Epigraph:
“I
stand today just beneath the age at which Prophet Muhammad departed from this
world. At
such an age, a person no longer counts years merely as time lived — but as time
remaining.”
At this moment, I am just under
sixty-three years old: I
am sixty-two and some months. And it suddenly occurred to me that I have now
arrived at almost the exact age at which Prophet Muhammad left this world. He did not live beyond sixty-three. I stand now near that same horizon. And this realization stirred many
thoughts within me — thoughts I felt compelled to share.
The first thing that entered my
heart was gratitude. Those of us
who have crossed sixty years of age have been given an extraordinary extension
of time by Allah. It is a tremendous grace. If Allah grants someone life until
sixty-three — and beyond that as well — it is not something ordinary. It is a
divine allowance, a sacred postponement, a mercy.
Dear Readers, this extension
of life must have a purpose. It
cannot be that our years continue increasing while our lives remain empty of
meaning. Allah calls Prophet
Muhammad “Rahmatan lil-‘Alamin” — a mercy for all worlds. What does this truly
mean? It means that whoever
sincerely seeks the true guidance of Allah will continue to find that guidance,
until the Day of Judgment, through Prophet Muhammad — through the light of the
Qur’an and the Sunnah.
I do not say this merely because I
am a Muslim. I say it because this is an observable truth. Allah spoke to humanity, but He did not
leave humanity alone with abstract words. He established a living chain of
guidance through prophets chosen from among human beings themselves — from Adam
to all the prophets who came after him, culminating in Prophet Muhammad.
And because he is the Final
Prophet, no prophet or messenger will come after him in any form. He is the
Seal of the Prophets. So, where is the guidance now? Guidance remains
with the one whom Allah called Rahmatan lil-‘Alamin. Through his teachings,
through the Qur’an, through his example, guidance remains accessible.
I wish to emphasize something here. Usually, once we
pass sixty, society begins to prepare us for retirement. We slow down. We
relax. And yes, a person deserves rest. A person deserves relief after years of
struggle. But often we drift into
routines without purpose. Today, it
may be endless entertainment, one streaming series after another. One ends,
another begins. There is nothing inherently wrong with leisure. But even
leisure must not erase purpose.
Life must remain meaningful.
And because I now stand at this
age myself, I feel certain truths must be spoken openly. These reminders apply to every age — to
boys and girls, teenagers, those in their twenties, thirties, and forties. But
when one reaches this stage of life, the awareness becomes sharper.
At this age, one word echoes
inside me: Time. Or perhaps more accurately: Grace-period. Allah has still given me time. So what should I do with it?
The first decision I have made is this: I must pray the five daily prayers consistently and on time. This
is not optional advice; it is an explicit command in the Qur’an. Allah says
that prayer has been prescribed upon believers at appointed times. So if someone among us is praying only
three prayers, or four, or perhaps none at all, then now is the time to restore
all five.
Allah says in Surah Al-Muddaththir
(74:42-43) that when
the people of Hellfire are asked what brought them there, they will answer: “ They will ask them: "What has
brought you into Hell?” They will reply: “[To our misfortune,] we
were not among those who prayed”
Understand this clearly: Allah has
warned us sincerely. Pray while
there is still time. And consider
the other side of this truth: Allah also says in the Qur’an that those who
guard their prayers will be honoured in Paradise. This matter is immensely important.
The second matter is Zakah. Many people spend their lives
accumulating wealth while neglecting the rights due upon that wealth. But now —
now there is still time. The
Qur’an warns that the wealth hoarded selfishly will be heated on the Day of
Judgment, and with it, foreheads and bodies will be branded. Why? Because the wealth was never truly ours to begin with. Qur’an (104:2-4): “He
who amassed wealth and has counted it over. He thinks that his wealth has rendered
him immortal. By no means!
He shall surely be flung into that which crushes into pieces.”
Allah says that what exceeds our
needs contains the rights of others within it. Surah Bani Israel (17:26-27): “Give
to the near of kin his due, and also to the destitute and the
traveller. And do not squander your wealth wastefully, for
the wasteful are brothers of the devils; and the devil is extremely
ungrateful to his Lord.”
Then comes fasting. Allah says fasting develops taqwa —
consciousness and fear of Allah. A life lived in taqwa leaves only one barrier
between a believer and Paradise.
Death itself. Fasting
is especially for God. The reason why fasting has been mentioned to be
specifically for God is that while there is a natural inclination in us for
doing all other good deeds, fasting is unnatural. We do it only for the sake of
God.
