

One day we might not have anything, and the next we might have much more than we need. On the other hand, one day, a person might have the best of jobs and the largest of salaries, yet, the next day, something happens like a recession or misspending and he/she no longer has that job and loses his/her source of income. So the wise person uses his wealth before he becomes poor. He invests for his future.

As for the investments of this dunya, we all do these. Even the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam would store staple food items like barley and grain even up to a 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, our children and ourselves, so we do not become destitute. 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 reap its benefits 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 and see 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 words for charity include 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. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said that, "A morsel 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, as it is an act of worship.

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 it in your heart that, "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: Taking Advantage of Your Free Time Before You Become Busy...

This is yet another great treasure that every single one of us possesses. 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 86400 precious seconds every day, what do we waste them on? Primarily, in this country at least, television. It is also wasted on gossip and socialization of which there is no benefit whatsoever, neither 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 is 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 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 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 CDs. 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: Taking 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:

وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰۤ إِذِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ نَاكِسُوا۟ رُءُوسِهِمۡ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ رَبَّنَاۤ أَبۡصَرۡنَا وَسَمِعۡنَا فَٱرۡجِعۡنَا نَعۡمَلۡ صَـٰلِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ

[Surah As-Sajdah 12]

“And if you only could see when the Mujrimûn (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): "Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), we will do righteous good deeds. Verily! We now believe with certainty." (32:12)

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 mind. On the Day of Judgment when he is resurrected, he will say:

حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَا جَاۤءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرۡجِعُونِ ۝ لَعَلِّیۤ أَعۡمَلُ صَـٰلِحࣰا فِیمَا تَرَكۡتُۚ كَلَّاۤۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَاۤىِٕلُهَاۖ وَمِن وَرَاۤىِٕهِم بَرۡزَخٌ إِلَىٰ یَوۡمِ یُبۡعَثُونَ

[Surah Al-Mu'minun 99 - 100]

[For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the day of resurrection]

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.

They will claim to believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment but Allah will not allow this to happen because everyone has only one life in the dunya. That is what Allah has given and this is why we must make the best of our time 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 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.