(Translated from Urdu by me so I ask for forgiveness for any unintended errors)
Rasool Allah SAW (Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) once said, "Hurry to do good deeds before seven things come," and then mentioned these seven things in a different manner:
1. ARE YOU WAITING FOR POVERTY?
What it means is that if we are financially well off, we have no worries about money, and we are living a comfortable life, and still we are not engaging in good deeds, then (God forbid) are we waiting for that time when we will become poor and then we will engage in good deeds? What Rasool Allah SAW is pointing out is that generally when people develop financial problems then they become so preoccupied with them that they are even less likely to engage in virtuous activities. So don't wait for poverty to come, start doing virtuous activities while you are still living comfortably.
2. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME RICH?
Are you waiting that now that you are not well off, or even if you are well off you are waiting to become even richer and then you want to start doing good deeds? Remember that sometimes when people become very rich they think even less about Allah SWT and get involved in all sorts of activities they couldn't do before. So don't wait for that time and start doing whatever good deeds you can do today.
3. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME SICK?
If you are healthy now and have no illnesses but are not engaging in good deeds are you then waiting to become sick before you will engage in good deeds? Generally people find it much easier to do good deeds when they are healthy and much more difficult to do so when they become sick. So don't wait to become sick before you start doing good deeds.
4. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME OLD?
Are you not engaging in good deeds because you are still thinking that you are too young to become pious, are you thinking that you will have a bit more fun and enjoyment in life, and that you will turn towards prayers when you are a bit older? What Rasool Allah SAW is hinting at is how do you know that when you are older your senses won't go away and you would be able to do things that you may want to do? That is why one should start engaging in good deeds before old age comes.
The other thing is that Thawab (reward for virtues) is dependent upon ability to commit a sin and then staying away from it. The highest degree of reward is received when someone is young, has all the opportunity to commit a sin, has a desire to commit a sin, and then stays away from it because Allah SWT has said so. In old age slowly and gradually one loses capacity and ability to commit sins. When the senses start going then there isn't even a desire to commit a sin. If one doesn't commit a sin then there is no thawab in it as the person has to make no effort or offer any resistance to stay away from a sin. It is the Sunnah of the prophets to abstain from sins when young. This is what Rasool Allah SAW is saying that the best time to do good deeds and abstaining from sins is when you are young. Don't wait to get old before you will turn towards good deeds. How do you know you will live long enough to get old, or even if you do live long enough you will get the opportunity to turn towards good deeds?
5. ARE YOU WAITING FOR DEATH?
Rasool Allah SAW is asking that if you are not engaging in good deeds when you are alive, are you then waiting for death before you will engage in good deeds? We all know we are going to die some day but none of us knows when we are going to die. Sometimes death comes after a warning like severe illness or a serious accident that a person survives for a period of time. But we see all the time that death comes suddenly and completely unexpectedly to people without any warning. There are so many accidents every day and there are so many illnesses that can cause sudden death that none of us know whether we will get any warning at all or whether we will just drop dead suddenly. That is why Rasool Allah SAW is warning that we should start engaging in good deeds immediately while we still have the chance, because once death comes our opportunity of doing good deeds will be gone for ever.
6. ARE YOU WAITING FOR DAJJAL?
Are you thinking that the time is not suitable for good deeds now and will be more suitable once Dajjal has come? The time of Dajjal will be a time of Fitnah (general disturbance). Who knows what sources of misdirection and going astray would there be then and what sort of misdeeds people may get into then. That is why Rasool Allah SAW is saying start engaging in good deeds before that trying time comes.
7. ARE YOU WAITING FOR QIYAMAH (THE DAY OF JUDGMENT)?
Rasool Allah SAW has said that when Qiyamah has come it will be time of so much distress and worry that there will be no opportunity to do any good deeds. Therefore, engage in good deeds before that time has come.
The summary of the whole hadith is that the best time to engage in good deeds is now. If you get an intention of doing a good deed don't postpone it for tomorrow. Who knows what sort of condition a person is going to be in tomorrow or whether they would even be alive or not. That is why if you get a desire to do something good do it immediately.
