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The prophet (PBUH) once said "I have been blessed with concise speech." Therefore, when we look at the Ahadeeth, we find that they are indeed filled with deeper meanings and incredible wisdom. The Hadith might be succinct, but the blessings and meanings that can be derived from them are immeasurable. Of these sayings and teachings of the prophet is the following Hadith, reported in the mustadrak of Al-Haakim, musnad Imam Ahmad, and others with an authentic chain of narration. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man while he was advising him: "'Ightanam" (or Take Advantage) of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; 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." However, this translation misses a key emphasis that occurs in the original version, and that is the word "ightanam." According to sheikh Yasir Birjas, this word comes from the same root word, ghanam, that signifies sheep. So what exactly is the meaning of ightanam? Ightanam is used to indicate any good can be obtained without much effort. For example, A flock of sheep can easily be corralled if they go astray. The booty on the battlefield is called ghaneemah, because after the opposing army flees, it is easy to take. So this indicates that the Prophet (PBUH) wants us to know that these five matters are very easy to obtain, and easy to benefit from. That is because they are treasures that everyone possesses, but few people appreciate. Now lets look at these five things a little deeper: 1. Take Advantage of Your Youth before Your Old Age: The First matter is " Take Advantage of Your Youth before Your Old Age" To look at this saying in more depth, we first need to define a few key elements. First off, what constitutes Youth in this statement? Youth in Islamic Sharia is not the age of 18 or 19, as it is routinely characterized in the US. In fact, this is the early stages of youth-hood for many of us, because forty is considered the end of our youth years. Centuries of scientific evidence backs up this number. For example, Dr. George Bartzokis, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA studied mylein sheath decomposition in adults, and found that mid life, or "around age 40" is when this breakdown starts to have negative motor and cognitive effects on the body. Basically, his research confirms that the beginning of old age is at age 40. The prophet is cautioning his Sahabah to take advantage of the time in which they have the energy to plan their future, because there will come a time when this energy and zeal is no longer available. This is a treasure and blessing from Allah (SWT) that will never again be given to you. So take advantage of it! Or as you've undoubtedly heard, Seize the moment before its to late to do so. Not only is there a caution for taking advantage of the youth, there is also the greatest of rewards for those that do. The Prophet (PBUH) 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 (SWT)" (Sahih Buhkari/Sahih Muslim)

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One of the seven people, the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned was a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah (SWT). Now who here does not wish for this to be true? Who here does not want to be in the Shade of Allah on the day when humans swim in sweat? The Prophet (PBUH) said in an authentic hadith that Allah (SWT) is pleased with and amazed at the youth who does not have any evil inclinations. This means he does not do evil. Allah (SWT) 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 (SWT). 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." Health is a blessing which we almost always take for granted. This is a blessing that we seldom think about in our day-to-day lives, but which is unparalleled in determining our productivity from day-to-day. When we thinks of our health, the immediate memories that come to mind are times when we've fallen ill, or had difficulty with our health and well-being. That is because we have all been blessed with good health w'alhamdulliah. The prophet PBUH said: "There are two blessings the majority of mankind have been deceived concerning." (or the Majority of mankind do not appreciate these two blessings). They are "good health," and "free time." (Sahih Bukhari) 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 blessings, yet you are complaining of poverty?" We have our full faculties, we have been blessed with eyesight, hearing, health, arms, limbs, energy, vitality, enthusiasm, and many other things. Should we not appreciate the blessing from Allah (SWT)? Do we not realize how sweet health is? When we are blessed with these bodies, why do we not use them in the worship of Allah? This is the second of five matters: "your health before you fall sick" 3. Take Advantage of your wealth Before Poverty The third matter is "your wealth, before poverty." Taking this wisdom literally would make us sound more like Business School professors. For example, one could use this adage to introduce the process of risk taking in stocks.

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Now, in this dunyah, investments for the Muslim and for the non-Muslims are the same. Even the prophet (PBUH) would store staple food items even up to a year. So this is obviously something halaal as the prophet (PBUH) himself did it, and we should do it as well. I know this does not necessarily apply today, but in the future, we should make sure we have enough money for our family and our children and ourselves. There is no doubt that this is part of our Shari'a as well.

