Sh.Kamal Elmekki

Take Advantage of Five Before Five

Brothers and sisters in Islam, today we're going to look at a hadith — a saying of the Prophet ﷺ — and it is one that is filled with gems and wisdoms and could be extended to many khutab or many classes. But it is also a hadith that is very appropriate for the summer. The advice in it is very appropriate, and a lot of it relates to how we will spend our summers. And that is the famous hadith of take advantage of five before five.

(Shu'ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi, Hadith 10248; also reported in al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim, Hadith 7846)

Take advantage of your youth before you become older. And your health before you become ill. And take advantage of your wealth before you become poor — meaning lest you become poor. And your free time before you become busy. And take advantage of your life — meaning invest in your life properly — before your death comes.

So these are the five pieces of advice, and the Prophet ﷺ is saying take advantage of these five blessings before they leave, before something else comes and gets in the way and you can't take advantage of them anymore.

1. Your Youth Before Old Age

شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هَرَمِكَ — Take advantage of your youth before you become old. And the reason the youth is mentioned, the scholars say: الشَّبَابُ شُعْلَةٌ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ — that youth: their desires are high, their energy level is high, and if they can control all that energy and control all those desires and then put it to good use and put it in the obedience of Allah, then they will get an immense reward with Allah. And that's why you find in the hadith of the seven types of people who will be under the shade of the throne of Allah on the day when there is no shade except for that provided by Allah — one of them is:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 660; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

A young man who grew up — and of course that applies to women as well — who grew up in the obedience of Allah. So they could have used their youth and that energy and those desires in the wrong place, but they put it in the right place and they curbed it for the sake of Allah. And just for doing that, Allah puts them with the seven — or six other great categories of people. Why? Because they used their youth in the obedience of Allah.

So use your youth in obedience to Allah before you become old. And today this is a matter that has become reversed so much. When you use your youth in obedience to Allah, it's like you're recognizing and acknowledging that all your life is for Allah. Your youth and your old age is for Allah. Whereas many people think their youth is when they enjoy themselves and have fun — and this and that — and then when they become old, they come and line up and fill the masajid.

The Example of Abdullah ibn Umar

Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما was a young man, and he used to sleep in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ. He said: whenever someone saw a dream, they would come after Fajr and tell it to the Prophet ﷺ, and he would interpret the dream. He said: I used to wish that I would see some kind of dream. And then one day I saw a ru'ya — that two angels came and they took me, and I saw the Hellfire. And it was like a well with built-up walls. And I looked inside it and I saw people that I recognized. So I said:

And the angels told him: لَنْ تُرَاعَ، لَنْ تُرَاعَ — not to experience fear. So he said: I then waited and I wanted to tell the dream to the Prophet ﷺ, but there were a lot of people and I'm young. So I went to my sister Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, and I told her the dream. And I said: when the Prophet ﷺ comes, get the interpretation for me. And when Hafsa told him the dream, he responded with just a few words:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1122; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2479)

"What an excellent man Abdullah would be, if only he prayed late at night." So he just told him these few words, and it changed his life. He was a young man when this dream happened. And he lived to the age of 100. And he became old, and he became blind at that age. And he continued to pray the night until the age of 100 years, since the time of that dream.

The point is that they didn't wait until they were old before they started to practice and worship Allah better. But they started at a young age. It's the opposite of what we think. When he became an old man, it became difficult for him — every two rak'at he would get sleepy, and he would wash his face. So we see the advice of the hadith: youth, that's when you worship Allah. It's harder when you become older.

The Example of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

Another example of how it becomes harder when you become older is that of the great scholar and companion, Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As. He used to fast a lot. So the Prophet ﷺ is actually negotiating with him how much to fast. And he tells him: fast Mondays and Thursdays. He says: I can do more. Fast this much. He says: I can do more. Until they got to the maximum, which is fasting every other day — which is the fast of Nabi Allah Dawud, and it is the most beloved fast to Allah. So every other day is what he's going to do. And he's a young man when they negotiate this.

And then when he gets old, he says: I wish I had taken the advice of the Prophet ﷺ. It would have been easier for me to take it easy. Now that I'm old, it's difficult. But he says: I'm not going to break a deal that I made with the Prophet ﷺ when he was alive. So he remained upon that until his death.

But the idea is that you use your health, you use your youth in the obedience of Allah. And it's not as we understand it today — wait until you become an old man, then you do Hajj, then you make tawbah, then you're a regular in the masjid.

2. Your Health Before Illness

وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ — And your health before you become ill. In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ says:

Two blessings from Allah that many people — مَغْبُونٌ — you're in loss, or you're not using them properly. You're almost cheated out of them. So two blessings most people don't use wisely. Most people are in loss when it comes to that. And the Prophet ﷺ said: الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ — health and free time. Your health and your free time.

And we all know that your health is priceless. There is not an amount of money in the world that you would exchange for your good health. But the idea is: how will you utilize and use your good health? Will you use it in the qiyam, in praying to Allah? Will you use it in siyam, fasting? Is it even ideas of going to Hajj during your youth? Or is it something you leave towards the very end of your life?