Rasool Allah SAW (Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) once said, "Hurry to do good deeds before seven things come," and then mentioned these seven things in a different manner:
1. ARE YOU WAITING FOR POVERTY?
What it means is that if we are financially well off, we have no worries about money, and we are living a comfortable life, and still we are not engaging in good deeds, then (God forbid) are we waiting for that time when we will become poor and then we will engage in good deeds? What Rasool Allah SAW is pointing out is that generally when people develop financial problems then they become so preoccupied with them that they are even less likely to engage in virtuous activities. So don't wait for poverty to come, start doing virtuous activities while you are still living comfortably.
2. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME RICH?
Are you waiting that now that you are not well off, or even if you are well off you are waiting to become even richer and then you want to start doing good deeds? Remember that sometimes when people become very rich they think even less about Allah SWT and get involved in all sorts of activities they couldn't do before. So don't wait for that time and start doing whatever good deeds you can do today.
3. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME SICK?
If you are healthy now and have no illnesses but are not engaging in good deeds are you then waiting to become sick before you will engage in good deeds? Generally people find it much easier to do good deeds when they are healthy and much more difficult to do so when they become sick. So don't wait to become sick before you start doing good deeds.
4. ARE YOU WAITING TO BECOME OLD?
Are you not engaging in good deeds because you are still thinking that you are too young to become pious, are you thinking that you will have a bit more fun and enjoyment in life, and that you will turn towards prayers when you are a bit older? What Rasool Allah SAW is hinting at is how do you know that when you are older your senses won't go away and you would be able to do things that you may want to do? That is why one should start engaging in good deeds before old age comes.
The other thing is that Thawab (reward for virtues) is dependent upon ability to commit a sin and then staying away from it. The highest degree of reward is received when someone is young, has all the opportunity to commit a sin, has a desire to commit a sin, and then stays away from it because Allah SWT has said so. In old age slowly and gradually one loses capacity and ability to commit sins. When the senses start going then there isn't even a desire to commit a sin. If one doesn't commit a sin then there is no thawab in it as the person has to make no effort or offer any resistance to stay away from a sin. It is the Sunnah of the prophets to abstain from sins when young. This is what Rasool Allah SAW is saying that the best time to do good deeds and abstaining from sins is when you are young. Don't wait to get old before you will turn towards good deeds. How do you know you will live long enough to get old, or even if you do live long enough you will get the opportunity to turn towards good deeds?
5. ARE YOU WAITING FOR DEATH?
Rasool Allah SAW is asking that if you are not engaging in good deeds when you are alive, are you then waiting for death before you will engage in good deeds? We all know we are going to die some day but none of us knows when we are going to die. Sometimes death comes after a warning like severe illness or a serious accident that a person survives for a period of time. But we see all the time that death comes suddenly and completely unexpectedly to people without any warning. There are so many accidents every day and there are so many illnesses that can cause sudden death that none of us know whether we will get any warning at all or whether we will just drop dead suddenly. That is why Rasool Allah SAW is warning that we should start engaging in good deeds immediately while we still have the chance, because once death comes our opportunity of doing good deeds will be gone for ever.
6. ARE YOU WAITING FOR DAJJAL?
Are you thinking that the time is not suitable for good deeds now and will be more suitable once Dajjal has come? The time of Dajjal will be a time of Fitnah (general disturbance). Who knows what sources of misdirection and going astray would there be then and what sort of misdeeds people may get into then. That is why Rasool Allah SAW is saying start engaging in good deeds before that trying time comes.
7. ARE YOU WAITING FOR QIYAMAH (THE DAY OF JUDGMENT)?
Rasool Allah SAW has said that when Qiyamah has come it will be time of so much distress and worry that there will be no opportunity to do any good deeds. Therefore, engage in good deeds before that time has come.
The summary of the whole hadith is that the best time to engage in good deeds is now. If you get an intention of doing a good deed don't postpone it for tomorrow. Who knows what sort of condition a person is going to be in tomorrow or whether they would even be alive or not. That is why if you get a desire to do something good do it immediately.
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