As the title goes, three things in our lives are very important, to the extent that loosing them means loosing happiness from our lives. Having done some research, I have made the following conclusion:
Take CARE of three Before You LOSE three.
As they say curiosity kills the cat! Let’s move out of this illusion and talk business.
Have a look at the following ahadeeth:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two blessings which many people do not make the most of and thus lose out: good health and free time.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6412.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Make the most of five things before five others: life before death, health before sickness, free time before becoming busy, youth before old age, and wealth before poverty.” See Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1077.
Well,
They are more than three, but for today let’s look at the main three things:
HEALTH
MEMORY
KEEPING BUSY
***
HEALTH
Deny yourself of good health and sickness will overtake you. In today’s world, we would rather ignore our own health but save money for future use.
The same saved money will either be used to heal your sickness or be used by your offspring to treat your diseases, which you never had years back.
Islam teaches us moderation in every aspect of our lives. It never left spending behind but it modified it by saying, “Do not be a miser and Do not spend extravagantly”
That’s one of the rules of life: BE MODERATE.
We prefer Quantity to Quality. The coins in our hands are better for us than the immunity in our bodies. Rasul stresses Good health in many Ahadeeth.
A Quick Example:
Look at Any old person in your family and ponder over the following questions: What’s making them stay in bed? How much is spent just to keep them going? How many Meds do they use? Are they on life supporting devices?
If thats how we want to be then prepare yourself for the above.
We can’t deny the fact that sickness is beyond our control. Allah heals, but also we can’t be neglectful of the fact that each one of us is responsible for his/her own body.
Our bodies are Amanahs (trusts) given to us by the All-Mighty. We would be questioned regarding each part on the Day when our own eyes, hands, limbs, ears would either speak for us or against us. Allahul Mustaan!
Eat healthy, Stay Healthy.
One of the greatest practices that is good for health and will protect us from diseases is avoiding overeating, and not being extravagant and overindulging when it comes to food.
There are many ways to eat healthy, but the famous sunnah way is the THIRD STOMACH DIVISION. Ibnul Qayyim commented on this hadith when he said:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is one of the most beneficial practices in both physical and spiritual terms, because if the stomach is filled with food, there is no room for drink, then if that food is followed by drink, there will be no room for air, and he will become tired like one who carries a heavy load. This is in addition to what results from that of spiritual damage, as it will make one too lazy to do acts of worship, and it will stir up physical desires as a result of eating one’s fill. Therefore filling the stomach with food is harmful in both spiritual and physical terms.
End quote from Zaad al-Ma‘aad (4/17)
MEMORY
Have a look at old people, some have good memories in their 70s while others have lost their memories long before they reach 60.
Have you ever wondered why?
Well, a big percentage of the reasons goes back to GOOD HEALTH.
It is proven by Scientists that Reading and Listening to beneficial articles/lectures/books etc, increases the capacity of our brains day after day.
It’s either we fill our brains with crap or important beneficial knowledge. The decision is yours.
Seeing how Qur’an stresses on the words “IQRAA, FAQRAU etc” READ in many Ayaats and LISTEN “FASTAMIU” and “ANSWITU” proves the importance of filling our brains with beneficial knowledge.
It is only with beneficial knowledge and creating the tendency in our lives to read and keep reading, will we attain good memories in old age biidnillah.
Look at the Western countries, look at how their youths are used to reading and also look at their old people, and see how an 80 years old granny is busy with reading a novel, a book, a spiritual book etc.What benefits do they get? It is Good Memory!
KEEPING BUSY
Learn to utilize your free time by being busy and productive.
Everyone gets free time even at work.We get those 10 minutes breaks even in school and Madrassas. Even at home, a traffic jam, etc. So it’s something that we all have and we may not even realize, that we have free time and are still misusing it.
So, there’s nothing like “I have no free time.” This is a baseless claim!
If time is so important, then the Muslim should not have any free time, for he should be going from one act of worship and obedience to another. If he cannot spend all his time going from one act of obedience and worship to another then, he may spend some of his time in permissible pursuits, in which he should ensure that his intention is correct, so that he may earn reward thereby, as Mu’aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I get up and I sleep, and I hope for the same when I sleep as I hope for when I get up.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6923; Muslim, 1854.
It’s either you work for your free time with worldly gains by learning a new technique to be used in life, like learning how a new software works, or even baking, cleaning, family get togethers. And even sewing and learning how to do makeup OR Hereafter gains by simply moving your lips saying Istighfar or Tasbih etc, and listening to the Quraan and islamic reminders.
How many of us don’t know the basic techniques of life? Learning about simple First Aid could save a life. Learning how to repair a broken pipe could save you some money. Learning how to do DIYs could make your life simpler,easier and cheaper. Why wait for a plumber? Unless it’s a huge task. Why wait for a phone repairer when you can easily learn it via Youtube?
All these are neglected activities that we intend to ignore and think: Why trouble myself? Why don’t I just sleep?
A practical example, look at the famous scholars like Ibn Baz, Ibn Uthaymeen, Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan , look at Rasul himself. Didn’t they grow old? How were their memories, their health? How did they live their lives?
And then, look at those who neglected and didn’t care. Look at those who lost their memories, how are they living their lives?
Keeping yourself busy means keeping your body healthy,energetic, and exercised.And avoiding obesity and boosting your memory by learning new things everyday.
Think about it! It’s your life, your body, and your mind. Thus it’s your choice to either make a CHANGE or not!
Keeping busy makes both the body healthy and mind strong.
These three things go hand in hand, so take CARE of three before you LOSE three.
May Allah grant us beneficial knowledge, strong memories, good health, and make us able to utilize our free time. Ameen.
Written by: Sr. Amatullah B.M.
TEAM IR
©