Remember in our Hajj group, there was an old man — and I was just expecting him to die any minute, from how extremely fatigued he was, and the way he was breathing very shallow breaths, even while asleep. And his daughter was the one who brought him, and she had to be in the women's tent, and there was nobody to take care of him. And sometimes it's not within your control. But the idea of delaying Hajj towards the end of your life — it's like it goes against taking advantage of your health before you become old.

And even the sadaqah that you give — as we know in the description in the hadith — the sadaqah that you give when you're healthy has more reward than when you're giving sadaqah as you're dying. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1419; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1032)

While you are healthy and covetous — meaning you're healthy and you want to increase your wealth and you want to make millions, but you're still giving charity. That one has more reward than when you're already wealthy, or the doctor has diagnosed you with a terminal illness and you know you can't use the money anymore. It's easier to give it at that point, but it's harder to give it when you're healthy and seeking richness.

3. Your Wealth Before Poverty

وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ — And your wealth before your poverty. And many people imagine that once they have money, there's no way they're going to become poor again. Even though we have many true stories — in our times and in the times of the early Muslims — where a person was extremely wealthy and then becomes poor.

The Story of al-Qadi Ibn Hubayrah

There is a story of a famous judge known in Islam — this is al-Qadi Abu Hubayrah, a known figure in Islamic history. He was a judge in Baghdad, and he tells his own story. He says: I moved to Baghdad as a young man and I wanted to seek knowledge. I rented a small room, and in the other part of the day I would work in the market. One third of my income I would send back to my father. One third would go to my rent. And the other third I used for myself — to eat and drink and so on.

Then work wasn't as available, and I started to have less and less money. Until there was a time for three months I did not pay the rent. And then the landlord came and banged on my door and said: this is not a charity. You have to pay the rent or you have to leave. I'll give you just a few days.

So for the first day he went out asking. And it was his norm to always stop at what is known as al-Kharaj — like a Dar al-Zakah — and he would always ask the guards there: do you need any employment? Almost every day he would go to them: do you need any employment? Because I know accounting, I know how to write as a secretary — do you need any help? And they would always tell him no.

So he says: I'm walking around the city, I can't find any work, any source of income. And I just kept walking until I didn't realize I had reached the outskirts of Baghdad. I sat down and rested against this house. And then I saw one of the doors was slightly open. And just being inquisitive, I pushed the door a little bit and I saw this old man on a bed. And the minute he saw me, he said: ta'ala — come. And I went to him. He says: Allah brought you to me. And at this moment I am actually dying. And I just, before I die, would love to just eat some grapes. I just want to eat some grapes.

So he said: I ran out to the nearest market, went to this person who sells grapes, and I said: give me a bunch of grapes. How much? The man said: two dirhams. Two silver coins. He said: I took off my thobe and I gave it to him as collateral. I said, I'll come back and pay you. He said: I ran to the old man and he started eating the grapes. He thanked me and started eating. He said: I haven't eaten in three days. And I'm watching him eat the grapes, wishing he would leave me one. The old man ate every single one of them.

Then he tells him: listen to me — I'm dying right now, and Allah brought you to me. Go to that corner in the house and dig. He said: I went and started digging and found a sack with gold dinars — gold coins — shining like the sun, he described it. Suddenly, from being the poorest person in Baghdad, I became one of the wealthiest people in Baghdad. And he says: when I die, that money is yours. But let me tell you the story behind the money.

He says: my brother and I used to be merchants and we used to travel to Sindh, and we'd bring merchandise and sell it. One day as we were coming back from a trip, I told my brother: let me hide our wealth in the mountain in case some bandits or highway robbers come and steal it. So I went to the mountain, took my money and my brother's money, and put it there, and I came back. And as soon as I started to fall asleep, a band of highway robbers came and they started attacking — killing people, stealing and robbing. In the commotion, I couldn't find my brother. Even when day broke, I couldn't find or see him anywhere. He says: that money — I kept it for 20 years. It's my brother's money. When I die, it is halal for you to take it and to use it.

Then the old man died. And he went out and found some Muslims to come help him wash and bury him. Then he went about his way — went and gave the man with the grapes a gold dinar. And there are 12 silver dirhams in a gold dinar. The man said: I want two dirhams. He said: I gave him a whole gold dinar.

And on the way back home he had to cross a river. There were boats for hire. He found this man with an old beat-up boat — old and tired. The man said: come and I'll take you across for just one dirham. Other people were charging a lot more. He said: I got on the boat with him, just me and him, and he's rowing me across the river. I looked at his situation and I felt bad for him and intended to give him some money. So the old man started to tell me his story.

I asked him: why so cheap? And how are you doing? And he told me: even this boat doesn't belong to me — it belongs to my father-in-law. I have children. We haven't eaten in so long, and so forth. But I wasn't always poor. I used to be rich. My brother and I used to travel to Sindh for business. And one day on the way back — may Allah not bless my brother — he made a deal with some highway robbers to come and steal my wealth. So when day broke I ran away. And I've been away from him and his robbers lest they find me and kill me.