However, let's ponder the following story: A famous Sheikh once visited the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, the caliph asked him if he wanted anything. The Sheikh said that he only desired a simple cup of water. When the cup of water was given to the sheikh he asked the Caliph, "what would you give if no water was available to you and you are forced to trade for this one cup of water?" Harun al-Rashid replied, "I most certainly would give at the very least half of my kingdom" The Sheikh then said, "and what would you give if you were not able to release the waste of that water from your body unless you traded something for it?" The Caliph said, "I would certainly give the other half of my kingdom" The Sheikh smiled and told the Caliph, "It is Allah that controls both these things, so what is the worth of all your kingdom if it can be so easily traded for a simple cup of water". Thus, while we are doing this, we should always remember that the Akhirah far outweighs any gains we make in this life. Should we not think about investing our money for our hereafter, by giving charity to the needy and seeking nothing other than the reward from Allah (SWT)? The return on one's investment with Allah is endless. Take for example the following verse from the Qu'ran: "The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: and Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things." (Al Baqara, ayah 261) This ayah parallels giving charity to an investment that returns 700 or more times its initial principle. This is obviously unheard of even in a ponzi investment, and the returns can come either in this life or the hereafter (or both). An important note here is that this investment is for the sake of Allah alone, and not for the sake of looking good in front of others. So that is the third matter, "Your wealth before Poverty" 4. Take Advantage of your Free Time Before You Become Busy The fourth matter is "take advantage of your free time before you become busy." This one is especially important for us today. Lets face it, we have plenty of free time, but it is slowly slipping away from us. We still have hours of free time every day, but where is this free time going into? Facebook? Maybe Twitter? Watching sports for hours upon hours? Do these have any benefit to our daily lives? Do they help us achieve our religious or scholastic goals? Remember the hadith of the prophet (PBUH) about the two blessings most people have been deceived by? People don't realize their blessings of health and free time. I will be the first to admit that I do not spend my

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free time wisely, and we need to change this aspect of our lives. So what should we be spending our free time doing? This free time does not have to be devoted to worshipping Allah for it to be beneficial for your Akhirah. For example, we can devote more time to perfecting our class work. Help out your peers, as well as those less fortunate than you. Learn something that will benefit society. Let us remember that Islam is a way of life, and that everything you do can have ajr attached to it, as long as it is done in the correct intention. Now, what about religious acts that we can do with this free time? We can take the time to memorize a few verses of the Qu'ran. Or brush up on verses you memorized earlier on in your life. Come to the ISSU's spiritual events like Qi'yam and the trip to the Cemetery. How about gaining knowledge for the sake of Allah (SWT)? One of the greatest acts of worship is to seek knowledge. Borrow a book from the musallah and learn some new Ahadeeth, or listen to lectures by famous scholars on YouTube. Do whatever you can to increase your ilm. This is an act you can do that will fill up your free time and be extremely worthwhile, for this life and for the hereafter. This is the fourth of the five matters: "take advantage of your free time before you become busy."

We have now discussed the first four matters from the following hadith: " Take Advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; 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." So we have the final matter left to discuss: "Take Advantage of your Life Before Your Death"

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5. Take Advantage of your Life Before Your Death This matter summarizes it all: Every one of us has a life and is currently living in it. And every one of us without a doubt will die. Allah (SWT) says: " Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life)" (Ali-Imran, verse 185) So if attaining paradise is the true goal of life on earth, then why shouldnt we put forth all of our effort into achieving that goal? The Caliphate Sulayman ibn Abdil Malik once asked Aba Hazem "What is the matter with us since we hate death and love life?" Aba Hazem answered: "because you destroyed your akhirah, and have 'amartum' or 'majestically built' on your dunya-current life, so you hate moving from your buildings to your destructions." Let us ponder this quote for a moment. Have we ever thought about life in that way? If we were to die today, would we be travelling from a first world country to a third world country? What would be the end result of us dying in majestic riches if the real objective was forgotten? There are no social stratifications in Jannah for the rich and the poor, there is only the parameter of the steadfast mu'min vs. those who strayed way from the path. The historian Asmaiy relates the following anecdote: One day the Caliph Harun al-Rashid gave a feast in a magnificently decorated hall. During the feast he sent for the poet Abu'l Atahiyah, and commanded him to depict in verse the gorgeous scene. The poet began: "Live, O' Caliph, in the fulfilment of all your wishes, in the shelter of your lofty palace!" "Very good!" exclaimed Rashid. "Let us hear the rest." The poet continued: "Each morn and eve be all your servitors swift to execute your behests!" "Excellent!" said the Caliph. "Go on!" The poet replied: "But when the death-rattle chokes your breath you will learn, alas! that all your delights were a shadow." Rashid burst into tears. Fazl, the son of Yahya (Haroun's Vizier), seeing this, said to the poet: "The Caliph sent for you to divert him, and you have plunged him into melancholy." "Let him be," said Rashid; "He saw us in a state of blindness, and tried to open our eyes." Not that we are in a state of blindness, but we should think about the future. Think long-term outcomes

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instead of short term benefits. There is no reason why we shouldn't be able to live comfortably in our lifetimes. But that doesn't mean we should do so in a way that will destroy our akhirah. These are the five things that the prophet (PBUH) told the companion to do. He advised 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 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 (SWT) and then expects the best from Allah. The wise one is one who tries to arrive at the goal and then has faith in Allah. This 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 (SWT) will reward him. We ask that Allah (SWT) 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 (PBUH) mentioned.

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