Secrets To Staying Young

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

There are only two secrets to staying young--being happy and achieving success.

Being happy has nothing to do with having worldly things. Happiness is a sweetness that Allah Almighty places in people's heart. Happiness comes about when you have a purpose in life. And that purpose is closeness to Allah. Seek the good in this life. By that it means seek those things which facilitates for us the eternal good of the next life.

Achieving success: Only Allah Almighty gives success. So to achieve success, you have to do what Allah wants, not what you want. Our guide is the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Qur'an is the key to success but very few people understand this. Qur'an gives us purpose, strength and guidance to lead our lives on this earth according to what our Creator wants. What the Creator wants us to do is for our own benefit. Those who are upon the guidance from the Lord are the successful ones.

Allah says,

الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٥

Alif, Lam, Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2) Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, (3) And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. (4) Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful. (5)

[Qur'an 2:1-5]

Everybody think that they have a life because they are busy doing things but we have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it. There is a big difference between the living and the dead--the one who remembers Allah and the one who does not.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

The difference between the one who makes dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the one who doesn't make dhikr is like the difference between the living and the dead.

[Bukhari]

It is mandatory that we grow older.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Allah has not created a disease except that He has created a cure for it; except for a single disease: old age.

[Tirmidhi]

But growing up is optional.

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 20 and lie in bed for a full year and don't pray and don't fast and don't take care of your obligations, you will turn 21. If you are 80 and lie in bed for a full year and never pray and never fast and neglect your responsibilities, you will turn 81.

The idea of growing up is by always finding the opportunity to change and transform. Yet, people are afraid of change. They don't want to grow up. But everything will change eventually. It always does, even if things aren't changing. Our children change--just yesterday, it seems, they were this bundle of joy from the hospital, and now we are holding their bundle of joy. We, eventually will turn back into dust in our graves. That's the way life goes. But believers know they will one day be brought before Allah to be judged about everything they did in this life and every single action will be displayed to them.

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٨

That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds. (6) So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, (7) And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. (8)

[Qur'an Al-Zalzala/The Earthquake 99:6-8]

You always pound on the door of opportunity that Allah opens for you and you always look for every opportunity to please Allah. Don't be afraid of living Islam, which could be a complete change for you, but Islam does not come to take your freedom away but to shine your life and put light on your face.

So we have to make the choice--to change or not to change. If things aren't working for you, change. We need to put the religion into action. The old people usually don't have regrets for what they did, but rather they regret for things they did not do. So, don't wait till you are 81 to repent, pray, fast, go to hajj and so on. You might not live to that age.

Seize the moment. Take advantage of the five before five. Take advantage of the five before five. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death.

[Hakim]

Stay young and follow the straight path.

May Allah grant us good health and righteous deeds and make us die in La ilaha illa Allah إله إلا الله‎,لا (there is no god except Allah). Ameen.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam