The secret to Aging Awesome (that we don't talk about enough)

 

How many of us think about aging gracefully? 

How would we want our lives to look like when we're 60? 80? Or even 100?

What are we doing - how are we living our lives today - to achieve that? 

The few that do think about this, will often speak about food, exercise, sleep, etc. 

Sure, those are all awesome and important. Above that, there is one Islamic pro tip that many Muslims don't realize and often take for granted. 

Here's a story of a 100-year old man who shocked the people around him: an incident often cited as a masterclass in ageing awesome. 

In his book of biographies, Imam Adz-Dzahabi narrates the amazing story of the prominent Shafi'i scholar, judge, and hadith master, Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari (d. 450 AH) came back from his sea travels at the ripe age of over a hundred. 

When the ship reached the dock, he jumped off the ship to the land onshore, with a dramatic and agile leap. 

This astonished everyone present, especially the young people. Those who witnessed this amazing scene expressed concern for his health, given he was over a hundred years old at the time.

How could this old man be so strong? 😱 

Abu Tayyib said to them:

​«هَذِهِ جَوَارِحُ حَفِظْنَاهَا عَنِ المَعَاصِي فِي الصِّغَرِ، فَحَفِظَهَا اللهُ عَلَيْنَا فِي الكِبَرِ»

​"These are limbs that we protected from sins during our youth, 

so Allah protected these limbs for us in our old age."

(Siyar A'lam al-Nubala [Biographies of Noble Figures] by imam adz-Dzahabi, Vol. 17, Page 669) 

Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari (not to be confused with the historian Ibn Jarir al-Tabari) died at the age of 102, retaining full possession of his mental and physical faculties until his final moments. 

Scholars would narrate this incident and phrase, as a practical example to explain the famous Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ: 

احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْك

"Preserve (the Commands of) Allah, 

and He will preserve you" (At-Tirmidzi)

What we can learn and apply from this:

From the barakah (blessing) of living a life of righteousness, Allah grants Physical health and vitality well into your later years. 

So. How well are we ageing so far?