Man Ages, but his Two Desires remain Young (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

Age and desires of a man are two opposite directional forces. While a man ages, his physical energies tend to fade and he often laments how sporty he once was when he was young. Likewise, his desire to be wealthier that yesterday also clings to his mindset, despite having much. In fact, as man ages, his lust or desire for more should diminish for he cannot eat and drink as he once used to or accelerate his car crossing all barriers or teasing the policemen.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once talked about two desires of man that remain young even, one physical and one mental. Let us see which ae these two desires:

This Hadith is mentioned Jami` at-Tirmidhi  (36 - Chapters on Chapters on Zuhd) كتاب  المناقب عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم / Chapter # 28 What Has Been Related About: 'The Heart of an Old Man Remains Young Because of Love for Two Things' /  باب   مَا جَاءَ فِي قَلْبُ الشَّيْخِ شَابٌّ عَلَى حُبِّ اثْنَتَيْنِ ) as Hadith number # 2339

Anas bin Malik narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "The Son of Adan grows old, but two things keep him young: Desire for life and desire for wealth."

Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

Arabic Text:

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَهْرَمُ ابْنُ آدَمَ وَيَشِبُّ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَانِ الْحِرْصُ عَلَى الْعُمُرِ وَالْحِرْصُ عَلَى الْمَالِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏

And how true has been the observation of the revered Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Nothing has changed since his times. If we look around, older people do not want to dies, despite knowing that death would get them even if they live another hundred years. Likewise, they want to remain young with a lot of wealth so that they continue to enjoy their lives till the very end.

Since both wishes, though remain young, are unattainable, as one ages, one should steer his course of life to remembering Allah more, repenting for his weaknesses and sins once committed in the playful youth, and seeking Divine forgiveness, for no one never knows when the angel of death will appear to bring an end to all desires. Instead of longing to amass worldly wealth one should now start to build up his goodly wealth by giving to charities, helping people and being good to everyone around. These acts will open a bank account for life after Resurrection, which will continue to swell if one increases his prayers and help others. Time is now to harness these desires from pricking us and remaining young and instead start preparing for our next life with good deeds and seeking as much forgiveness as we can, for these will add to our real wealth that would to an extent balance out our good deeds in our favour after trading with our sins.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo | Source of Hadith

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Posted in: Desires,Hadith,Old Age