Why Me #25 What If It Is Too Late

Weren't you young just yesterday?

When did your bone start to creak?

Your joints start to ache.

Your hair start to go gray.

How could time have passed you by so

quickly?

And what do you plan to do with

the remainder of it?

Those of us given the gift of prolonged

life

come to realize that time

is still too short.

You've aged beautifully,

if you've increased your good deeds and decreased

your sins.

As we strive for the akhirah in our

midlife,

we notice the changes on our bodies,

these reminders that the clock is ticking.

The scholars say waja'ukmun

nadir and the warner has come to you

doesn't just mean a prophet came to you.

It even means your gray hairs.

But the scholars also say that gray hairs

are such a blessing in this life because

they add to your dignity,

prevent conceit,

lead to humility,

and some scholars said, even weaken your desire

for this world.

Imam min kutaybarahimuhullah

says in his famous Irun al Akbar,

laqadjalllaqadarushaybiinqanaqulama

bada shaybatunyaaraminallahuimarukaboo.

The appearance of gray hairs are a great

attainment

for the beginning of gray marks the end

of vain entertainment.

And of course, its blessings are primarily for

the next life. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam

said, man shaba shaybatanfeesabilelahkanat

lahu nooran yawmulqiama.

Whoever has grown a gray hair in the

way of Allah, it will be a light

for him on the day of judgment.

A long life is a blessing if it

has prolonged your good and a curse if

it's prolonged your evil.

The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam was asked, You

Rasulullah ayu nasikhayr O Messenger of Allah, who

are the best of people? And he responded

SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam saying mantala

umuruhu wahasunaamal

Whoever has a long life but uses that

long life to do good deeds. And he

was asked, and who are the worst of

people? The prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said mantalaumruhu

wasa aamaloo

Whoever lives a long life but only increases

in sin with that long life.

It's not about how long you lived, it's

about how you lived. And again and again

in the Quran people are asked, how long

do you think you lived on earth? And

they always reply,

yomun o Babl yom. It felt like a

day or part of a day.

When you reach the end, your time in

this world will feel like a blink of

an eye.

Long days lending themselves only to fleeting memories

of years gone by.

And how beautiful when a person not only

lived the righteous life, but taught those that

came after them how to live righteously

and pass on the treasures of lessons of

good deeds.

The prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said, no one

has more noble of a lineage than Yusuf

Alaihi Wasallam. An Nabi, the son of an

Nabi, the son of an Nabi, the son

of an Nabi. A prophet, the son of

a prophet, the son of a prophet, the

son of a prophet.

Yusuf, the son of Yaqub, the son of

Ishaq, the son of Ibrahim. Think about how

amazing that is.

But it wasn't just a claim to prophethood.

It was the lessons of prophethood that never

let anyone in that chain forget why they

were here in the first place

and what they were meant to leave behind.

Now as we're thinking about all the things

we can't do anymore,

we also realize the good deeds we missed

out on.

But there are unique good deeds that Allah

has now opened the door to, that you

couldn't actually do when you were younger.

Perhaps now your time has freed up to

earn more of Jannah with those steps to

the Masjid, or those utterances of dhikr.

Now you have more time to reacquaint yourself

with the Quran and the sacred knowledge you

couldn't indulge before.

Some of our greatest scholars started their journey

of knowledge only when the gray hairs already

came out.

The great imam ibn Hazam Rahimuhullah didn't start

his journey until he was in his forties.

I remember being mind blown reading about one

of the greatest scholars of the tabri'een, Salih

ibn Qaysan. And Imam Adhahibir Rahimuhullah says, abilillwahuibnu

sabi'eenasana

He started his journey of knowledge when he

was 70 years young.

And so we continue to live and work

for the akhirah

with everything Allah blessed us with as we

age in Islam. And then we take the

means to keep our mind, body and soul

healthy as we pursue that which is more

important.

As the time passes before we know it,

we're past our 60s. The prophet SallAllahu Alaihi

Wasallam said that the average lifespan

of this ummah is between 6070.

There are multiple times that the Prophet SallAllahu

Alaihi Wasallam said, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will

continue to forgive a person, Hata balagasatinamun

Umri until that person reaches 60 years old.

Now this doesn't mean that Allah will not

forgive a person over 60 years old when

they sin and repent,

but rather the prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam is

emphasizing

that if a person is still persisting in

their evil ways even after being 60 years

old, what excuse do they have before Allah

on the day of judgment?

The prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam used to seek

refuge in Allah from the hardship of those

later years. He would say, rabbi a'oothubikaminal

kasr wasu'il kibbar. My Lord, I seek refuge

in you from laziness

and from the difficulties of old age. And

he would say, Allahum innni a'oothubikamin

al bukhl wa'oothubikaminaljubin

wa'a'oothubikaminanuradda

ilaardalilumr

wa'a'oothubikamin

fitna to dunya wa'adhabil kabr Oh Allah, I

seek refuge in you from stinginess.

And I seek your protection from cowardice.

And I seek your protection from being returned

to feeble old age.

And I seek your protection from the trials

of this world and from the torment of

the grave.

But notice that the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam

always accompanied seeking refuge in Allah from the

difficulties of age with seeking refuge in Allah

from the disease of sin and the torment

of the hereafter.

Whether it's your own old age or the

old age of someone else, it's a sign

that the sooner you turn back to Allah

the better and the longer you live pleasing

Allah the better.

Mina'alama tin najahfinihayat

amongst the signs of success at the end

is the turning to Allah in the beginning.

As you grow older,

life's most simple tasks can become

tough.

But Allah will send others to carry much

of your physical burdens,

and will remove from you much of your

worldly distractions.

So that you can now focus on your

spiritual elevation,

and the beauty of him,

and the blessings he's put around you.

Blessings that you helped grow,

and blessings that you now fully appreciate.

And there isn't just a new found sense

of gratitude in your life now,

but a new found sense of urgency.

As you wait for your fate to suddenly

take what may be its final turn.

Tonight could be Laylat Qadr, the night of

divine decree.

Tonight,

millions of Muslims around the world are raising

their hands in du'a to ask Allah Subhanahu

Wa Ta'ala for what they need. Many are

asking for guidance and certainty, and everyone's asking

for Allah's mercy. All month long we've been

discussing Qadr, divine decree, and the many subtle

ways it might show up in our

lives. As we answer the hard questions like

why me this Ramadan,

Yaqeen also works every month of the year

to provide answers that combat doubt,

research that educates people around the world, and

content that inspires every member of the Ummah

around the world. This laylatul Qadr when deeds

are multiplied by 1,000,

add a deed to your list that can

help every believer solidify their faith.

Let a voice for Islam ring around the

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