We have a natural inclination to thank God, and we pray to thank Him. We
feel for the poor, and we pay Zakat. We want to meet God spiritually, and we do
Hajj. It is only in fasting that we do something that is against our nature,
simply to please God. It is natural for us to eat and drink when we are hungry
and thirsty, but we curb our natural instincts for the sake of God. That is why
He promises a special reward distinct from rewards for other deeds for those
who fast. From Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1151: “Every good deed of the son of
Adam is multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. Allah, the Exalted, said:
‘Except fasting, for it is done for Me and I shall reward for it…’” — Narrated by Abu Hurairah, (Sahih Muslim,
Hadith 1151)
There are two pieces of good news for the one who fasts. The Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah
says: “For the fasting person, there are two joys: one when he breaks
his fast, and the other when he meets his Lord.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1904; Sahih Muslim, 1151)
And then Hajj. Hajj is, in many ways, a declaration of
war against Satan and a journey toward nearness to Allah. These are the rights of Allah upon us. We must prepare ourselves to fulfill
this right of Allah on us if we have the resources.
But now I want to give glad
tidings. To those who are my age. To those younger than me.
To the teenager, the young man,
the woman in her forties, the person in their twenties — if realization has finally entered our
heart, if we now
recognize that we
neglected prayer, or withheld zakah, or abandoned fasting, or delayed Hajj
despite being able — then know
this, Allah says in the
Qur’an that He forgives all sins. What
He asks from us is sincere remorse and true repentance. And if repentance is genuine, then Allah promises something
astonishing. He can transform sins
themselves into good deeds. Imagine
that! A sin committed…
forgiven… and then transformed into a source of reward. So while there is still time — use this grace-period well, Qur’an (25:70-71): “Except he who
repented, professed faith and did good deeds, then it is such people whose
bad deeds God shall transform into good ones. In reality, God is very
Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. And he who repents and does good deeds
should rest assured because he returns only to God with full success.”
Return to Allah. Listen to what He is telling you. He expects us to do good deeds
henceforth. Read the above verse again.
Faith is not only prayer, fasting, zakah, and Hajj. These are the rights of Allah
(Haqooq Allah). Inside our homes our wives, husbands, children,
brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. Allah asks us to fulfill the rights
of fellow human beings (Haqooq ul Ibad). The Qur’an says that on the Day
of Judgment, the scales will be established in truth.
The weight on that Day will be the
weight of truth itself. Qur’an
(7:8-9): “And the measure shall be absolutely correct on that
day. Then those whose scales are heavy shall only succeed, and
those whose scales are light are the ones who put themselves in loss because
they would deny Our revelations and would be unjust to their souls.”
A person may have prayed, fasted,
performed Hajj, and given charity — yet if he oppressed the people closest to
him, what then? What if he
neglected the rights of his wife? Ignored
his children? Spoke harshly to his
parents? Slandered people? Spread suspicion and false accusations? Committed fraud, corruption, or
injustice?
Then the rights of those people
will be taken from their good deeds. His
worship may remain, but its reward will be transferred to those he harmed. That is why I wish to say this with
urgency:
A Personal Reckoning: Let us begin living with deeper
consciousness from today onward. We must endeavour to fulfill the rights of Allah and the rights of
fellow human beings, on His terms (very important). If we have
hurt someone, let us apologize. If
we humiliate someone publicly, let us seek forgiveness publicly. If we wrongfully took someone’s money,
let us return it.
Seeking forgiveness here, in this
world, is still easy. On the Day
of Judgment, it will be unimaginably difficult — because the only currency
there will be good deeds. Allah
has still given us time. Let us
use it before it disappears.
I want to leave you with
one of the most beautiful passages in the Qur’an. Please bear in mind the verse has two sides of the
picture that Allah presents, Qur’an (39:53-54): “O My servants who have
transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed,
Allah forgives all sins. Turn
back to your Lord. Surrender to Him before the punishment comes upon you, after
which you will not be helped.”
What an astonishing declaration. But there is another side to this
verse. That means the opportunity
exists only while life remains. Because
once death arrives, the time for return ends.
And lately I have begun to feel
this reality deeply. One day, the
Angel of Death will come for me. Keep this realization very close to your heart and mind. And
if my life has been purified — if I have sincerely returned to Allah — then
what a beautiful promise Allah gives. Allah
describes those whom the angels take in a state of purity, Qur’an (16:32): “Those whose
souls are claimed by the angels such that they are pure. The angels will say: “Peace be to
you. Go and live in Paradise as a reward for your deeds.”
What an
extraordinary moment that will be. Imagine: the soul departing… and the first announcement it hears
is peace.
I end with this reflection, standing so near the age at
which Prophet (pbuh)
departed, made me realize that I
must do something with the time that remains.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Aamir I. Yazdani
MPhil Islamic Thought & Civilization (PAKISTAN)
MSc Irrigation Engineering (UK)
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