As he was talking, he was certain that the money in his bag was this man's money. It was the exact same story. But before he could speak, the shaitan kept telling him: just give him some money and keep the rest. Give him a little bit of the money and keep the rest. You don't have to give him all of it. And he said: I was struggling with the shaitan for a while.

Then he admitted to him: your brother was not a thief. I just buried your brother. He kept your money for 20 years and never intended to cheat you. Those highway robbers were not with him or anything of that sort. So the man was incredibly pleased. And he tried to offer him some of the money, and he refused to take any of it. He said: this is an amanah — a trust. Take all your money back. And just excuse me — I paid one dinar for the man with the grapes on your brother's behalf. And he said: it is forgiven.

Then he went back to Baghdad. He had left in the morning as one of the poorest people in Baghdad, nearly returned as one of the richest, and now was from the poorest again — all in a matter of hours. On the way back home, the guards from al-Kharaj were calling and signaling to him. And they said: yesterday one of the accountants died and we've been looking for you all morning. So they gave him an advance to buy some good clothing, he paid the rent, started working there, and started making money.

And that is just some of the story of the known and famous qadi, Judge Ibn Hubayrah. But the point of the story is that it's just an example of many where people are rich and they become poor. So the Prophet ﷺ is saying: take advantage of your wealth before you become poor. Give sadaqah before you become poor. Do things — endowment and sadaqah jariyah, all kinds of benefit — before you become poor, because it has happened where people become poor.

4. Your Free Time Before You Become Busy

وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغْلِكَ — And your free time before you become busy. And in this summer, our youth have their free time. And in our culture generally, when there's free time, you try to kill time. But you are composed of time. Your life is composed of days that are composed of hours that are composed of minutes. So when you kill time, you're killing yourself. When you waste time, you're wasting your life.

And the idea of wasting time is one that a lot of our youth have not truly grasped yet. One of them can sit and play video games until Fajr comes. Some of them play games until the game says turn me off. Some of these games are programmed to say: turn me off. I mean, what a shame — until the game says "enough already." And missing salawat and missing opportunity for benefit: to memorize, to learn Quran, to learn another language, to learn a skill. All this just being wasted.

So in this summer, for the young people in the audience, make sure you benefit from your time. You learn a new skill. You learn from new books. You learn something new about your religion. You learn a new surah. You memorize a new surah. You learn what it's saying, what Allah wants from you. Develop a new skill. Learn anything — plumbing, woodworking, electrical work. Learn something. Have skills. Read books. Don't waste your free time.

Because there will be — no matter what you do in life — a time when you're so busy you won't have free time anymore. You will have a regular job. You will have a family. You will have children. You will not have a free moment to advance or to improve yourself. So take advantage of your free time now.

Ask Allah for His forgiveness. Indeed, those who ask for His forgiveness shall prosper.

5. Your Life Before Your Death

Then the fifth that we're supposed to take advantage of before something else comes along — وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ — and your life before your death. Because Allah gave you this life so you can invest in it and take advantage of it. As Uthman رضي الله عنه, the third khalifah, said in one of his khutab:

Indeed, Allah has given you this dunya so you can use it to win the akhirah. Allah gave you this world and this life so you can use it to get the best out of the next life. That's why Allah put you here. So your life — investing it in the hereafter, investing it in the next life — and that is an investment that makes a lot of sense.

Because if you consider — even if you live the longest life on this earth in this generation or in this era — you will live to what? 75 years? How few are the ones who make it to 100 or over 90? So if you live to 80 years, whatever you do in 80 years determines where you go for all eternity. Can you see anything that's comparable to this? What you do in 80 years determines what happens to you for all eternity. Then what a waste it would be — to not take advantage, to not invest this life properly for the hereafter.

And we're in a day and age where everyone — even the 12-year-olds amongst us — are talking about Bitcoin and crypto and investing in stocks, and everyone is talking about the richest people. Ask any of these 8-year-olds in the masjid who is the richest man, and they will name names. They're all in tune with wealth and money and investing and billionaires. But this — this is the investment. This is the first investment that we teach them. What you do in this world determines where you go in the next for all eternity — not for an equal 80 years or what have you.

Du'a

So with that we ask Allah to make us of those who recognize the truth as clear truth and follow the best of it. And to make us of those who recognize falsehood as clear falsehood and abstain from it.

O Allah, show us the truth as the truth and grant us to follow it. And show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us to abstain from it. O Allah, don't make this world our biggest concern, nor the limit of our knowledge, nor our fate in Hell. O Allah, make this nation one in which the people of Your obedience are honored, and in which the people of Your disobedience are guided, and in which good is commanded and evil is forbidden. Hear this supplication. And may Allah send His blessings upon the Prophet who was sent as a mercy to the worlds, and upon his family and companions. And stand up for your prayer. All praise is due to Allah.