The Apostle of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), while admonishing a person, said, “You should take advantage of five things before the other five; of your young age before your old age, your health before your illness, your prosperity before your poverty, your leisure before your engagement and your life before your death.”
(Mishkat)
The Holy Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) knew the very pulse of life; that is why he has taught the humanity even about the value of human life and about how best it can be availed of. In this hadith he enjoins the believers to take care and make better use of five of Allah’s blessings bestowed upon man. While young, man should work harder and harder, for in the old age he may not be able to do anything despite his wishes.
Health is another blessing of Allah. So while he enjoys health, man should devote himself fully to the preparation of the next world lest he should fall ill and be deprived of doing anything good and great.
The state of prosperity is also a blessing. When man spends his life in prosperity, he should spend his wealth in the Way of Allah – on feeding and clothing his wife and children and other dependants beside himself, on fulfilling the rights of his relations, neighbours, passers-by and the needy, and also on implementing the commandments of Allah; lest he should become poor and find himself unable to spend in His Way.