Some of the greatest words of wisdom that I have come across are that “you will age anyway”. Five years from now, you would be five years older if Allāh wills. You could be five years older with a complete hifdh of the Qur’ān, five years older with a memory of 100 ahādīth, five years older with a proper understanding of the principles of Islām, or five years older with the same mediocre portion of knowledge that you have now. And if Allāh wills that you don’t live that long, it is still undoubtedly better to die on the path with a memory of ten Juz than with two or none at all.
Sure, a lot of time has passed, and we cannot go back in time to start afresh or pause time to catch up; it will keep counting and we will age anyway. The time that we have left matters more than the time we’ve spent. A great population of the sahāba (رضي الله عنهم) entered into the fold of Islam in their middle ages, and yet they were the most knowledgeable of people and the first set of people to memorize and grasp proper understanding of the Qur’ān and the religion of Islām at large after the Prophet (ﷺ). It is never too late until you’re unconscious or your blood stops flowing.
We complain that there’s no time, and then spend two-thirds of the day scrolling through social media.
“Pertaining to someone who’s busy, the word ‘busy’ is only subjective to that which you make yourself busy for.”
— Ustadh Abdulahad Dayib, AMAU.
You will continue to age anyway, so age in the pursuit of that which would benefit you in this life and the next.
“Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allāh will make a path to Paradise easy for him.”
Muslim, 2699.