By Shaykh Mustafa Abdulla
4 July 2025

﷽

Opportunities are one of the greatest blessings that Allah places in our lives. They come through health, youth, time, wealth, and seasons of worship. But no matter how many opportunities come our way, they are never permanent. Eventually, every door closes.

In this religion, we are constantly reminded that Allah gives us chances to return to Him, to grow, and to do good. These moments are not rare or limited to big events. They are built into the rhythm of our lives. But we often overlook them or assume they will always be there. They won’t.

Allah says:

These four sacred months – Dhū Al-Qaʿdah, Dhū Al-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab – are not just names on a calendar. They are times that carry weight, seasons that offer special reward and protection. Within them are days that invite us to draw closer to Allah.

This month of Muharram is one of those months. The Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, the tenth of Muharram, is a day the Prophet ﷺ would fast, and he recommended to fast the ninth as well. This practice is in remembrance of the moment Allah gave victory to Musa عليه السلام and Banū Isrāʾīl over Pharaoh.

The story of Pharaoh is a striking example of someone who is given chance after chance but refuses to change. Allah sent him signs – plagues, floods, locusts, blood – each one a message, each one a warning. Still, he resisted.

Rather than accepting the truth, Pharaoh negotiated. He said: “Invoke your Lord whom you said would answer you. If your Lord alleviates these problems, we will believe.”

But when the punishment was lifted, he returned to his arrogance. When he was finally drowning, he said:

But even here, he could not bring himself to say “Allah.” He referred to Him indirectly – “the Lord of the Children of Israel” – holding onto his pride even as his life slipped away. Allah responded:“

Pharaoh’s problem was not a lack of warning. He received signs. He had reminders. What he lacked was sincerity and action at the right time. The lesson is clear: opportunities do not last forever. If someone like Pharaoh can be given so many chances, what excuse do we have if we ignore the ones given to us?

After salah, there is a janazah. That person had their share of time. They had moments to act, to repent, to grow. But now their record is sealed. That is the reality of this life.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

Allah accepts the repentance of the servant so long as his soul has not reached the throat.

[At-Tirmidhi, 3537]

Once that moment comes, the chance is over. The door is shut.

Time is one of the most overlooked blessings we have. We live with the illusion that we will always have more of it. But everything in this world comes to an end. Our youth fades, health declines, wealth moves on, and free time quickly fills up.

Remember the famous hadeeth:

Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death.

There are moments when Allah gives us clear openings, but they are not endless. The lunar months are a perfect example. Every year, the same cycle returns, but how many times will it return for each of us? Will we be alive next Muharram? Will we witness another Ramadān?

After Ramadān comes Shawwāl. In it, there is the opportunity to fast six days, a practice which, combined with Ramadan, is said to bring the reward of fasting the entire year.

Then comes Dhū Al-Qaʿdah and Dhū Al-Hijjah, both sacred months. In Dhū Al-Hijjah, the first ten days are among the best days of the year. Then we enter Muharram, another sacred month, with the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ – the day when Allah saved Musa عليه السلام and his people. And yet, even after that, another chance arrives.

Shaʿbān, the month before Ramadān, is often ignored. But the Prophet ﷺ would fast more in it than in any other month besides Ramadān. When asked why, he replied that it is the month when the annual deeds are raised to Allah, and he wished that his deeds would be lifted while he was in a state of fasting.

Eventually, all chances end. I say it simply:

Today, we are working but not seeing anything in return. But over there, it’s just accountability and no more working. In the hereafter, it’s literally what you did over here so you can reap there.

This life is the field. The harvest comes after death. That is when every opportunity, every moment, every act of good or evil, is weighed. And that is why we cannot afford to delay.

I see hope in our youth. There are young men and women who use their holidays not for leisure, but to travel to memorise the Qur’an, to study Arabic, to seek knowledge. Some pay their own way. Some go without support from their families. But they recognise what is at stake. 

This is the mindset we need – to act now, while the doors are still open. Not everyone gets the chance to grow up seeking knowledge. Not everyone sees their way back to Allah. So when you do see that path, take it.

Use the days you have now. Use the breath in your lungs. Do not let the doors close. May Allah make us from those who recognise His gifts and act on them before they vanish. May He make us from the people of understanding.

Ameen.

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