one's own body. As the years go by, the body, the most precious
possession a human being has, goes through an irreversible process of
destruction. Thechanges a human being experiences throughout his life
are recounted in the Qur'an as follows:
It is Allah Who created you in a state of (helpless) weakness, then
gave (you) strengthafter weakness, then, after strength, gave (you)
weakness and a hoary head: He creates as He wills, and it is He who
has all knowledge and power. (Surat ar-Rum: 54)
The later years of life are the times most neglected in the future
plans of an adult, except in the anxious process of saving for old-age
pensions. Indeed, being too close to death, people usually develop a
hesitant approach to this period. When someone tries to talk about old
age, others feel concerned and attempt to change this"unpleasant"
topic as soonas possible. The routine of daily life is also a good way
of escaping from the thought of these potentially miserable years of
life. So, it is postponed until the day one inevitably meets it.
Nodoubt, the main reason forsuch avoidance is the assumption that one
has endless time until death comes upon one. This common misconception
is described in the Qur'an:
Nay, We gave the good things of this life to these men and their
fathers until life grew long for them. (Surat al-Anbiya: 44)
This mistaken idea often leads to great grief. That issimply because,
no matter how old one is, the only real possessions remainingfrom
one's past are dimly-recalled memories. One barely remembers
childhood. It is even hard to recall exactly what happened during the
last decade. The greatest ambitions of a young man,important
decisions, and the goals to which he is most committed, all lose their
significance once they are experienced and done. That is why to tell
a"long" life story is a vain endeavour.
Whether a teenager or an adult, this should prompt man to make an
important decision about his life. For instance, if you are forty and
expect to live until your mid-sixties – and of that you have no
guarantee – those remaining twenty-five years will surely pass as
quickly as the preceding forty years. The same holds true even if your
life is prolonged a great deal, since the remaining thirty or forty
years will, likewise, pass before you even notice. This is, surely, a
perpetual reminder of the true nature of this world. One day every
living soul on this earth will leave this world and there is no
return.
Hence, man should set aside his prejudices and bemore realistic about
his life. Time passes very quickly and each day brings on further
physical weakness and more impaired thinking rather than fresher
dynamism and a younger figure. In brief, growing old is a
manifestation of man's inability to control his own body, life and
destiny. Time's adverse effects on the body become visible during this
period. Allah informs us about this in the followingverse:
It is Allah Who creates you and takes your soulsat death; and of you
there are some who are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know
nothing after having known (much): for Allah is All-Knowing,
All-Powerful. (Surat an-Nahl: 70)
In medicine, advanced old age is also called "the second childhood".
Hence, during this latter stage of life, elderly people just
likechildren need care, since their bodily and mental functions go
through certain alterations.
As one grows older, physical and spiritual characteristics pertaining
to childhood become more apparent. Elderly people fail to do many
tasks requiring physical strength. Changes in judgement, impaired
thinking, difficulties in walking, maintaining balance and speech,
impediments, memory impairment and gradual memory loss, and changesin
mood or behaviour are only a few symptoms of diseases commonly seen in
old age.
In short, after a certain period, people often regress to a state of
childish dependency both physically and mentally.
Life both begins and ends in an infant-like state. Thisis evidently
not a random process. It is possible that man could remain young until
he dies. Yet Allah reminds man about the temporary nature of this
world by making the quality of his life deteriorate at certain stages
of life. This process serves as a clear reminder that life is slipping
away. Allah explains this matter in the verse below:
O mankind! If you have doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that
We created you out of dust, then out of a drop, then out of a
leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and
partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (Our power) to you; and
We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term,
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