The value of a person, after belief in God the Almighty, is good deeds. And good deeds stand on two conditions: one is sincerity, as Allah (ﷻ) said: {And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth} 98:5. And secondly, that the deed itself should be on the Prophet’s path of guidance. The prophet (ﷺ): “One who brings an innovation in our matter that is not part of it, is rejected.”
So, each one of us in the time of his/her life is simply a collection of deeds and the impact resulting from such deeds in this life and the Hereafter.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali narrated in his book Latai’f Al-Ma’arif: “There is not a day that God brought him out to the people of the world, but he calls out: Son of Adam, take advantage of me, perhaps you will not have a day after me. There is no night except that you call out: Son of Adam, take advantage of me, perhaps you will not have a night after me.”
The prophet (ﷺ) said: “The wise one is he who subdues himself and works for what comes after death, and the incapacitated is he who follows his whims and then wished for favors from God.” Understanding this Hadith means to rush into good deeds and never be lazy living on hopes that have no value to them but empty wishes.
The prophet (ﷺ) also brought our attention to two types of major investments in life, health, and time. He (ﷺ) said: “There are two blessings that many people fail to utilize; health and free time.” And indeed, good deeds need a healthy person in many cases and of course time, before there is no time.
Some people make excuses for not rushing into good deeds because of lack of time and some people make excuses because of lack of interest. But for that we remind people with these reminders:
Are you a believer in the Hereafter? If so, why would one prefer investing time in this world over the Hereafter! Allah (ﷻ) said: {Rather, you prefer the life of this world, and the Hereafter is better and more lasting}. Knowing that we are travelers to the Hereafter should always be an incentive to invest in good deeds that can travel with us and earn Hasanat for us and high levels in heaven by the will of God, insha Allah.
Procrastination at the expense of finding free time? Who guarantees that you will find free time? Most people when growing older get busier, their minds more preoccupied with worries of preserving what they have gained, as well as trying to gain new things in life that require a lot of time and effort.
Watch out for death as it can come at any time. Angel Gabriel came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “O Muhammad, live as you wish, for you will die, and do whatever you wish, for you will be rewarded for it.”
Watch out for the possibility of change in your intention or in your effort and in your status. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are busy, and your life before your death.”
May Allah always help us to use our time and health and wealth for the best purposes. Ameen.
By Imam Kifah Mustapha
